Dr. Bouboulis

[justinekno]

Can anyone who has seen Dr. Bouboulis PM me about your experience? We are contemplating taking my son to see him and I am wondering what information he considers to be helpful for the first appt.

 

Justine

[kimballot]

I am going to echo Justine's request. We have an appt. coming up and would love to hear suggestions on preparation. - Thanks!

 

Can anyone who has seen Dr. Bouboulis PM me about your experience? We are contemplating taking my son to see him and I am wondering what information he considers to be helpful for the first appt.

 

Justine

[LNN]

I would call the office and ask them to fax you a request for lab work - to either you or to the lab of your choice. That way you can have blood work done prior to your visit and have results to discuss at the visit. There are standard things they'll test for initially - ASO, anti Dnase B, pneumococcal titers, et al...

 

Also send in any medical history you have - previous blood work, a write up of illness history/symptoms, etc. The more the doctor has in front of him at your first meeting, the more bang for your buck. Just make sure it's short and sweet. It's going to be skimmed, not read like a novel. (this is true for any doctor - I'm not speaking specifically about any one person). If you use an excel chart system, that's very helpful. Or you can do a table:

 

Date..........Illness/treatment.........................Symptoms..............................Duration

1/1/10.......sinus infection/amoxicillin ............ocd, hyperactivity, joint pain..................5 weeks

 

3/15/10.....sibling strep/zithromax ................ocd, poor handwriting, anxiety...............3 weeks

 

If you've done the Cunningham test, fax or bring those results as well.

 

As you gather everything, think about the story you want to tell. Organize things in a way that will make sense quickly. Be prepared to explain why you've come to think PANDAS makes sense for your child. But remember that you're going to see a PANDAS believer. So you don't have to go armed for battle. Be ready to be open to ideas and questions. Have a list of questions. What part of your story doesn't make sense to you? What comes next? There are other diseases that could be at play. The goal is a correct diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

You're about to spend $10/min with a doctor. The more you put into getting ready for the appointment, the more you'll get out of it. Good luck!

Edited March 28, 2010 by LLM