1% Thursday: Treatment Review

I’ve seen a lot of different doctors.  And dentists.  Chiropractors.  Pain specialists.  Physio… oh, you get the idea.  And this has been over many, many, years.

Of course you want to have a doctor who knows the details of your family history.  You want to have doctors and specialists that can work together – work as a team – your team.

But not every doctor has the time, every time, to read through the huge file that you might have.  And you may have the best intentions – but even keeping all that paperwork together and organized can be quite a challenge!

So here’s something very simple you can do to summarize.  Open a basic blank text document (ie Word, OpenOffice… Google Docs is actually a good option, since you can edit it from different locations and it’s always backed up online).  Then simply write a list of treatments you’ve used.

Now, write a brief note about what has worked.  You could even star them – one star if it worked a little, two if it helped a lot.  (Do your best using your records – great if you have a migraine or headache diary, or if you can see your doctor’s notes)

Also, write down any side effects.  For example, maybe it made you sleepy.

Finally, you’ll obviously need to make a note of anything important like if you had an allergic reaction to the medication.

Include all treatments – drugs, chiropractic, acupuncture… everything.

Don’t make it complicated!  One or two pages should suffice, especially if you just star things rather than explain each one.  Keep it very short and very simple – otherwise you won’t update it and your doctor won’t read it!  (She might not anyway, but you’ve done your part!)

Now, keep it handy.  Make sure you have a copy printed out.  You might want to even carry it with you.

That’s it!  A simple, handy tool for the next time someone needs to know,"Well, what have you tried?"

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!