What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor About Heart Disease?

A study showed that when you visit your doctor, you have between 18 and 36 seconds to get the message out there, so what I really recommend, is when you go to communicate with your doctor, you bring in the questions you need answered. What are my risk factors for heart disease, what's my blood pressure, my cholesterol, my Body Mass Index, my sugar level?

Am I at risk for heart disease? Talk to your doctor about your family history and know that that might have a huge effect, whether or not you are at risk of a heart disease, and also talk about your symptoms. Tell your doctor if there's any change in your ability to exercise, if you have chest pains, shortness of breath, if you're not able to do the activities that you usually do, talk to your doctor about these issues.

Palpitations, dizziness, lightheadedness al of these issues become relevant, and I recommend, you write it down before you get there because somehow, very often, when you get into that room, you forget. Also, bring a friend, someone in your family, someone to take notes so you make sure you know what was asked and what was said, and then on your next visit, you can follow up with what you didn't have answered.

It's so important that you can communicate with your doctor, and how you do that may make a difference in whether or not you're cared for as well as you could be.