How many times have you worried that your questions were foolish, that you have asked them before (but forgot the answer), or that you just ask too many questions and are annoying your doctors, nurses, and everyone else around you?
If you answered yes to any, or in my case, all of those, you’ll be relieved to know that: your questions aren’t foolish, it’s ok to have forgotten the answers, and when it comes to your health, you can never ask too many.
As a matter of fact, it is your responsibility to be as informed as possible, particularly when it’s a matter of life … your life.
Maybe the worry over questions and questioning is really a result of feeling out of control with all of the information that’s either coming at you too quickly or not coming to you fast enough. And that ever-growing mound of sticky notes with appointment times, lab results, and dosaging of medications, only makes matters worse.
I know what you’re thinking … If only there was a way of de-cluttering the overwhelm, and a way of establishing order in this one area of your life.
Thankfully, there is!
The American Cancer Society provides a free, comprehensive Personal Healthcare Manager that helps you keep track of all of the information you get about your diagnosis and your treatment. It's completely customizable to YOU. The forms contain a place for literally everything … medications, doctor’s notes, questions to ask, diagnosis, treatments, side effects etc. If you can think of it, there’s a place for it. I used this organizational system every day while I was in treatment. It made me feel safe knowing that everything I needed was within reach.
This new system might not exactly have you asking fewer questions. But I can guarantee that you’ll go into your appointments feeling more confident about the questions you do ask, because you’ll have all of your thoughts in one spot.
The American Cancer Society helpline is active 24/7 @ 1-800-227-2345 or you can download the forms by going to the following website. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/finding-and-paying-for-treatment/treatment-decision-tools-and-worksheets/personal-health-manager.html