Doctor Visit Prep Sheet

Fill it in, print it, and bring it to your appointment

Last reviewed: October 2026 · 16 sources

From The Overlap Hub (theoverlaphub.org/doctor-visit-prep.html). Educational only, not a diagnosis: a place to note what I want to discuss. In an emergency, call 911.

Educational only. This sheet doesn’t diagnose anything. It’s a place to write down what you’ve noticed and what you want to ask, so you can share it clearly with your doctor or another licensed clinician. The suggested questions are things you could ask, not instructions or medical advice, and they don’t mean you have any condition.

When to get urgent help

This sheet is for planned appointments. Call 911 or your local emergency number if you or someone with you has:

Signs of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), such as trouble breathing, wheezing or high-pitched breathing sounds, trouble swallowing, swelling of the face, eyes or tongue, slurred speech, or passing out. Use epinephrine if your clinician has prescribed it ^[1].
Sudden crushing, squeezing or pressure in your chest, or sudden sharp chest pain with shortness of breath ^[2].
Severe shortness of breath at rest, bluish lips or face, or drowsiness or confusion with breathing trouble ^[3].
Fainting where the person is injured or bleeding, doesn’t become alert within a couple of minutes, is pregnant, or has chest pain, a pounding or irregular heartbeat, loss of speech, vision problems or can’t move a limb ^[4].

Even when it isn’t an emergency, see a clinician soon if you have never fainted before, faint often, or have new symptoms with fainting ^[4]. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 in the U.S. ^[5].

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Before you go

Put your concerns in order and bring up the most important ones first, instead of saving them for the end ^[6].
Bring all your medicines, including non-prescription medicines, vitamins and supplements, or a list of everything you take and the dose ^{[6, 7]}. Don’t forget eye drops, and describe any drug allergies or reactions you’ve had ^[8].
Doctors often ask when symptoms started, what time of day they happen, how long they last, how often they occur, whether they’re getting better or worse, and whether they keep you from your usual activities. Making notes beforehand helps ^[8].
Bring your insurance cards, the names and phone numbers of your other doctors, and any medical records the doctor doesn’t already have ^[6]. It helps to know your current medical conditions, past surgeries and illnesses ^[7].
A family member or friend can come with you to remind you what you planned to discuss and to take notes ^[6].
If a test is suggested, you can ask what it’s for, how it’s done, how to get ready for it and how you’ll get the results ^{[7, 9]}.

Used our symptom checklist? Print its summary and bring it too, or copy items into the sections below. Your checklist answers aren’t carried over to this page, because nothing is stored.

Every box is optional. A blank copy prints with empty spaces you can fill in by hand.

1. Visit details

Date of visit

Clinician or clinic

Reason for this visit

Someone coming with me (optional)

2. My top 3 concerns

Most important first ^[6].

Concern 1
Concern 2
Concern 3

3. Symptom timeline

These are the kinds of things doctors often ask about ^[8].

When did my symptoms start? Did anything happen around then (an illness, a move, a water leak)?

What seems to set them off or make them worse?

What helps?

How often do they happen, how long do they last, and at what time of day?

Are they getting better, worse or staying the same? How do they affect work, school, sleep or daily life?

4. Symptom log

One line per episode or day. The 0–10 rating is just your own sense of how bad it was.

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

Symptom log
Date and time	What I noticed	How bad (0–10)	How long	What was going on (food, activity, heat, standing, place)	What helped

5. Medicines, supplements and allergies

Include prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, herbal or dietary supplements and eye drops ^{[7, 8]}.

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

Medicines and supplements
Name	Dose	How often	What it’s for

Allergies or bad reactions (to medicines, foods or anything else)

6. Past tests and results

Bring copies of records the doctor doesn’t already have ^[6].

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

Past tests
Test	Date	Result, or where to find it

Other doctors or specialists I see (names and phone numbers)

7. Home, work and exposure history

Health agencies link damp, moldy buildings to symptoms such as a stuffy nose, coughing or wheezing, and burning eyes, though mold affects people differently and some have no symptoms ^[10]. Noting what you know can help your clinician.

Where I live, work or study, I have noticed:

Water damage, leaks or flooding

Mold I can see

A musty or moldy smell

A move, renovation or new workplace around when symptoms started

Details: where (home, work, school), when it happened, and what was done about it

8. Questions I want to ask

Tick the ones you want to ask and add your own. These are questions, not instructions; your clinician can tell you what fits your situation.

General

What else could be causing my symptoms, and what would you want to rule out first?
What is this test for, and when will I get the results? ^[9]
Could any of my medicines or supplements be playing a part? Will a new medicine interact with the ones I already take? ^[9]
Are there any alternatives to what you’re suggesting? ^[9]
Would it help to see a specialist? If so, what kind?

If these topics apply to me

Would it make sense to check my heart rate and blood pressure lying down and then standing (an “active stand test”)? ^[11]
If I have another sudden episode, would a tryptase blood test taken within about 4 hours, compared with my usual (baseline) level, be useful, and how would I arrange it? ^[12]
Would an assessment of joint hypermobility using the Beighton score and the 2017 hEDS criteria be appropriate for me? ^{[13, 14]}
Could allergy testing help show whether mold or something else is behind my nose, eye or breathing symptoms? ^[15]
Is there anything I should know about my health before cleaning up mold or water damage? ^[16]

9. Notes and next steps

You can ask what to do next and how you’ll get results; if results don’t arrive, call the office and ask what you should do about them. Call if your symptoms get worse ^[7].

What the clinician said

Tests, referrals or treatments suggested

How and when I’ll get results

Follow-up appointment

When to call sooner

Sources for the tips and suggested questions: theoverlaphub.org/doctor-visit-prep.html#sources

Sources

Numbers in brackets link to these sources. Every link was checked on October 11, 2026.

MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Anaphylaxis. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000844.htm
MedlinePlus. Chest pain. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003079.htm
MedlinePlus. Asthma. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000141.htm
MedlinePlus. Fainting. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003092.htm
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Help for Mental Illnesses. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help
National Institute on Aging (NIA). How To Prepare for a Doctor's Appointment. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/medical-care-and-appointments/how-prepare-doctors-appointment
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Be More Engaged in Your Healthcare: Tips for Patients. Content last reviewed November 2024. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.ahrq.gov/questions/be-engaged/index.html
NIA. What Do I Need to Tell the Doctor? Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/medical-care-and-appointments/what-do-i-need-tell-doctor
AHRQ. The 10 Questions You Should Know. Page last reviewed November 2020. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.ahrq.gov/questions/10questions.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Environmental Health. Mold (About mold). Reviewed Sept 26, 2024. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/mold-health/about/index.html
Dysautonomia International. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30
Lee E, Picard M. Diagnosis and management of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) in Canada: a practical approach. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2025;21:49. PMID: 41272881. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12639879/
The Ehlers-Danlos Society. Diagnostic Criteria for Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) checklist. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/hEDS-Dx-Criteria-checklist-1.pdf
Malfait F, Francomano C, Byers P, et al. The 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2017;175(1):8-26. PMID: 28306229. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31552
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). Mold Allergy (patient page; updated July 8, 2026). Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-treatments/allergies/mold-allergy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home