Attempting to navigate a bruised and beaten health care system, while managing the advice of a team of doctors through three major hospitals, I learn.  It’s funny how I can retrace the smallest details within my mind, but I cannot regurgitate those same events when its utmost detail is necessary. I created my Health Tracker Journal to keep all my information in a comprehensive way that medical professionals understand.Join me as I show you my Health Tracker Journal .

A New Paradigm

My new paradigm of learning begins as I am working 12 hours one day and the next day I am on life support in ICU. Becoming chronically ill, suddenly and without warning has left me stunned and wanting. Within one year, I lost my livelihood along with my income and my independence. No longer able to drive and in no shape to walk anywhere, I am ill-prepared for this new life of dragging a walker and a tank of supplemental oxygen with me. Needing to learn how to capture my symptoms, I created a Health Tracker Journal as a tool for doing that.

St. Joe’s Hospital Cardiac Ward Hamilton Ontario

We only understand the future if we learn from the past

A doctor’s visit that starts with a game of chit-chat is using up my precious medical minutes and when it’s over, I realize we have agreed on the weather and the kids and all that other nonsense and our precious goes too fast. Once the doctor leaves the room I remember everything I meant to say, the important details of my health that should all doctors need to know. Yep, after the door closes, I remember all the details of all the information we should have shared.

The Mother of Invention

Organizing Your Events

Using my experience in planning daily classes as a college instructor and my financial analysis background has taught me about charts and graphs, I began. As I see the numbers, I understand that the numbers actually mean something, As the numbers rise and fell, so did my health Issues. Breathing becomes stressed as humidity rises and goes back to normal in an air-conditioned atmosphere.

Mood tracker

https://catchyourbreath60.com/i-am-grateful/

Nurses and Doctors Do It

Communicate Your Story

Watching as the nurses took the time to input information into my files and read the results to doctors, I started to get a feel for what had to be a better way to communicate with medical personal. At the beginning I am tracking the mystery triggers of my symptoms. I am looking hard to find out what contributed to those changes because those changes almost killed me.

I observe as doctors looked back at what happened in the #past to discover what caused my symptoms to change in the #present and used that information to help predict my #future needs.

Numbers and how they change will tell the secrets and hold the proof of the what’s and why’s in the charts.  No longer waiting for things to happen, I will be the catalyst for the changes in my chronic illness.

Health Tracker Journal and Creating My Own System

Know Your Needs and Advocate for Yourself

Advocating for yourself means asking some frank questions from my doctors. I created a way to collect and duplicate the information. I use the same methods as the medical professionals use. We are both hoping for the best outcomes using the knowledge we can collect.

Health Tracker Journal

I insist on maintaining control over my life by doing all that I can to control my symptoms. As I am becoming proactive and I am more aware of changes in my daily health. I am more willing to ask for and use the tools in my tool box. Mindfulness Meditation is one that offers me answers. This has been a sure-fire way to help ease some of the anxiety of being constantly short of breath.

A doctor appointment triggers me to get my journal in order and make sure it is totally updates. I take my Health Tracker Journal with me because it prove’s what happened and how and when it happened. Now, we can cut to the chase sooner I can get the best care in the shortest amount of time. Keeping all my information in one place helps my doctor get to the point faster.

Clarify Your Position and Get Your Ducks in a Row!

Mindfully journaling for 15 minutes a day will allow you to get in touch with your chronic illness. It is an aide to understand what triggers your symptoms and how to avoid making them worse.