Living with a chronic illness can feel like a never-ending battle. It’s not just about managing the symptoms, it’s also about keeping track of doctor’s appointments, medications, and paperwork. Staying organized is essential, yet it can be a colossal challenge for many individuals dealing with chronic illnesses. Therefore, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you keep your medical care on track, ensuring that you never miss an appointment or lose track of critical paperwork.
Sometimes no matter how hard you try to keep everything straight; things can get missed. Yes, even appointments that are already on the calendar! Hopefully we can share some tips and strategies to help you stay on top of it all.
- Keep good records. All your doctor’s appointments, including the dates, times, and locations. Keeping a separate folder for each doctor or specialist can make it easier to keep track of everyone’s schedule. To help you mark the dates correctly, consider setting reminders on your phone, computer, or tablet. This strategy is not only more efficient than keeping a physical diary, but it also eliminates the chances of damaging or losing the diary. Moreover, you can easily access and update your appointment schedule whenever there are any changes. Don’t worry, if technology is not your bag paper is fine you just have to get in the habit of checking. Sunday nights are a good time to review your schedule for the upcoming week. You can even plan out your schedule on paper in a pocket calendar book if you use a wall calendar to write your appointments on.
You may also want to consider creating a health binder that contains all your medical records, test results, and treatment plans. This can be particularly useful if you’re seeing multiple doctors who need access to your medical history.
Your notebook could also be a good place to write down any notes you want to write at your doctor appointment.
- Prepare to Communicate with your Doctors and Specialists Effectively. Suppose you feel like you’re forgetting to ask critical questions during your appointment, consider writing them down beforehand. This strategy will help you clarify your doubts and ensure that you receive adequate healthcare. Additionally, discussing your medical needs with your healthcare provider can help you gain more insight and control over your treatment and medication plan.
Make sure you bring any logs or notes of things you are suppose to be tracking such as daily weights (fluid retention/Congestive Heart Failure Tracking), daily blood sugars for diabetics or pre-diabetes, as needed medications, how often you are needing to take them and for what symptoms, blood pressure recordings, temperatures, or any other symptom or measure your doctor would like you to monitor. A simple spiral notebook can keep everything handy in one place. It can act as your health diary. Keep it simple. You can mark down the date and record anything you are measuring on that day even if you think of a question. When you go to the doctor you can bring your notebook with you and everything will be in one place to review and to take notes at your doctor appointment.
- Keep a Current Medication List with you at all times. Consider keeping a record of your medications, including the dosages, frequencies, and side effects. This information will ensure that you never miss a dose and also enable your doctor to adjust your medication plan accordingly. A medication record also helps you track the progress of your treatment, and in case of an emergency, it can help healthcare providers provide you with more accurate and prompt care. This can be especially important if you have multiple doctors that may not be in the same clinic to help avoid any duplications or omissions with your medications. Your clinic should review your list of current medications every time you go to an appointment.
Make sure you bring up any new medications or changes in dosing. For example, if you recently were in the hospital, you may have had some medications changes.
Make sure you do not go back to your previous medications until you see your doctor at your hospital follow up appointment to see how your doctor wants to handle any changes made in the hospital. Make sure your allergies are correct. Also make sure to let your doctor know if you have stopped taking any medications and why. We often see patients with congestive heart failure or other chronic conditions where you are watching your fluid retention, stop taking their water pill or not take the second one of the day because they have to use the restroom too often. Don’t stop taking any medication without consulting hour doctor, you just may end up in the hospital.
It’s easy to forget which medications you’re taking, how they’re affecting you, and when they need to be refilled. Consider creating a medication tracker, either on paper or using an online app. This should include the name of the medication, dosage, frequency, and any side effects you may be experiencing.
- Do not Underestimate the Importance of Keeping Track of your Medical Bills, Insurance, and other paperwork. Create a separate folder for all your healthcare-related documents, including your insurance policy, doctor’s bills, medical reports, etc. This step will ensure that you have all the necessary information when applying for insurance claims, while also giving you a clear idea of your medical expenses. We always recommend a “go folder” for all of our clients to make sure they have all the necessary documents or copies ready to go in a folder. For our “go folder” see our previous blog post in the resource section.
- Consider a Care Partner to Assist You. Finally, enlist the help of friends and family members to remain organized. Support from loved ones can help you cope with the challenges of living with a chronic illness, and they can also help you keep track of appointments and medications. Additionally, you can delegate some of the responsibilities, such as filling out paperwork or scheduling appointments, to ease the burden and give you more time to focus on recovery. It would be a good idea to have your care support person know all of your appointments and have access to your online patient portal or “my chart” so they can be aware of any changes in appointments or other necessary details.
We struggle with this for my mother-in-law. She does not have a computer or any online access nor does she want any. We have had appointment changes that we would not have known about because they didn’t call her with changes. She was going by her previous printout or after visit summary and they had to change her appointment. It is important that your care partner or advocate have online skills and access to your online patient account.
Consider asking a family member or friend to accompany you to your appointments, particularly if you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Additionally, some hospitals and clinics offer patient navigators who can help you schedule appointments, access resources, and even provide emotional support.
You may choose to hire a patient or nurse advocate to help keep all of this straight to eliminate some of the burden to your family. Some family members want to be involved as much as possible but time, work, and their own family commitments may conflict with their desire to want to help more or you may have family that lives long distance, and they are limited to how they can help.
- Prioritize Self-Care. Chronic illness can take a toll on your physical and mental health, so it’s essential to carve out time for yourself. Whether it’s a relaxing bath, meditation, or a walk outside, make sure to prioritize your self-care routine. A healthy mind and body are vital for managing chronic illness effectively.
Conclusion:
Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions. This is your health, and it’s essential that you feel comfortable with your treatment plan. If you don’t understand something, ask your doctor or nurse to explain it in simple terms. Write down any questions you may have before your appointment, so you don’t forget to ask them.
Living with a chronic illness can take an emotional and physical toll on an individual. Living with a chronic illness can feel like a never-ending battle. However, with the right organizational and support strategies, you can take control of your medical care and experience more peace of mind. Keeping a record of your appointments, communicating with your doctors, tracking medications, managing paperwork, and enlisting the support of loved ones, care support person, or a patient advocate are essential steps to mastering the art of staying organized. We hope that our guide has been helpful in providing you with the necessary tools to manage your medical care effectively and efficiently.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Managing a chronic illness can be overwhelming, so it’s important to have a support system in place. You can ask a family member or friend to come with you to appointments, or you can consider joining a support group. Having someone to assist you with medical appointments and procedures can be a relief, and it’s a good idea to know that you’re not alone.
Thanks for stopping by and spending a few minutes with us. We look forward to seeing you back her soon. Don’t hesitate to to reach out with questions or to suggest a topic for us to cover. We are here to serve you on your or a loved one’s healthcare journey and to assist you in navigating the muddy waters of our healthcare system. Consider joining us in our Free Private Forum discussing “Speaking Out on the Care of Aging Parents” to stay in the loop and get access to our weekly free resources.
Take care and see you back here soon,
Pam and Linda,
Your Nurse Advocates
Let us be the “True North” on your Compass while trying to navigate your way through our healthcare system.
Resources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-prepare-doctors-appointment
