Hi! Thanks for stopping by today! You are a very important person who deserves the best medical care as possible. When you go to see a doctor, you are in charge, you have hired that doctor to consult you about your medical condition(s). Be an active participant with your medical team. A great way to make sure you are kept in the loop, is to create a medical binder. I suggest a 2-3" binder (you may not fill this up today, but as time goes on, you will need the extra room found in a larger binder).
To make a medical binder you will need:
A 2-3" binder (any color)
A clear trading card holder sheet (or 2)
A permanant marker
Divider sheets
A calendar
A hole punch
A paperclip
Lined Paper
A pen
Once you have all of the materials for your binder, then you can put it together! The first page of your binder should be the trading card sheet. Place a business card for every doctor you go to, in the pockets of this sheet. You may want to use another sheet to put appointment cards in, but that is up to you. The next thing in your binder will be the calendar. Punch holes in the calendar so that it will fit into your binder. Put your calendar behind the trading card sheet(s); use the paperclip to clip on the current month. This will make it easier to find your appointment schedule, or to update it as needed. Write down all of your upcoming appointments on this calendar. Put your dividers behind the calendar and add several sheets of paper behind each divider sheet. You will need to write the following labels on each divider sheet (one label per divider)...
Medicine and Drug Allergies
Surgeries
Doctors
Medical Test Results
Questions
Now the fun begins! Sit down when you have some time and start filling out the information behind each divider. Depending on you medical history this could take from a few minutes to several hours or even days! Be as thorough as possible. You can always go back and revise your information as you need to.
Depending on your medical condition(s) you may want to go and get current test results. Current, means within the past month or so. You can always go and request a copy of the medical report from doctors, or test results from x-rays, MRI's, blood work, ultrasounds, or any other medical procedure. You will need your driver's license or current ID to obtain your medical records and they usually do not charge you if you explain that you need the results to take them to the doctor for your next appointment. Call ahead and ask for medical records. Sometimes you can get the results immediately, and other times you may need to wait a couple of days. A quick phone call can save you time and gas!
Take your binder with you to every doctor appointment! They will appreciate all of the information you have at your fingertips! Be sure to update your binder after appointments and tests.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read this post. Please leave me a comment, so that I know you were here! If you have any questions, post those too! I love to hear from my readers!
Have a great day and come back soon!
Showing posts with label Managing Chronic Pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Managing Chronic Pain. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Dealing with Chronic Pain
OMG! I can't believe how long it has been since I have written on this blog! I am so, so sorry! Believe me, it is not because nothing has been going on! So much has happened since my last post which was around my last foot surgery, about a year ago!
I have had a total knee replacement (I will post about that soon), another hydrodystension of my bladder, a blood transfusion, 4 Remikade infusions and I have been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and I may have Chron's disease (I have an endoscopy and colonoscopy planned in July).
Most recently I have started taking chronic pain management classes. I was taking two classes and one has already ended. The second class is an ten week course and I just finished up week seven! We have been working through a book called, Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain" by Beverly E. Thorn.
We have been learning about the connections between pain and stress and how to change our thought patterns to help us alleviate stress and pain. The class is taught by two incredible women who also deal with chronic pain, so they completely understand what we are going through. We have kind of developed a familial relationship amongst the group which makes it easy to relate to one another. One of the first things we discussed was how other people perceive us as "normal" because we may look "normal" while inside we may be suffering terribly physically and/or emotionally. It is so nice to know that you are not alone! If you are reading this and you are also suffering, please leave me a comment. YOU ARE NOT ALONE EITHER!
Every class we fill out a chart, to show what our current pain and stress levels are. We use a 0-10 scale for each feeling. The pain scale is...
0 No pain, no limitations (None)
.5 Barely noticeable pain
1-2 Pain is there but is low in intensity and is manageable; no observable
limitation (Mild)
3 Functionally disabling resulting in more breaks being required; slowed
work rates, slow/altered movements, lean on nearby surfaces, increased
limp (Moderate)
4 Between 3 and 5
5 Needing to stop the activity you are currently performing; unable to
maintain current body position; very restricted movements (Strong)
6 More painful than 5 but not yet a 7
7 Tearful, needing to lie down, needing to take extra medications,
difficulty engaging in conversation (Severe)
8 Between 7 and 10
9 Between 7 and 10 with more intensity than 8
10+ Immediate emergency hospitilization, unable to speak, icapacitated,
worst imaginable pain (Maximal)
The stress scale is called the SUDS scale (subjective units of distress)
It is also a 0-10 scale with 0 Completely Relaxed and 10 Panic Attack
I created magnets with each pain scale 0-10 on them. I gave them to each member in our class so that they could take them home and teach the scale to their friends and family. It is a visual aid for others to "see" how we are feeling, so that they might understand our reactions to things that are happening around us. If you would like a set of these magnets, please leave me a comment and/or email me ssauve7@aol.com so that I can get your address privately to get them to you. Please come back soon, and I will share more of what I have learned about managing chronic pain. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by! Shellie
I have had a total knee replacement (I will post about that soon), another hydrodystension of my bladder, a blood transfusion, 4 Remikade infusions and I have been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and I may have Chron's disease (I have an endoscopy and colonoscopy planned in July).
Most recently I have started taking chronic pain management classes. I was taking two classes and one has already ended. The second class is an ten week course and I just finished up week seven! We have been working through a book called, Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain" by Beverly E. Thorn.
We have been learning about the connections between pain and stress and how to change our thought patterns to help us alleviate stress and pain. The class is taught by two incredible women who also deal with chronic pain, so they completely understand what we are going through. We have kind of developed a familial relationship amongst the group which makes it easy to relate to one another. One of the first things we discussed was how other people perceive us as "normal" because we may look "normal" while inside we may be suffering terribly physically and/or emotionally. It is so nice to know that you are not alone! If you are reading this and you are also suffering, please leave me a comment. YOU ARE NOT ALONE EITHER!
Every class we fill out a chart, to show what our current pain and stress levels are. We use a 0-10 scale for each feeling. The pain scale is...
0 No pain, no limitations (None)
.5 Barely noticeable pain
1-2 Pain is there but is low in intensity and is manageable; no observable
limitation (Mild)
3 Functionally disabling resulting in more breaks being required; slowed
work rates, slow/altered movements, lean on nearby surfaces, increased
limp (Moderate)
4 Between 3 and 5
5 Needing to stop the activity you are currently performing; unable to
maintain current body position; very restricted movements (Strong)
6 More painful than 5 but not yet a 7
7 Tearful, needing to lie down, needing to take extra medications,
difficulty engaging in conversation (Severe)
8 Between 7 and 10
9 Between 7 and 10 with more intensity than 8
10+ Immediate emergency hospitilization, unable to speak, icapacitated,
worst imaginable pain (Maximal)
The stress scale is called the SUDS scale (subjective units of distress)
It is also a 0-10 scale with 0 Completely Relaxed and 10 Panic Attack
I created magnets with each pain scale 0-10 on them. I gave them to each member in our class so that they could take them home and teach the scale to their friends and family. It is a visual aid for others to "see" how we are feeling, so that they might understand our reactions to things that are happening around us. If you would like a set of these magnets, please leave me a comment and/or email me ssauve7@aol.com so that I can get your address privately to get them to you. Please come back soon, and I will share more of what I have learned about managing chronic pain. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by! Shellie
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