How to get the most from your appointment

Please print the form that matches the reason for your visit, fill it out at home, and bring it with you. If you are not sure which form fits, pick the closest one. If you cannot print it, you can fill it out at the office.

First visit for a problem

Nose and sinus

• Sinusitis / Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Sinus infections, facial pressure, or thick or discolored drainage from the nose.

• Nasal Obstruction: Trouble breathing through your nose.

• Smell or Taste Loss: Loss of, or a change in, your sense of smell or taste.

• Nosebleeds (Epistaxis): Nosebleeds.

• Nasal Trauma / Fracture: An injury to your nose, including a possible broken nose.

Ears, hearing and balance

• Ear: Hearing, Tinnitus, Pain, Drainage, Fullness (adult): Adults: hearing loss, ringing or noise in the ears, ear pain, ear drainage or a full feeling in the ear.

• Pediatric Ear Infections / Fluid: Children: ear infections that keep coming back, fluid behind the eardrum, or a failed hearing screen.

• Dizziness / Imbalance / Vertigo: Dizziness, spinning (vertigo) or poor balance.

• Facial Nerve Weakness: Weakness or drooping of the face, such as Bell's palsy.

Throat, voice and swallowing

• Voice / Hoarseness: Hoarseness or a change in your voice.

• Swallowing / Globus / Reflux: Trouble swallowing, a lump-in-the-throat feeling, or reflux into the throat.

• Chronic Cough: A cough that has lasted more than 8 weeks.

• Tonsillitis / Adenoiditis: Tonsil or throat infections that keep coming back, a sore throat that will not go away, or tonsil stones.

Mouth, lumps and cancer

• Oral Lesion: A sore, patch or spot in your mouth.

• Oral / Throat / Neck Mass: A lump in your mouth, throat or neck.

• Salivary Gland Swelling or Pain: Swelling or pain of a salivary gland that comes and goes, or salivary stones.

• Head and Neck Cancer, New Diagnosis: A new diagnosis of cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box, nasopharynx or a salivary gland.

• Skin Cancer: Skin cancer, or a spot on the skin of your head or neck that might be skin cancer, including repair after Mohs surgery.

Thyroid and parathyroid

• Thyroid: A thyroid nodule, goiter or overactive thyroid.

• Hyperparathyroidism: High calcium or high parathyroid hormone (PTH).

Sleep

• Adult Snoring / Sleep Apnea: Adults: snoring, sleep apnea, trouble using CPAP, or questions about Inspire.

• Pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing: Children: snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, or possible sleep apnea.

Return visit for the same problem

• Sinus and Nose Follow-up: Sinus, nasal blockage, smell, nosebleed or nose injury problems.

• Ear Follow-up: Hearing, ringing, ear pain, ear drainage, ear fullness or ear tubes.

• Dizziness Follow-up: Dizziness, vertigo or balance problems.

• Voice Follow-up: Voice problems.

• Swallowing / Globus / Reflux Follow-up: Swallowing, lump-in-the-throat feeling or reflux.

• Chronic Cough Follow-up: Chronic cough.

• Head and Neck Cancer Follow-up: Care during or after treatment for cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box or a salivary gland.

• Skin Cancer Follow-up: Skin cancer of the head or neck.

• Thyroid Follow-up: Thyroid problems, including after thyroid surgery.

• Parathyroid Follow-up: High calcium or parathyroid problems, including after parathyroid surgery.

• Snoring / Sleep Apnea Follow-up: Snoring or sleep apnea in adults, including Inspire visits after the device is turned on.

• Pre-op Planning Visit: A visit to plan a surgery that you and the doctor have already decided on.

• General Follow-up: Any other return visit, such as tonsils, a child's snoring, a mouth sore, a lump, a salivary gland or facial weakness.

Visit within 1 month after surgery

• Sinus / Nasal Surgery Post-op: Sinus or nose surgery.

• Ear Surgery Post-op: Ear surgery or ear tubes.

• Tonsils / Adenoids Post-op: Tonsil and/or adenoid surgery.

• Laryngeal / Voice Surgery Post-op: Voice box (larynx) surgery.

• Thyroid / Parathyroid Surgery Post-op: Thyroid or parathyroid surgery.

• Salivary Gland Surgery Post-op: Salivary gland surgery (parotid or submandibular gland, or salivary stones).

• Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Post-op: Cancer surgery of the mouth, throat, voice box or neck.

• Skin Cancer Excision / Reconstruction Post-op: Skin cancer surgery or repair.

• Inspire Post-op: Inspire implant, until the device is turned on.

Since the first part of an office visit is gathering information, the ready availability of the relevant information allows your doctor to make a better assessment and set of recommendations. Practically speaking, some preparation on the patient’s part prior to the visit can be of significant benefit.

I recommend that you bring with you any potentially relevant healthcare information. If you have seen anyone else for this or a related condition, the reports and images from prior work may well not be readily available to Dr. Lansford during your visit, unless they are from Christie Clinic, Bromenn, or OSF. The front desk staff can make copies so you keep the original documents.

Unless they are coming from Christie Clinic, Bromenn, or the OSF system, please hand-carry to your appointment the following items:

• Any prior operative or clinic notes relevant to this condition.  You can get these from the medical records department of the hospital or clinic where you were seen previously.

• Any recent imaging or x-rays (such as a sinus CT scan).  Dr. Lansford needs two parts: the images themselves, burned onto a CD, and the radiologist’s interpretation (which is usually provided on paper, but sometimes included electronically with the CD).  To obtain these, you may need to go to the radiology department where the images were taken and say “I need the actual images and the radiologist’s report.”

Bring a list of your current medications (prescription and non-prescription) and their doses.  If it is easier, you could bring in your current medications.

Bring your photo identification and medical insurance card and be prepared for your copay.

Also, in case you have to wait, it is a good idea to bring with you something to do, such as your phone or a book.  Bring a notepad and paper if you might wish to take notes.  Bring a family member or friend if you wish to have another “set of ears."

You need not have an empty stomach before your appointment unless specifically told to do so.