Telling Your Doc, or Not Telling Your Doc?
What one needs to consider in terms of disclosure of AS use to a Doctor, and its possible effects upon your future.
I have seen a few threads/comments about people asking whether or not to tell you Doc that you are ON, or have been ON.
There are some things to consider, and the REAL issue or concern is not really telling the Doc at all.
Your Medical Records Speak for you and your Doctor for Years.
The real issue is not as much whether you tell your Doc, or not ..... the real issue is whether or not any record of your having taken steroids, or having test results which indicate abnormalities which are commonly attributable to steroid use, shows up in your medical records.
The reason the medical records are the real problem, is that most of the time, when getting or changing medical insurance, the records are reviewed to see if they "want" to insure you. (This is a check for the sort of pre-existing-condition issue). If they find something very abnormal or something that is already a problem normally they will reject the new person from coverage.
Now when you talk to your Doc, if they do everything strictly "by the book", then:
??? details of the conversation will be placed into your record as part of the information gathering. These are your history, symptoms and descriptions. If you describe symptoms and current conditions (like that fact that you are taking AS) then they will record this in your record. Also,
??? if any medical tests are performed, the results are placed into your record as well.
For some Docs, anything you say, anything they do, any test results that come up, are ALL placed in your records - no excuses. They are strictly "by the book". This is the safest for them best in terms of their issues with liability, but it takes them a LOT of time, so many don???t go this far.