Things to think about before your cardiologist appointment

Whether you’re getting a diagnosis, discussing your treatment, or having a follow-up appointment, seeing your cardiologist is a chance to get the information you need to feel as well as you can with your heart condition.

These appointments can feel overwhelming – especially if your heart problem is a recent one, or if you’ve been waiting a long time. Planning the questions you want to ask can help you get the most of your time with your cardiologist (or other specialist) and make you feel more involved with your care.

You may not get a chance to speak to your cardiologist again for a long time, so ask about the things that matter to you. List your questions in order of importance, in case you don’t get time to ask everything.

Preparing for your appointment

These are some things you might want to think about:

1. How have you been feeling?
2. Has anything changed, or do you have any new symptoms?
3. Is there something you’d like to change about your care?
4. How has your life been affected by your condition – for example work, exercise or hobbies?
5. What has been going well and what hasn’t?

Ask your cardiologist how to get answers to any questions you have after the appointment – they may be happy for you to email them, or they may suggest speaking to your GP or nurse. They might recommend a reliable website, like ours for more information.

Remember to take your questions with you, and a pen so you can take notes. You may find it helpful to keep a specific notebook for medical appointments.

Your first appointment

You may want to ask:

1. What tests will I have, what do they involve and when will they be?
2. Is there anything I should try to do while I wait?
3. Is there anything I should avoid doing while I wait?
4. Are there any signs or symptoms to look out for?
5. At what point should I contact someone if I have these symptoms, or any other problems and who should I contact?
6. What can I do to help myself?

Discussing your treatment

If you’re waiting for treatment or if it’s just begun, you could ask:

1. How will this treatment help?
2. Is there anything I can do to prepare?
3. What risks may be involved, or what side effects should I look out for?
4. How does this medication work?
5. Who can I talk to if I have problems or questions about the treatment or medication?

If you’re waiting for surgery or a procedure you could ask questions like:

1. How long will I be in hospital?
2. What can I expect when I wake up after the operation?
3. What can I do before I am admitted to help my recovery go as well as possible?

Find tips on preparing for a hospital stay.

You can also use this appointment to find out what might happen after treatment. This can help you plan for the support you’ll need during your recovery, or if you need to discuss taking time off work with your employer. You may want to ask questions like:

1. Will I need a sick note? Who can I ask for it?
2. Do I need a nurse to look at my dressing?
3. How long until I can get back to daily life/work/hobbies?

Living with your heart condition

Think about things you do in your daily life, what you enjoy doing and possible adjustments you might have to make because of your condition. These questions may be useful if you are seeing a cardiologist during your stay in hospital, or if you don’t see your cardiologist very often:

1. When can I expect a follow-up appointment?
2. What exercise can I do?
3. Is it safe to have sex?
4. Is there a nurse specialist who can support me?
5. Can I travel?
6. When can I drive?
7. How does this affect my work? 

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