Emergency

How to Manage Your Medication List (Free Download)

Leave a comment

My calendar sure has changed ever since this lupus thing.  Well, it has changed in many ways, but today I realized how medically heavy my schedule has been. The past 8 weeks have been filled with medical appointments. Out of the 8 weeks, I have gotten 2 weeks of reprieve from doctors and/or lab appointments. Wow.

But thankfully, I really like my doctors and the lab technicians who suck, ahem…I mean draw, vials of blood from my veins.  I see these folks a lot.  My DH and I have also developed a pretty good system for planning my doctors appointments into the metro city around traffic. We get in and out in good time. Plus, we get to use the carpool lane. I am also grateful that the lab is rather close to my house–5 minutes away.

And I finally figured out a system for my blood draws about a month into the process. I can make appointments for the draws as opposed to waiting around as a walk-in, hello?! And I can do this online. Seriously, I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before. I had only ever done walk-in for labs which means you will most likely have wait for quite awhile.  

Just about every time I see one of my doctors, my medications change. It can be hard to keep up. I also want to be sure all of my doctors are kept up to date with my latest medication changes. I learned from my last major flare that the doctors do not always communicate with one another. In order to avoid this, Continue reading →

How to Plan for Smoother Trips to the Emergency Room

Leave a comment
I just used a piece of cardstock and a twist tie for my "throw-ins" list--easy peezy.

I just used a piece of cardstock and a twist tie for my “throw-ins” list–easy peezy.

I have been admitted to the hospital twice in the last 6 months. I really don’t plan to make a habit of it, but I want to be prepared just in case. The second time I was admitted, I was home with my Aunt. My DH (dear husband) was at work. I was really sick; all the signs were there. I knew I needed to go to the hospital. I called my DH from the bathroom—“Please. Come home. I’m sick. Yes. Hospital.” I was so sick that I couldn’t leave the bathroom for quite some time. I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the hospital. My Aunt was there for me. She was calm. She prepared to take me to the hospital. That was the plan anyway. She started gathering my things for the hospital. I was doubled over in pain instructing her as she packed my overnight bag. My DH zoomed home. We hadn’t left the house yet. I wanted him there with me. I wanted him with me at the hospital. He knows how to take care of me. He got home, checked on me, and then immediately started packing his overnight bag for the hospital as he called my doctor. I was bad. We both knew I was going to be admitted. Our “adventures” at the hospital are a whole other affair, but all three of us knew that we had wasted precious time packing our overnight bags.

Again, I don’t plan to go to the hospital again anytime soon, but all three of us have packed overnight bags. My DH and I are ready with bags for the hospital, and my Aunt has hers for staying at our home to care for our pooch when we are in the hospital. We have also committed to keeping our cars’ gas tanks filled with at least a quarter of a tank or more.

Below is a list of items that I think would be helpful to have pre-packed for those rushes to the ER. Continue reading →