Keeping a Medical Journal Can Improve Your Health Care

Tips From a Two-Time Cancer Survivor

I am a two-time survivor of cancer. Chemotherapy did significant damage to my heart and lungs.* Because of this I have spent a lot of time in the health-care system. I have an "ology" problem; I have more "ologists" in my life than I know what to do with. I have a Cardiologist, Neurologist, Urologist, Anesthesiologist, Hematologist, Oncologist, Pulmonologist, Rheumatologist and a Nephrologist. My brain is not able to keep up with just one of these. If you have any chronic illness, then you understand the dilemma that I have. How does a person keep up with all of this? The simple answer is by keeping a medical journal. It does not mater if you have one doctor in your life or like me a dozen, keeping a medical journal will not only help you manage your health care but it will improve the quality of the care you get as well.

There are four sections that I keep in my medical journal. There is a section for notes I take at the doctor's office. A section for questions I have for the doctors. A section for research and a section for the drugs I take. Each one of the sections has a purpose and each can help insure improve the quality of care you receive.

The first section is I have in my journal is for notes I take at the doctors office. This is important for two reasons. It is so hard to remember the things you talk to your doctor about when you get home, much less remember it a month later when you are seeing a different doctor. Create a separate page or section for each doctor you see. When you have a chronic illness you have different doctors from different specialties that you see. This helps you keep up with what you have talked about with each. Always take notes while you are at your appointment with the doctor. It is important to get the information down when it is fresh in your mind. It is ok to be brief with your notes while you are in the room with the doctor because you can sit down before you leave the medical office and finish them. Remember to date you entries for the doctor visit section of your journal. If for any reason you need to go to court then these notes are admissible.