Understood Care
When you or someone you care for has ongoing symptoms, finding the root cause can improve treatment choices and outcomes. Many symptoms such as fatigue, pain, or shortness of breath can come from different conditions. A clear plan that combines history, exam, and the right tests helps your care team narrow the possibilities and guide next steps.
Keep a simple diary that notes
Bring this record to each visit. Clear timelines help your clinician connect patterns and choose the most useful tests.
Write down every prescription, over the counter medicine, vitamin, and herbal product you take. Include doses and how often you use them. Some symptoms are caused or worsened by side effects or interactions. If you notice a new symptom after starting a medicine, record the date and tell your clinician.
Include prior conditions, surgeries, allergies, and exposures at work or home. Add a family tree with major diagnoses and ages at diagnosis when known. Family health history can reveal patterns that raise or lower the chance of specific conditions and can guide screening and referrals.
Your clinician will ask detailed questions and perform a head to toe exam. Findings from this step point to likely causes and help avoid unnecessary testing. Expect questions about onset, severity, triggers, travel, infections, sleep, mood, and daily function.
Your plan may include one or more of the following
Results are interpreted together with your story and exam. One test rarely explains everything. Your clinician may repeat a test or use a different method to confirm a finding.
Imaging is ordered when it is likely to change care, based on symptoms and exam. Options include X ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, and others. Some conditions require nerve testing, sleep studies, or endoscopy. Your team should explain why a test is needed, what it can and cannot show, and what the next steps will be after the result.
Call 911 now if you notice any of the following
Do not drive yourself. Fast action saves brain and heart tissue and improves outcomes.
Consider genetic counseling when a condition runs in the family, when you or your child has features that suggest a genetic condition, or when you are planning a pregnancy and have questions about inherited risks. A genetics professional can review your family history, explain testing options, and support informed choices.
Fatigue can come from anemia, thyroid disease, sleep disorders, infections, mood disorders, medication effects, or chronic conditions. Clues include heavy menstrual bleeding, snoring or witnessed apneas, weight change, heat or cold intolerance, sadness or loss of interest, and recent medication changes. Your clinician may order blood counts, iron studies, thyroid tests, A1C, and sleep evaluation when indicated.
Numbness or tingling can result from diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, nerve compression, autoimmune disease, or medication effects. Your evaluation may include blood sugar testing, vitamin B12 and related labs, a neurologic exam, and nerve studies when appropriate. Report any sudden weakness, severe back pain with new bladder or bowel problems, or numbness spreading quickly, which needs urgent care.
Loud snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, and daytime sleepiness can signal sleep apnea. Diagnosis usually requires a sleep study at home or in a lab. Treating sleep apnea can improve blood pressure, mood, and energy, and reduces risks for the heart and brain.
Caregivers play a vital role in preparing information, sharing observations the patient may not notice, and supporting follow through on testing and treatment plans.Bring a short list of top questions, take notes during visits, and ask for a clear summary of the plan before you leave.If instructions are not clear, ask for plain language and written steps.
For personalized help from an Understood Care advocate, call (646) 904-4027 or book at https://app.understoodcare.com/
You can improve diagnostic safety by preparing for visits, asking questions, and confirming next steps
If you experience a serious side effect from a medicine or device, tell your clinician and report it through the appropriate safety program. You can also ask your pharmacist for help understanding side effects and interactions.
If you want hands on help gathering records, preparing questions, coordinating referrals, or seeking a second opinion, Understood Care advocates can support you. See the related Understood Care resources listed in the References.
This content is for education only and does not replace professional medical advice. If you have new weakness, severe pain, fever with confusion, chest pain, or trouble breathing, call emergency services.
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