If Only There Was A.....

After my post about abandoning the Health Activist Writers' Month Challenge, because I'd lost the topics, lovely Lorna from lifewithraisapain.com sent me a copy of them. So I guess I'm back in the game.

Lupus Book

One of the prompts I missed asks about what app, gadget or whatever you'd like someone to invent for your condition.

I actually faced this issue last year. I wanted some way to keep all my information about lupus in one place. Somewhere I could easily note questions for the next appointment with whichever doctor, could track what I had to do before the next appointment, etc.

Because I kind of grew up with the idea that if you see a need, you're elected, I did something about it.  I don't have the skills to make a phone app, so I wrote a book.

You can see the layout in my earlier post Lupus Book.

This first edition has sections for keeping a schedule of medications; emergency contact information; doctors' contact information; questions, changed symptoms, notes, etc for doctor's visits. Mine has post-it notes sticking out of it everywhere - one  post-it for each doctor, as I put a new appointment in the book, I move that doctor's post-it to that page where the next appointment is listed.

I've been looking at changes for the next edition to include a more detailed medication section (sufficient to allow someone else to do the pill sorting if need be) - which was suggested by a pharmacist. I'm also thinking of doing a shopping list section, for trips to the pharmacy.

It's a bit bulkier to carry around than a phone app, but I can paperclip referral letters, prescriptions, etc to the relevant pages (which I couldn't have done with a phone app.)

It works for me.  I haven't heard back from any of the people who have bought it, but would love to know if it works well for other people, and what they'd like to see different in the second edition.

If you think it might work for you, it's only available on the internet, and is cheapest directly from the publisher.  Find it at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/IrisCarden.

This post written as part of Wego Health's Health Activist Writers' Month Challenge.