A Letter to Our Readers
The general rulethat it is always better to really know than to just guessis especially true when it comes to health. Our goal is to offer you a complete guide to maintaining your own medical records, a way to organize your health information before you face a health crisis.
Your authors are two big-boned girls who, in trying to get healthy and stay that way, began to notice how many other people we know in the same boat. As Laura found herself waving a regretful goodbye to middle age, she searched out, and held onto for dear life, the treadmill at her nearest gym. As Lillian was dragged kicking and screaming into old age, she began to question her 30-year-old dieting system of Just dont pay any attention and it will all go away.
We both took a deep breath and realized we just might have to play a more active role in this staying alive business. We even began to think in terms of a full partnership with our doctors. We both imagine their leafing through our thick, thick files and breathing a sigh of relief, Its about time!
Obviously we all keep medical records. But as a matter of fact, few of us can access needed information because our systems are so haphazard, with bits and pieces scattered all over the place.
The only sensible way to track our efforts towards better health is to follow a simple monitoring system, one that is comprehensive and accurate. We began to monitor our own progress, not just in our imagination, but on paper. We realized over time that the clearer and simpler our systems, the easier it was to keep track, and the more success we had.
We have produced a total of 75 charts from which to select the ones most relative to your needs. The book allows you to keep tabs on every scrap of medical information, storing it all together in one place, in order, and instantly accessible.
Diary entries, appointments, doctor visit notes, lab and test results, medications, documentation of procedures, summaries of hospital stays and emergency visits, names and addresses of key medical providers and organizations, bills, insurance co-pays, emergency informationabsolutely everything needed for a complete record. We even have a section of charts to use for serious or chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, allergies and heart disease.
We arent going to tell you what to do or how to do it. We are going to tell you everything weve learned while writing this book. Well give you some basic information as well as some tools and guidelines for keeping track. Use any of our ideas you find helpful. Feel free to modify them or make up your own. If you come up with a quicker, easier way to record, be sure to let us know.
Our system focuses on quick retrieval of objective dataotherwise known as facts. We show you how important it is to get in the habit of color coding, highlighting the important facts, and placing the latest information on top or in front.
An emergency is just thatan emergency. You need your medical information quickly, and you need it to be complete. We suggest a red, three-ring binder in which to centralize all your current health information. In case of an emergency you can just grab your Red Notebook and go!
Were not doctors and we make no claims to having medical training of any kind. However, one thing weve learned is that solid information is also the key to a full partnership with your doctor.
In this book we have included the best knowledge we have been able to gather to date, and have listed key book and Internet resources.
Logical and self-evident, Keeping Healthy by Keeping Track is a thorough and uncomplicated way to keep it all together. We offer it to you with our best wishes for a healthy and happy life.
Lillian Shah and Laura Messinger
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