Consultation Checklist · Talk to Dok

Kausapin ang doktor mo.

Walking into a consultation can feel rushed. This guide helps you arrive with the right notes, words, and questions, so your story actually lands. The single most useful thing you can bring is a written record.^[11]

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A doctor at her desk taking patient notes. Stock-photo model, not a patient.

Before, during, after

Your consultation checklist.

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Bring with you

A short timeline of when symptoms started and how often they return.A list of every medication, supplement, or home remedy you have tried, with results.Photos of your hives at their worst. Don’t rely on a flare appearing in clinic.Notes on how CSU is affecting your sleep, work, family time, and mood.A list of any other conditions you live with and the medicines you take for them.Your Urticaria Control Test (UCT) score, so your doctor can see how controlled your hives have been. Take UCT below.Notes on any previous consultations about your hives, even with a general practitioner, and what was advised.

Questions to ask

Could what I’m experiencing be Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU)?Given what I’ve told you, what’s the next step you’d recommend?Are there tests that would help rule things in or out?If antihistamines are not enough, what other options exist?Should I be seeing a dermatologist or an allergologist for this?What should I watch for between now and my next visit?

After your visit

Write down the doctor’s recommendations while they’re fresh.Note any new medication and a clear plan for when to follow up.Keep a simple log: date, symptoms, what helped, what didn’t.Bring the log to your next visit. Real-world patterns shape real treatment plans.

A validated tool

Want a score you can bring to your doctor?

The Urticaria Control Test (UCT) is a short, validated questionnaire clinicians use to gauge how controlled your urticaria is.^[14]Take it on the external tool and bring your score to your next visit, along with this checklist.

Take the UCT

How to open the conversation

Four conversation starters.

You don’t need medical vocabulary. Plain language, in the words you already use, is enough to start.

01

Tell the timeline.

Say when it started, how often it returns, and whether anything has helped so far. Specific dates and frequencies matter more than how it looks.

“It started in February. Most weeks I’ll get hives at least three days. Cetirizine helps me sleep but they keep coming back.”

02

Describe the daily cost.

Be honest about how it affects sleep, work, mood, and relationships. CSU is more than a skin condition, and a good doctor will want the full picture.

“I’ve stopped going to family parties because I’m self-conscious. I’m waking up at 3am to scratch. It’s affecting my job.”

03

Share what hasn’t worked.

List every treatment you’ve tried, including over-the-counter pills, home remedies, and what your previous doctor recommended. Be specific about whether each helped fully, partly, or not at all.

“Loratadine works for one or two days then stops. I tried cutting out shellfish for a month, no difference.”

04

Ask the right next-step question.

If you don’t know what to ask, this one usually unlocks the conversation: “Given what I’ve told you, what’s the next step you’d recommend?”

“What would you recommend as the next step from here? Is there a dermatologist or allergologist you’d refer me to?”

Words that help doctors hear you

A symptom vocabulary.

Some words land harder than others in a consultation. Here are the plain-language equivalents your doctor is trained to recognise.

Term to use

What it means in plain English

Tagalog cue

Urticaria

The medical word for hives. Saying it tells your doctor exactly which condition you mean.

Pantal, pamamantal

Spontaneous

Appearing on their own, without a clear external trigger. The “S” in CSU, and different from an allergic reaction.

Kusang lumilitaw, walang malinaw na dahilan

Wheals

The raised, swollen bumps on the skin that come and go. The classic look of hives.

Pamamantal

Angioedema

Deeper swelling, usually around the eyes, lips, hands, or feet. Often comes with CSU.

Pamamaga sa mukha o labi

Pruritus

Itching. Use this if you want to flag intensity, not just frequency.

Pangangati

Flare

An episode where symptoms come on strongly, then ease. Useful for describing patterns.

Sumiklab, lumala

Refractory

Not responding to the usual treatment. A useful word if antihistamines have stopped helping.

Hindi gumagana ang gamot

Chronic

Returning for six weeks or longer. The clinical threshold for moving from acute to chronic.

Matagal na, paulit-ulit

Your next step

Find someone who treats CSU regularly.

A consultation with a dermatologist or allergologist can change the whole trajectory of your care.

Find a Doctor