Today, I’ll show you how you can use AI, for example ChatGPT, to better prepare for your doctor’s appointment. I visit the MS Center in Dresden, Germany, once every quarter, and in all these years, it has happened often enough that I forgot to address important topics. There were different reasons for this. You probably know the feeling. When results are presented that you didn’t expect, terms are used that are new or at least not familiar enough to make you wonder. And with a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis, there may well be several topics to discuss with your doctor. Time is usually short – and when you’re nervous, it’s easy to forget half of what you need to say.
I have found that ChatGPT can help me prepare for such conversations. In this episode, I’ll show you how it can work in practical terms, using a real-world example.
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Why is preparation so important?
Do you know the feeling of realizing that something is wrong, that your MS is possibly active in an undetected way, and being glad that your next appointment with the neurologist is coming up soon? Then you finally arrive at the practice – and after just five minutes, the conversation is over and you are dissatisfied with how it went.
Doctors have little time, and with complex diseases such as MS, several symptoms can cause problems at the same time or gradual changes that cannot be seen on an MRI can reduce your quality of life. Therefore, it is helpful if you get yourself in order beforehand. In other words, come to the appointment with structured, clearly verifiable problems. What has changed? What is worrying you? What do you want to know? What do you need support with?
A classic doctor’s nightmare is a patient who overwhelms him with folders full of information. A doctor cannot and will not be able to go through all of that. But if you summarize everything important in a concise way and say where you need advice and support, you have a better chance of success. That’s exactly what I now use ChatGPT for – it helps me organize my thoughts, structure symptoms, and even formulate appropriate questions. You can research treatment options in advance. But be careful not to overestimate the AI. It doesn’t know your individual situation.
A practical example: MS and ChatGPT
In my example, the person with MS has been experiencing increasing bladder problems with acute urinary urgency for some time. Especially at night, sleep is disturbed. During the day, fatigue is more pronounced, she has concentration problems. In addition, an existing spasm in the left leg has worsened. And: her health tracker shows that she has taken significantly fewer steps per day in the last few weeks.
This is important information for the doctor’s appointment. But if you tell the doctor all this, it quickly seems disorganized.
So you could feed ChatGPT with the following prompt, for example:
“I’m preparing for a doctor’s appointment. I have MS. Lately, I’ve had more frequent urination, especially at night, which is causing poor sleep, fatigue, and concentration issues. In addition, the spasticity in my left leg has increased and my fitness tracker shows that I am taking fewer steps than usual. Please help me to present my symptoms in a structured way and formulate meaningful questions for the conversation. I would like to have a conversation at eye level and be well prepared to make good use of the few minutes.”
And then ChatGPT helps you with a structured overview. Sometimes it may take a while to get the short form. Personally, I like to ask if the AI needs more information from me to answer more specifically. The following may come up:
Current symptoms
- Bladder function
- Increased urge to urinate, especially at night (nocturia)
- Sleep interruptions, resulting in:
- tiredness during the day
- concentration problems
- No pain when urinating, no known infection (if applicable)
- Spasticity (left leg)
- Increase in muscle tension, noticeably more than before
- Impairs mobility/gait
- Painful or bothersome (add as you feel it)
- General mobility
- Fitness tracker shows fewer steps than usual
- Subjective: less energy, faster exhaustion
- Possible cause: combination of spasticity, lack of sleep, fatigue?
Depending on how acute the problem is, I would ask ChatGPT an additional question so that the problem is as recognizable as possible to the doctor right away:
“Is there anything I can do to help with the diagnosis?”
I then receive the following feedback.
Independent preparation - to support diagnostics
🖊️1. Symptom diary (for 3–7 days)
Keep a short diary with the following points:
a) Bladder/urination
- Time of visits to the toilet, especially at night
- Feeling of urge? Residual urine? Incomplete emptying?
- Fluid intake during the day
- Possible accidents/incontinence?
b) Spasticity
- When is it most severe?
- What exacerbates the spasticity (e.g. cold, stress, certain times of the day)?
- What measures help (stretching, warmth, rest, movement)?
c) Fatigue / concentration / sleep
- When is fatigue particularly severe?
- How many hours do you sleep per night on average?
- How often do you wake up, e.g. to urinate?
- Problems falling or staying asleep?
d) Mobility / movement
- How many steps a day according to the tracker?
- How subjectively do you feel about walking/balance/gait?
- Do you stumble or feel insecure?
📲 2. Bring your fitness tracker data (optional)
- Print out step counts from the last week or show them on your cell phone
- If available: sleep data (e.g. duration, quality, interruptions)
💊 3. List current medication (only for new doctors)
- All medications (including dose and time)
- Dietary supplements or aids (if your doctor does not yet know about them)
- Any recent changes?
📋 4. Previous diagnoses or findings (if you are seeing a new doctor)
- Latest MRI findings (if available)
- Urological or neurological findings
- Spasticity-related therapy reports if you have already had physiotherapy or botulinum therapy
How do I set up a conversation like this?
What helps me in particular – and what I also have prepared by AI – is a small structure for the conversation:
- Identify symptoms:
- When do they occur? How often? How strong? Since when?
- Highlight changes:
- What is new or has worsened?
- Identify everyday influences:
- What is particularly bothering me?
- Ask specifically:
- What do I want to know? What do I need?
With ChatGPT, you can have this structure output either as a list, as a short continuous text, or even in the form of a checklist – totally flexible.
What AI can't do – and how it can still help
One thing is clear: AI does not replace a doctor and does not make diagnoses.
But it does help you to understand yourself better – and that’s a huge advantage.
Especially for people who are not so sure how to describe their symptoms or what questions to ask.
So don’t be shy, play around with the AI a bit and try out a few questions. Feel free to question technical terms or get tips on how to create a simple urination diary. You can also get tips on how to record symptoms if something about the suggested procedure makes you uncomfortable or difficult. It’s great how ChatGPT and Co. can support you and what useful tips they have.
Or it can already give you an overview of various treatment options, including effectiveness and possible side effects.
Conclusion and invitation
ChatGPT is not a miracle cure – but it is a pretty good assistant. And that’s why I think it’s important that you always speak politely to the AI. Otherwise, you might get used to using a rude, commanding tone of voice and use it towards real people. That would be a sad development. Please and thank you should always be included.
If you feel you are not getting your point across to the doctor or you want to organize your thoughts: Just give it a try.
If you like, I’ll be happy to share a few more prompts or do an episode with other specific examples.
Feel free to write to me if you have any feedback or questions! Oh, and if you’ve used up your free AI credits, just try a different one. I use a paid account, so I have no limits. But luckily there are many providers.
Protect your private data
Please remember not to upload any personal data that could be used to identify you, such as your doctor’s note with your address. Instead, upload only the section that does not include your name. Or black out all sensitive data beforehand.
See you soon and try to make the best out of your life,
Nele
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