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, I am taking control and making sure that all my doctors know what is going on with me at least medication wise (via email, fax, or phone). I also need to have a medication list on me at all times. If I am ever in as much pain as I was the last time I was hospitalized, I can’t be sure that I will able to communicate my medication information. There’s also a chance that lupus fog will roll in, and I may not be able to recall my medication list from memory. I also can’t assume that my DH will be with me. I have to be ready.
So, each time I come home from a doctor’s appointment, I have a routine. I update my medication list, print off copies for myself and for my emergency overnight bag. I then schedule my next blood draw appointment, usually a week before my next doctor’s appointment. I then file away my labs request slip. I also keep a copy of my medication list in the cloud; I share that list with my DH, so he always has access to the most up to date information.
Keeping your Medication List updated and handy will save you time.
I encourage you to keep an updated medication list. I have included the medication list template I created and use. Feel free to download it and tailor it for your own use. I print the whole sheet for my emergency overnight bag. I shrink the page and print a smaller version for my purse.
What additions or changes would you make to your own Med List template? What method works for you to keep everything updated?
