Most gut appointments start with the same questions: how often, since when, what does it look like, and what makes it worse. They are hard to answer on the spot. The NHS says your GP will ask about your symptoms, including how often they happen and what sets them off, and that it might help to write down details of your symptoms to help you remember them (NHS).
Here is a simple list to fill in before you go.
1. When it started
Write the month it began, even roughly. Note anything that changed around then: a new job, travel, an illness, a new medicine.
2. How often you go
Count for a week if you can. Write the usual number per day and the most in one day. “About 3 a day, 6 on a bad day” is far more useful than “a lot”.
3. What it looks like
Use the Bristol stool chart. It gives each shape a number from 1 to 7, so you and your doctor mean the same thing. Cleveland Clinic says types 3 and 4 are the most ideal, types 1 and 2 suggest constipation, and types 5, 6 and 7 suggest diarrhea (Cleveland Clinic).
4. The things doctors always ask about
- Do you ever need to go urgently?
- Do you wake up at night to go?
- Have you seen blood or mucus?
- Have you lost weight without trying?
- How bad is the pain, from 0 to 10?
If you are bleeding from your bottom, have bloody diarrhoea or have lost a lot of weight for no reason, the NHS says to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 (NHS). Don’t wait for a routine visit.
5. Medicines and what you have tried
List everything you take, including over-the-counter things, and anything you have tried for your gut. Note what helped and what didn’t.
6. Your questions
Write your top three questions at the top of the page. Ask them first, before time runs out. Some ideas:
- What else could this be, and do I need any tests?
- What should I keep track of before next time?
- When should I come back?
Make it one page
Doctors read fast. One clear page beats a stack of notes. Our free GI visit summary asks these questions and prints a single page you can hand over. Your answers stay in your browser.
