One of the best ways to maintain open communication with your healthcare professionals about your acromegaly diagnosis is to ask questions.
It's normal to have difficulty remembering all of the questions you wanted to ask during your visit. To help ensure you get the answers you need, keep a list of questions as well as notes about anything you may have noticed concerning your symptoms. Bring these notes with you to every office visit so that you can review them with your doctor.
Below are some common questions that many patients have and that may help you organize your own thoughts and questions. You can download and print these questions, and bring them with you on your next doctor visit. There is also space in the printable version for you to write your own questions.
Questions about Acromegaly
- What are some of the most common signs and symptoms of acromegaly?
- Do I have any physical signs of acromegaly?
- Do I have any metabolic signs of acromegaly?
- If left untreated, what is my risk of serious complications such as diabetes and heart disease?
Questions about Treatment for Acromegaly
- What are my acromegaly treatment options?
- Do I need treatment right away?
- Am I a candidate for surgery?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of treatment?
- Will the treatment you recommend for me:
- Normalize my growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels?
- Control the pituitary tumor mass without harming normal pituitary function?
- Relieve the signs and symptoms?
- Improve my life expectancy?
- How quickly will I experience relief of my symptoms with each treatment?
- How is each treatment administered?
- How will each treatment affect my daily life?
Questions about Living with Acromegaly
- How will you be monitoring my condition (i.e., pituitary tumor size, GH levels, IGF-1 levels, symptoms)?
- How long will I have to be on treatment for acromegaly?
- Should I alter my diet?
- Are there any physical activities I should not participate in?
- Can you recommend any supportive resources that may help me manage acromegaly?
- Who can I talk to about living with acromegaly?
Download a printable version (PDF 75 KB) of these questions
