Well the feedback from the first part of the Medical Workbook has been very encouraging. I shall waste no time in getting onto the next part…..
Daily Routine Outline
A Daily Routine Outline is very handy for a number of reasons. When you are not feeling well and your mind is elsewhere it can be handy to have a guide of what you need to take or do next. I have used it on days when I can barely get out of bed and my mind is not functioning as it should. It keeps me on track with medications and treatments which is great because it can be a real problem if you have medications that need to be taken at set times and being behind the eight ball can really throw out your medication and treatment regime. This can be risky. A Outline can spare you that dilemma. It is also useful for showing your team or other new medical personnel what you do and when. It also shows that you are organised and proactive in your health care. Having an Outline puts it all together so that you don’t have to struggle through a day, stumbling from one set of meds to the next, not quite on top of any of it. You have something that will help you take your meds and treatments at the right time as well have a useful tool for showing people what your regime is. A good Daily Routine Outline would……
- Be set out in a time table format. Starting with the first treatment or medication that you take in a day and at what time you take it. For example: 8.30am – Ventolin and Atrovent (nebulised). 9am – Morning Medications, check BGL, take Insulin (Protophane 32 units). 10.30am Monring tea – Calshake.
- Include any thing that you need to do in a day whether it be Blood Glucose Levels, Nebulised Medication, Physio treatments, exercise and so on. Any thing that you do in your day to help manage your health. This will give anyone who needs to know a good guide to what you do in a day to keep on top of your health.
- Be a GUIDE only! Remember this is an example of your daily routine. It is for keeping on top of matters when you are not feeling the best and for giving your Medical Team an idea of your daily regime. Do NOT create a regime and feel that you have to stick to it every minute of the day for the rest of your life!! Do not stress yourself out, you need to be flexible when living with any sort of illness, this is not something to add more pressure to your day. It is for being useful on days when you are not at your best or to help show others what your day generally looks like.
I have also found this useful for times when I have to add a new treatment or medication to my routine. I can look at where it will fit in best for maximum benefit. Like I said I have also found it to be a life saver on days when I wake up and cannot remember who I am and what I have to do next!
Health Issues List
Another important list for your Medical Workbook is a list of Health Issues. Once again I have created this for emergencies and so on. Times when you are not well enough to go through the list of problems you have or when you need to give a lot of important Health information to someone quickly with out missing anything critical. You only need to keep this brief, it is not a Medical History, it is just a list of known problems that Medical Personnel need to know in the event of emergency. Your medical List should include:
- Any diagnosis that you have. For example: Cystic Fibrosis diagnosed at 6 weeks of age. Diabetes Type 2 diagnosed at 19 years old. Chronic Pain Syndrome diagnosed 2005.
- Any recent surgery or procedures. For example: Portacath inserted in right arm in 2005. Embolisation on lungs in 2001 and 2009.
- Any Infectious Diseases that you have or had. For example: C. Difficile Colitis diagnosed in 2006.
Having this vital information close to hand gives a Doctor the necessary, essential background information they need to start treating you. I know for some people this list may be long, mine is. I have gotten down by looking at my discharge letter from hospital that lists all my Health Problems. It is not pleasant reading but I have had to teach myself that I am not my Health Problems. They do not have to define who I am. I am a fighter and these Problems will not get the best of me. When I was able to deal with that then I was able to create the List knowing that it was for good Health Management. And it certainly saves a lot of time and effort during a time when both are in short supply!
So that is Part 2 of the Medical Workbook. Having these Lists included in your Workbook will help keep you on top of your Health Management as well as serve you well in the case of emergencies. Part 3 will give you a guide to keeping a Medical History as well as creating an Admission/Clinic Outcome Journal. These will help you to further be prepared for emergencies as well as help you keep on top of your Health by keeping brief records that can help you problem solve new issues and so on.
If you have any questions about your Medical Workbook or Health Management Plan please do not hesitate to email me. Look out for Part 3 in coming days. Part 1 can be read again here. Until next post….
Take care, Lily
For more information on this website please see my first POST or this collection of ARTICLES
