I don't need to that often anymore, but there were years when I took a lot of notes. I not only kept a piece of paper and pen in the ready at appointments, but created and printed bullet lists of things to mention before them. I brought the lists with me to the appointments. That was often my notes paper during, too.

When a doctor gives me multiple instructions (i.e. medication changes), I have even asked them to write them down for me if my thinking was cloudy or muddled. I think they always did when I asked them to.