Making the most of your appointment 

During appointments, it can sometimes be difficult to remember everything that your doctors and nurses have said, and everything that you want to discuss.

Here you can find a body map, a list of questions and a planner that you can take to your appointments to help you. If you can't print them, you could make your own drawings and write down a list of your biggest questions.

Body map

You can download and use the expandable body map below to show your doctor or nurse which parts of your body are causing you problems. He or she might also want to use it to explain why you are experiencing your symptoms.

It's important to tell your doctor or nurse all the symptoms you have because even things you don't think are very important, might be big clues for your doctors about how scleroderma is affecting you.

Some symptoms may seem embarrassing but remember that you won't be the only person who has experienced them, and your medical team will not tell anyone else. The sooner you share these symptoms with your doctor or nurse, the sooner you can gain advice on their control or management.

Tell your doctor

To help you keep track, record any changes on your mobile phone or diary.

Monitoring scleroderma

You may find it helpful to take a list of your questions to each appointment, so that you don’t forget to ask everything you want to. Leave space to write down the doctor's answers too, if you can. There may be so much information to take in during an appointment that it is easy to forget details. Don't be afraid to ask for extra time to write or ask your doctor to repeat themselves. 

Your questions can be about anything, but below are some examples that other people with scleroderma have asked.

Questions for your doctor or nurse

If you have questions that are not shown here, write them down or ask someone else to do it for you.

Planning next steps with your specialist team

It can be reassuring to know what's going to happen next in your medical care, and when. The downloadable chart below can be filled in with your doctor or nurse. It can be used to collect details of the tests and appointments you will have over the next few months, to help you plan ahead.