We Were Unprepared
When we left the hospital we were not prepared to deal with the challenges of life at home. In our eagerness to get home we failed to realize how unprepared we were in caring for our daughter; especially her medical needs.
Then We Treaded Water
Once we got our heads above water, we realized it was time to tread. Treading was exhausting. She had multiple doctor visits, medications and changes to them, complex diagnosis' and the extensive information that goes with learning about them, and her vital statistics that appeared to be in constant flux. We needed to remember all of this information at the drop of a hat. As time went on there was too much to keep track of; we could not go on this way forever.
We Started Organizing
Over time we noticed that we were answering lots of questions. Most of them were the same ones, day after day, week after week. What was her date of birth? What medications was she on? Did she have any allergies? Has she had any tests done if so when was the date and time? Who is her doctor? Almost like clock work, each doctor visit, every nurse phone call, medical and insurance forms, government agencies and organizations all requested the same information.
The Stress Was Decreasing
As we collected and organized our daughter's health information we noticed that we were not as stressed. We could now listen during doctor visits. Our organizer gave us a starting point to manage our daughter's health; while giving us peace of mind knowing that we had things under control.
Now We Collaborate
Instead of just listening we found that we were becoming more proactive in our daughter's care. We felt empowered to make more informed decisions and to work together as a partner with our daughter's medical team. Over time the Medical Organizer became our most important tool; making us confident, competent and secure in managing her care.
Penny Hanlon
www.cominghomeguide.com
Friday, September 7, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Peace in the midst of chaos
Caring for your loved ones who have challenging medical concerns, yearly medical forms, and out of the ordinary doctor visits can oftentimes consume your entire day and/or week in some cases.
Recently, all of our 4 children had some medical issue going on at the same time. Each child was seeing a doctor, specialist, had a trip to the urgent care center, or needed to be on antibiotics. One child needed a sports physical, one had an infection and needed multiple antibiotics, one had multiple health issues that needed focused time and attention to, and one had a follow up appointment with a specialist and needed a copy of their current medical health record for another doctor visit.
Now in the past things like this would have tended to stress me out. I would have been searching for all of the correct doctor information, current health records, calling doctor’s offices to get copies of their health records, trying to remember the last time they saw a doctor, if they had any allergies, etc. It would have been very stressful, causing anxiety and worry. Usually I would try to do this at the last minute rushing to fill out all of the paperwork while I sat in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen. Each child needed my time and attention, needed me to be able to make important health decisions on their behalf, and I needed to be mentally present in talking with the doctor and understanding all that was being said.
At times it can be challenging to remember these things for my own health let alone anyone else; but I can tell you it was a different experience this time around. Because of my Coming Home Medical Organizer here are some steps that we took to help bring about peace of mind.
Because of our medical organizer we had the doctor’s information at our fingertips. I had a folder with our children’s medical health information; it was current and up to date. At the different doctor visits we just needed to hand the paperwork to the medical staff for them to make a copy of.
This allowed for my husband and me to tag team with the kids much more easily. He was able to take a couple of kids to their appointments and he had all of their information. I was not the only one in the family to have all of the information regarding our children’s health. It helped to work together and share the experience and the load.
With our special needs daughter we were able to have a timeline in place that charted the various changes in her care. This was helpful information for the doctor as we worked together to make decisions with her medications, follow up tests, and return doctor’s appointments.
Life happens. But when life happens with medical concerns stress and anxiety do not need to be a driving force throughout the process. With a little bit of time in putting together your Coming Home Medical Organizer you can have peace in the midst of your chaos.
Penny Hanlon
www.cominghomeguide.com
Recently, all of our 4 children had some medical issue going on at the same time. Each child was seeing a doctor, specialist, had a trip to the urgent care center, or needed to be on antibiotics. One child needed a sports physical, one had an infection and needed multiple antibiotics, one had multiple health issues that needed focused time and attention to, and one had a follow up appointment with a specialist and needed a copy of their current medical health record for another doctor visit.
Now in the past things like this would have tended to stress me out. I would have been searching for all of the correct doctor information, current health records, calling doctor’s offices to get copies of their health records, trying to remember the last time they saw a doctor, if they had any allergies, etc. It would have been very stressful, causing anxiety and worry. Usually I would try to do this at the last minute rushing to fill out all of the paperwork while I sat in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen. Each child needed my time and attention, needed me to be able to make important health decisions on their behalf, and I needed to be mentally present in talking with the doctor and understanding all that was being said.
At times it can be challenging to remember these things for my own health let alone anyone else; but I can tell you it was a different experience this time around. Because of my Coming Home Medical Organizer here are some steps that we took to help bring about peace of mind.
Because of our medical organizer we had the doctor’s information at our fingertips. I had a folder with our children’s medical health information; it was current and up to date. At the different doctor visits we just needed to hand the paperwork to the medical staff for them to make a copy of.
This allowed for my husband and me to tag team with the kids much more easily. He was able to take a couple of kids to their appointments and he had all of their information. I was not the only one in the family to have all of the information regarding our children’s health. It helped to work together and share the experience and the load.
With our special needs daughter we were able to have a timeline in place that charted the various changes in her care. This was helpful information for the doctor as we worked together to make decisions with her medications, follow up tests, and return doctor’s appointments.
Life happens. But when life happens with medical concerns stress and anxiety do not need to be a driving force throughout the process. With a little bit of time in putting together your Coming Home Medical Organizer you can have peace in the midst of your chaos.
Penny Hanlon
www.cominghomeguide.com
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