One afternoon you are riding along on your ATV, then all of the sudden you wake up in hospital. You have no idea what happen but now out of nowhere you have the medical management team informing you have a traumatic brain injury and this is only the beginning. In one instant, your life has changed and you need to learn how to be your own medical manager quickly. Here are some tips to get you started down the right path.
Carry a List of Medications: This is a good practice for everyone. You never know when something could go wrong and a list is handy. The list needs to include the name of all the medications and the dosage of each medication. Keep a list for each member of the family and update it anytime a medication is changed or when the dosage is changed.
Current Medical History: Everyone has a medical history and you need to keep it on hand. While you may think you can tell someone your history if need be, you never know what could happen. If you are knocked unconscious, a printed medical history is good to have on your body. The history should include your major surgeries with the year the surgery happened and any major illnesses you had. Additionally, include any family history such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer that runs in the family.
Carry an Appointment Book: Unfortunately when the tragedy strikes appointments follow. You will soon be seeing lots of doctors and that means your appointment book will fill up fast. In order to keep all your doctors’ appointments straight, you will need to write them down. Trying to remember them all is too much for anyone to handle and there is no reason you should even try.
Take a Tape Recorder: You will be given lots of information at your appointments and remembering it all is almost impossible. A tape recorder is always a good idea. This way you can go home and listen to the instructions again later so you know exactly what you were suppose to do and not do. If you do not feel comfortable with a tape recorder, take a friend so they can take notes.
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