Find the best time to see a doctor

Experts from respiratory, oral, obstetrics and gynecology, endocrinology and other departments jointly summarized

Many people are often confused about whether they need to be on an empty stomach before seeing a doctor, what time is the best time for the examination, whether they need to control their diet the day before, etc. Indeed, at different time points, human body indices such as hormones, blood sugar, and white blood cells will fluctuate, thus affecting the diagnostic results. In fact, as long as we find some key time points for seeing a doctor, the diagnosis can be clearer.

Interview experts from multiple departments including endocrinology, respiratory medicine, dentistry, obstetrics and gynecology, and andrology to help you summarize the best time to see a doctor and reduce medical errors.

Testing blood sugar: 6 or 7 o'clock is the most accurate. "Relatively speaking, endocrine system diseases have the most stringent requirements on the time of consultation,"

Taking the most common diabetes as an example, fasting blood sugar measured at six or seven in the morning is relatively accurate. You can test it at home and then bring the result to your doctor for reference. In addition, diseases such as pituitary diseases, adrenal tumors, and growth hormone deficiency require hormone level measurements. The level of hormone release is affected by the body's biological rhythm, and is usually high in the morning and low at night. Most hormone level tests usually require measuring the values ​​at multiple time points such as 8 am, 4 pm, and early morning.

Blood draw: around 8am. Whether it is a regular physical examination, liver function test, diagnosis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc., fasting blood test is essential. Fasting blood refers to venous blood drawn in the early morning before eating, about 12 to 14 hours after the previous meal. Assuming that you had dinner at 7pm the day before, then the blood drawn between 7am and 9am would be qualified fasting blood. At this time, the digestion and absorption activities of the stomach and intestines are basically "finished", the various components in the blood are relatively constant, and the measured values ​​can relatively truly reflect the changes in the body. After eating, the sugar, protein, lipids, etc. in the blood will become restless, which may affect the diagnosis of the disease. He Yubin, deputy director of the Cardiovascular Disease Center of the Beijing Military Region General Hospital, reminded that cardiovascular disease patients should come for treatment around 8 am to avoid the need for fasting blood tests.

Men’s examination: 9-11 a.m. Experts say that male menopause is becoming more and more common in clinical practice. It is the most common endocrine disorder syndrome in men over 50 years old and is related to the decrease in testosterone secretion. The most accurate test for testosterone is in the morning, and it is generally recommended to do the test between 9 and 11 o'clock. Among men's diseases, many patients with erectile dysfunction are accompanied by obesity. Doctors often have to consider checking whether their blood lipids and blood sugar are high. At this time, they may need to check fasting blood sugar. It is recommended to go to the hospital early in the morning for treatment.

Urine test: Fresh morning urine is best. Although urine routine examination is one of the most common examinations we do, many of its details are overlooked by us. Experts say that urine samples collected for routine urine tests should be fresh morning urine as much as possible, because people drink less water at night and the various components excreted into the urine by the kidneys are stored in the bladder and concentrated, which easily increases the chances of detecting disease. Do not eat heavy meat or fish for dinner the day before the examination, and do not drink too much water at night. When collecting urine, it is best to collect midstream urine. At the same time, the urine should be prevented from being contaminated by feces, vaginal secretions, etc.

Asthma: Best effect in the morning. It is reported that asthma symptoms are most obvious in the morning, so seeking medical treatment in the morning is more effective. Most respiratory diseases do not have any special requirements for consultation time. However, diseases such as respiratory tract infections and bronchitis require fasting to check liver function, so you should also see a doctor in the morning. If you have diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis, you will need to do tests for Streptococcus pneumococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, etc., which often requires sputum culture. The data collected from the first sputum in the morning is the most accurate because it has not been "contaminated" by other bacteria. Before collecting, you should rinse your mouth first and then forcefully cough out the sputum deep in the trachea.

Tooth extraction: Least painful in the afternoon. Going to the dentist has become a concern for many people. Whether it is tooth extraction or root canal treatment, many oral diseases require injection of anesthetics. Scientists have found that the effectiveness of local anesthetics injected between 1 and 3 p.m. is three times higher than in the morning and evening.

Experts have also said that the human body is more sensitive to pain in the morning, so it is recommended to extract teeth in the afternoon if possible. It is recommended that if you choose to have a tooth extracted in the morning, you should ensure a balanced breakfast to avoid hypoglycemia due to tension. Bleeding and infection are likely to occur after tooth extraction, and you may need to stay in the hospital for observation.

Colonoscopy: Pay attention to your diet 3 to 4 days in advance. Gastritis, indigestion...more and more people are suffering from stomach problems.

Most digestive system diseases require fasting examinations such as gastroscopy, abdominal B-ultrasound, etc., so it is best not to eat breakfast or drink water in the early morning when you go to see a doctor for digestive tract diseases. If you suspect you have colorectal cancer and need a colonoscopy, you should prepare your diet and take bowel cleansing medicine 3 to 4 days in advance. In addition, digestive system diseases often require stool testing, which requires not taking bismuth-containing medicines two weeks before the test, not taking large amounts of vitamin C, and not eating foods containing animal blood, such as pig blood, 1 to 2 days before the test.

See a gynecologist: 3 to 7 days after the end of menstruation. Menstruation not only affects women's mood, but also affects the diagnosis of gynecological diseases.

Vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, vulvitis, etc. are common gynecological diseases that plague women. When diagnosing, vaginal smears and cervical scrapes should be taken to examine the exfoliated cells. These examinations are best done within 3 to 7 days after the end of menstruation. This is because when menstrual bleeding occurs, blood cells will affect the observation of cell or bacterial smears. However, patients with suspected cervical adhesions need to be examined during their menstrual period. Gynecological endocrine examinations do not need to be performed during menstruation, but it is best to visit the doctor before 9 o'clock.

Breast examination: 10th day after the start of menstruation. The mammary gland is very sensitive. During the menstrual cycle, under the influence of relevant endocrine hormones, it will playfully undergo some physiological proliferative changes, causing varying degrees of congestion, edema and other changes in the breast tissue. These changes can cause doctors to misjudge the location, size, etc. of breast lumps when examining them.

Experts explain that, generally speaking, around the 10th day after the start of menstruation, the effect of estrogen on the breast is minimal and the breast is in a relatively static state. Examination at this time can better detect its lesions or abnormalities. Of course, postmenopausal women are less affected by endocrine hormones and can choose the time of their visit more freely.

Surgery: Safer in the morning. The study found that, relatively speaking, patients undergoing surgery are most likely to have problems between 3 and 4 p.m., while 9 a.m. to noon are the safest. The study also found that patients who underwent surgery in the afternoon were more likely to experience adverse reactions such as postoperative nausea and regurgitation.

The study also suggests that surgery should be avoided on weekends as the mortality rate is higher during this time. However, this difference is not particularly significant. Nowadays, beds are in short supply and patients’ conditions vary in severity, so it is better for everyone to follow the doctor’s advice.