GP or Consultant Visits
The lupus patient should be on guard for new symptoms or the recurrence of previous symptoms long since conquered. All too often the time allocated by the doctor is short and he/she tends to lead the way, leaving the patient regretting that vital questions had not been raised.
The key is to sit down quietly a day or two before the consultation to think about the questions you have and write down the essential points, after pruning the original list once or even twice. Writing these notes one hour before the visit is not effective and should be avoided.
Make good use if required of the clinic nurse, especially if a lupus specialist nurse. Nurses can often empathise more with the patient, can be easier to talk with and may carry back a point to the doctor that was overlooked or where the nurse senses that the whole story has not been set down. Equally, the practice nurse at your local surgery should also be asked for help or advice - but be selective as to how often approaches are made!
Detailed information is provided elsewhere within the LUPUS UK website on the range of medications available to the lupus patient. For most, continuing medication is a must in order to maintain some semblance of reasonable health, yet there is often a price to pay.
The side effects of medication can vary from drug to drug and also from patient to patient, and its important to keep records of what may be side-effects rather than aspects of lupus. These notes should then be raised with the lupus consultant who may be able to change medication to minimise any troublesome or worrying issues.
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