Your First Visit

Gathering a few things ahead of time makes the visit far more useful. Prior records are the single biggest time saver, because they prevent repeating tests you have already had.

• A list of your current medications and doses
• Reports from any prior endoscopy, imaging, or reflux testing
• A short timeline of your symptoms and what has been tried
• Any questions you want answered, written down

We start with your story in your words. What is happening, how long it has been happening, what makes it better or worse, and what it is keeping you from doing.

Then we review your history, medications, and prior testing, and perform an examination as appropriate. From there we talk through what the likely explanations are and what would confirm or rule them out.

You should leave knowing what we think is going on, what testing if any is needed, what the realistic options are, and what the next step is.

If a procedure is a reasonable option, you will hear what it involves and what it does not fix. If a procedure is not the right answer, you will hear that too.

• A working explanation of your symptoms
• Any testing that has been ordered and why
• The options that are realistically on the table
• A clear next step and who to contact

It is not a sales appointment. Nobody is going to push you toward a procedure at a first visit, and being told to wait or to treat something else first is a legitimate outcome.

This page is general education. Your instructions come from the office and from the facility, and those instructions take priority over anything written here.