Talking to your doctor
It’s important to track your rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and talk to your doctor about how you're feeling. Even mentioning small things that have changed can help with managing your RA. The more your doctor knows about your overall health and how your symptoms are affecting your ability to do things at work and at home, the better prepared he or she will be to evaluate which treatment is most appropriate for you.
To get started, you may want to ask yourself these following questions:
- Am I noticing changes in my RA symptoms, such as joint pain, stiffness, or swelling?
- If joint swelling was present, has it decreased or does it still persist?
- Have I seen changes in my physical function in performing day-to-day tasks?
- How many times a week am I feeling like I’ve had a “good” day with RA?
- What does a “good” day with RA mean for me?
- Am I able to do the tasks I enjoy doing?
- What is something I have trouble doing because of my RA? How do I go about doing that thing differently because of my RA?
- What are some of the activities I’d do more often if my RA was better controlled?
- Have I taken too many sick days?
To prepare for a conversation with your doctor, click the button below to help define your treatment goals. Then print your answers. You can take it to your next doctor's appointment and they can get a better sense of how you have been managing your RA.
Additional helpful resources and tools are available from the Arthritis Foundation at arthritis.org.