What Happens at Your First Appointment
Most people who ring us have been putting it off for years, and the thing holding them up is not the problem. It is not knowing what they are walking into.
So here is the whole appointment, start to finish. What you will be asked. What you will be asked to do. What you can decline. What happens at the end.
What this page covers
- ✓How to book, and whether you need a referral
- ✓What you fill in before you come, and why it helps
- ✓What to bring and what to wear
- ✓How long it takes and what it costs
- ✓The questions you will be asked, and why
- ✓Why most people do not need an internal examination
- ✓Your right to decline anything, at any point
- ✓Chaperones, support people and partners
- ✓Who can see your notes, and what you leave with
I am embarrassed. Is that going to be a problem?
No. Not for us, and by the end of the appointment, usually not for you either.
You will be talking about your bladder, your bowel, your pelvic pain or your sex life with someone who talks about those things all day, every working day, and has done for more than a decade. There is no version of your situation that is going to raise an eyebrow here. There is no detail so unusual that it has not come up before.
You do not have to be brave about it. You do not have to have the right words. Plenty of people arrive and open with "I don't really know how to say this", and that is a fine place to start. Say it however it comes out, and we will work with it.
You are also allowed to not say something on the first visit. If there is a part of this you would rather leave until you know us better, leave it. It will keep.
How do I book, and do I need a referral?
You do not need a referral. In New Zealand you can book a physiotherapy appointment directly. You do not need to see your GP first and you do not need a letter from a specialist.
- 1
Online
Email hello@coregood.co.nz and we will ring you back to arrange a time.
- 2
Ring 0800 267 346
If nobody picks up, leave a message and we will ring back.
- 3
Book a free 15-minute call first
A confidential phone conversation with no obligation to book an appointment afterwards. Some people want to describe the problem and hear whether we can help before committing to anything.
When you book, tell us in one sentence what it is about. Not the detail, just the category: bladder, bowel, pain, sexual health, after childbirth, after surgery. That lets us allocate the right length of appointment and prepare properly, so your time is not spent on things we could have sorted beforehand.
If you would rather not say on the phone, say "pelvic health" and leave it there. That is enough.
What you fill in before you come
Once you have booked, we email you a confirmation with the time, the clinic and a short set of confidential forms to complete online at home. For most people there are two: a consent form, and a pelvic health history. Men booking about erections complete a third, which records where things stand before treatment starts so there is something to measure against later.
Fill them in before you come if you can. Nathan reads them before you arrive, and that changes the appointment in two ways.
- ✓Your history is already in front of him, so the time is spent on assessment and treatment rather than on questions that may turn out not to apply to you.
- ✓You get to think about your own health somewhere private, in your own time, instead of assembling it from memory in front of someone you have just met.
If you cannot do them at home, that is not a problem. Come 20 to 30 minutes early and you can complete them on a device at the clinic.
The appointment, in order
Come a few minutes early if it is your first visit, or 20 to 30 minutes early if you have not been able to complete your forms at home. If you cannot find the building, ring rather than driving around, and we will not start your appointment late because of it.
Ordinary comfortable clothes you can move in. Most of the assessment happens fully clothed. Nothing you own is wrong for this appointment.
Any letters from your GP, urologist, midwife or hospital, a list of your current medications, and if bladder symptoms are your main concern, a note of how often you are going to the toilet over a couple of typical days. None of it is essential.
What you have noticed, when it began, what makes it better or worse, what you have already tried, and the health, surgical, obstetric and medication history that may be relevant. This is the longest part and it is not a form-filling exercise. It tells us where to look.
Real-time ultrasound through the lower abdomen, biofeedback, breathing and posture, and a musculoskeletal examination of your spine, hips and pelvis. Most of it happens with you fully clothed, and the screen is turned towards you.
Nothing happens without your agreement. You can decline any part of an assessment, at any point, for any reason, and you do not have to explain why. You can change your mind partway through.
You may bring a support person or a partner, and you may ask for a chaperone at any appointment. Some people prefer to come alone. Both are common and neither is a problem.
Your clinical records are held under the Health Information Privacy Code. We do not write to your GP or anyone else without your permission.
An explanation of what we found in plain language, what we recommend and why, roughly how long it may take, and something you can start straight away. You will know the cost of any recommended plan before you agree to it.
Will I need an internal examination?
Most people do not, and that is because of the equipment rather than because we are being polite about it.
Real-time ultrasound is performed through the lower abdomen while you stay fully clothed, and biofeedback gives objective information about activation, endurance and control. For most people that gives us the clinical picture we need.
If an internal assessment would genuinely change what we recommend, we will explain exactly why, what it involves and what we expect to learn, and you decide. You can say no, and we will work with what we have.