A lot of people find that visits to the doctor can be very stressful. It doesn’t matter what it’s for. It could be for anything from sleep disordered breathing to a sinus infection or just a regular checkup. They just find it invasive, intolerable and strange. It doesn’t need to be like this though. It doesn’t need to be a slog full of unnecessary poking and prodding. It can be educational, informative, even fun if you let it. It all depends on the type of doctor and what exactly it is that they are looking for. If you know what questions to ask and how to ask them, you can avoid a lot of the stress that you normally experience. It also helps to know the basics of what any particular doctor might be looking for as well. Here a few basic categories of doctor and some of the common ailments they look for.

Podiatrists
Not everyone needs a podiatrist but many people do. They deal in disorders of the feet, from fungal infections to lost toes and balance and so much more. If it involves the feet then a podiatrist can help figure out your problem. For example, let’s consider an older woman who may have a lot of dry skin or corns on the bottom of her feet. This might sound like no big deal but in actuality an excess of dry skin, corns, bunions or the like can be very painful. It’s especially common in older folks and can impair movement if it gets too bad. A podiatrist would have that older woman in, assessed and taken care of in just a few sessions. It’s that easy. Now, when it comes, to podiatrists, it’s all about the questions you ask. Know how long you’ve had your problem and be honest about how bad it’s gotten. It can be a little embarrassing, this is true, but she will need to know everything before she can figure out how to fix the problem. The foot might not be as complicated as sinus infections or vocal cord surgery but it still needs all the care it can get.
Ears nose and throat doctor
Moving farther up the body, an ears nose and throat doctor takes care of, you guessed it, the ears nose and throat. It’s not always easy, either. The ears nose and throat are connected by a complicated series of inner tubes that runs in all sorts of strange and counter intuitive ways. Problems with these tubes can cause all sorts of problems, from sleep disordered breathing to hearing loss and everything in between. Because of this and to avoid these problems, you’ll want to visit the ears nose and throat doctor even if you only suspect there’s a problem. Sleep disordered breathing or minor hearing loss might not seem important but, when ignored, they are only going to get worse. Leaving ear nose and throat problems go can lead to more severe problems such as vocal cord paralysis and trouble breathing. So what does the usual ears nose and throat doctor visit entail? You head down to the office and they’ll inspect all three of the aforementioned categories, making sure to take the proper tests to ascertain whatever the problem might be. If you have a sore throat, they’ll might do a swab, for instance. Once that’s done, they’ll analyze the results and let you know what to do. It’s that easy.
Eye doctors and optometrists
A visit to the ophthalmologist isn’t quite as complicated as a visit to the ears nose and throat doctor. Typically, at least. On any normal day, eye doctors will often just test your current vision and your pressure. After that, they might prescribe glasses or contact lenses but nothing else. They can do many other things, of course. They can perform eyeball injections, check for glaucoma, even schedule laser eye surgery. But these are fairly rare procedures and you only need to ask about them if you feel the need. That’s the rule of thumb for all doctor appointments, really. If you have sleep disordered breathing or just a sore throat, ask. It can never hurt.