How to Describe Medical Symptoms to Your Doctor

Medically reviewed by Ronn Callada, RN, MS

Last Updated: December 11, 2024

It can be daunting to visit a doctor for symptoms of what might be an undiagnosed medical problem. Patients often struggle to adequately explain their symptoms during a brief medical interview, which is an important component of helping the physician effectively diagnose your symptoms and develop a treatment plan. Your doctor is trained to help guide you through the medical interview and help you describe your symptoms. You can maximize any medical appointment by describing your symptoms simply and concisely so that you and your doctor can understand.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing for Your Doctor’s Visit

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1
Learn the basics of describing symptoms. There are four basic elements you should use to describe symptoms. Learning these will help you figure out your symptoms and best convey them to your doctor.^{[1]
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- Tell your doctor how your symptoms feel. For example, if you’re experiencing headaches, use descriptive words like sharp, dull, stabbing, or throbbing. You can use these kinds of terms to describe many physical symptoms.^{[2]
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- Explain to or show your doctor the exact location in or on which you’re experiencing your symptoms. You want to be as specific as possible so say “The front of my kneecap is swollen and has throbbing pain” instead of something general like “I have pain on my leg.”^{[3]
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  Research source} You should also note if the symptoms extend to another location.
- Mention how long you’ve had your symptoms. The more specific date you can pinpoint, the easier it may be for your doctor to figure out what is causing your symptoms.^{[4]
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- Note how frequently you have or notice symptoms. This information can also help your doctor figure out what’s causing your symptoms. For example, you could say “I feel symptoms every day, especially after I work out,” or “I only notice my symptoms occasionally, like every few days.”
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Figure out and write down your symptoms. It’s important to recognize your specific symptoms and write them down before you see your doctor. Not only will this help you best describe your symptoms, but will also ensure that you don’t forget to include any symptoms and how they affect you.
- Make sure to take your list of symptoms, including the basic information on them, to your appointment with you.
- Note if symptoms are connected to specific activities, injuries, times of day, food or beverages, and anything else that exacerbates them. Also, note if they affect your life in any way.^{[5]
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Bring a current and cumulative patient profile to the appointment. A comprehensive profile of yourself as a patient includes information on conditions, hospitalizations, or surgeries you’ve had, what medications you have taken or are currently taking, and any allergies to medications or foods. This will help ensure that you don’t forget any vital information and also help your doctor understand your medical history.^{[6]
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- You may not end up needing to refer to it, but if questions about your medical history come up, having your patient profile available will maximize the time you can spend discussing your current medical issue(s).^{[7]
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- Bring your current medication bottles, which list the name & dose information. Make sure to include any herbal supplements you take as well.
- You can create a patient profile by summarizing your medical history on a piece of paper.
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Make a list of questions you have for your doctor. Write down a list of questions related to your most pressing concerns about your symptoms before you go to your doctor. This can also help maximize your visit and the time used describing your symptoms.^{[8]
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- Address any concerns or worries you have in your questions.

Part 2

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Navigating Your Medical Interview

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Remember to be as specific, detailed, and descriptive as possible. Every person experiences symptoms differently, so remember to use vocabulary that is as specific, detailed, and descriptive as possible. This can help your doctor diagnose you and follow the progress of your care.
- Use adjectives as much as possible. For example, if you are experiencing pain, tell your doctor if it is dull, throbbing, intense, or piercing.
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Be honest with your doctor about your symptoms. There is nothing you should ever feel embarrassed about with a doctor, so be honest with your doctor. Not being honest with your doctor can make it difficult to diagnose your symptoms.^{[9]
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- Doctors are trained to deal with every kind of medical contingency, so a symptom that might embarrass you is likely something your doctor sees regularly.
- Remember that any information you give your doctor remains confidential by law.
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Summarize the reason for your visit. Most doctors will begin a medical interview with a question like "What brings you here today?". Preparing a one or two-sentence answer that summarizes your symptoms will give your doctor context and help maximize your visit.
- Some common symptoms include:Pain, weakness, Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fever, confusion, breathing problems, or headache.
- For example, you can tell your doctor “I’ve been experiencing stomach pain and vomiting for the past two weeks.

Part 3

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Describing Specific Symptoms to Your Doctor

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1
Tell the doctor about your specific symptoms and where they’re located. Tell the doctor your specific symptoms from your prepared list and then show him where on your body you are experiencing them. This can help your doctor formulate a diagnosis and possible treatment.
- Remember to be as specific and descriptive as possible. If you’re having knee pain, don’t say it’s on your leg, but show your doctor exactly where on your knee you’re experiencing the pain.
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Describe the onset and occurrence of your symptoms. It’s important to tell your doctor when your symptoms began and how often they occur. This can help your doctor pinpoint possible diagnoses.
- Make sure to include when your symptoms started, if they stopped, and the frequency with which they recur. For example, “I get bad pain right in between my menstrual periods that lasts about three days."
- Tell your doctor how the symptoms affect your daily life and ability to function.
- Let your doctor know if you’ve experienced the symptoms before and under what circumstances this happened.
- Tell your doctor if you notice that your symptoms are better or worse at certain times of the day. For example, “I have much more extreme rectal itching in the evening.”
- Mention parallel symptoms or concurrent conditions. For example, you could say, "During the three weeks I've been having these fainting spells, my wife also said that I've been looking very pale and I've also had these dark-colored bowel movements and I've lost ten pounds even though I'm eating the same.”
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Explain what relieves or exacerbates your symptoms. Let your doctor know if anything makes your symptoms better or worse. This can help him formulate a diagnosis and potential treatment plan for you.
- For example, if you have pain, note any movement that sharpens it. You can describe this by saying "My finger feels fine unless I bend it towards my palm, and then I feel a sharp pain."
- Describe other triggers for your symptoms including foods, drinks, positions, activities, or medications.
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Rate the severity of your symptoms. Describe the severity of symptoms using a scale of one to ten. This may help your doctor diagnose you and can indicate how acute your problem may be.
- The scale of severity should range from one being almost no effect on you and ten being the worst possible case you can imagine. Be honest, and don't minimize or exaggerate."
It’s important to let your doctor know if anyone else you know is experiencing the same symptoms. This can alert your doctor to a diagnosis and any public health issues.
If your doctor doesn’t seem to understand what you are trying to say, repeat your symptoms using your terms. This will help make sure your doctor gets the right diagnosis and develops the proper treatment plan.^{[10]
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Do not provide your doctor with a self-diagnosis. If you are seeing a doctor, chances are you are not a medical professional and thus not qualified to be making a diagnosis of your symptoms. Make sure to describe only your symptoms to your doctor and not what condition you think you have.^{[11]
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- Using your medical interview to describe potential diagnoses instead of your symptoms will take important time away from your doctor’s ability to effectively diagnose your symptoms.
- Expect the doctor to examine you according to the symptoms you described. He then may order tests or treatments.

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Tips

Consider bringing a friend or family member for the visit if you are not sure how to explain your physical problem correctly or if you are forgetful or flustered easily.

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Make sure the way you look is commensurate with your symptoms. For example, if you are complaining of the worst pain of your life, don't be drinking coffee, reading a magazine, and answering your cell phone.

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