80% of the information that we as doctors use to reach a diagnosis comes from a clear and thorough history of the patient's symptoms. In other words, the history can be more important than the actual exam in coming to the correct diagnosis! Please make sure that whoever is coming with your child to his or her appointment is able to relate to the doctor those important details like duration of symptoms, what makes the symptoms better or worse, and associated symptoms. Videos and pictures of symptoms or medications tried can be super helpful! Of course, it goes without saying that forms that need to be filled out should be brought to the appointment.
If you're anticipating that your child might need to have blood drawn, please call us to ask if they need to be fasting. Some labs are fasting, and others are not. However, all blood draws are made a ton easier if your child is well hydrated with water even if the labs are fasting labs. So hydrate, hydrate, hydrate for labs whether they're fasting or not!