Even with an excellent medical team it is possible for details of Parkinson’s care to be overlooked, left undiscussed, or never addressed during appointments. Because of this it is smart to arrive to your appointments with the right questions to help fill in the gaps. Here are a couple of items you should think about before you step into your next visit:

1. What is the objective of this appointment?
2. Is there a specific part of your medical care for which you are seeking more information? (i.e. nutrition, sleep, digestion)?

 
Leading up to visits with your doctor, there is a little leg work you can complete that makes appointments run more smoothly. Anytime you see a new member of your medical team, you will likely be asked to provide extensive medical history. If you don’t already do this, begin tracking the following categories of information:

1. Medical history: this should include all medical care, surgeries, and associated dates
2. Healthcare providers: names, contact information, and date of last visit
3. Medication: names, times taken, and prescribed amounts
4. Current or ongoing treatment: this includes therapies, clinical trials, etc.

 
Organizing medical history can be overwhelming but there are many great tools to help you. I have outlined tips and resources that will help manage the details pertinent to appointments and increase your success in managing new information.

TRACKING SYMPTOMS
If there have been any changes, good or bad, since your last appointment, write it down and take it with you. This will contribute to managing your medical program and will reduce the all-to-familiar brain block that occurs when a physician asks how you have been feeling.

The Davis Phinney Foundation has a complimentary print and e-version of their “Every Victory Counts” Manual. This manual includes a wide variety of worksheets that help you stay organized and track Parkinson’s over time. The worksheets address symptoms, therapies, medication, emotional well-being, and much more.

 
MANAGING YOUR MEDICAL FILES
Keep documentation from appointments in the same place or keep e-documentation so you can access the information from your smartphone during appointments as needed.

If you want to reduce your paper trail use an app like Tiny Scanner (iOS and Android compatible) to snap a photo of medical documents. Provide a descriptive name so you can easily find it later. With an app like this, you can send saved documents to yourself, other family members, or medical providers.
 
Another free app that compiles medical documents and helps you keep track of symptoms, vitals, medication and more is GenieMD (iOS and Android compatible). This app takes a comprehensive approach to managing all your data in one place.

 
STAY IN THE LOOP
There are many ways to stay updated on medical advances related to Parkinson’s disease. It is important to know about topics related to your care, at least on a topical level. All information seen in the news may not fit your plan of care but knowing your options helps you guide the conversation with your healthcare providers. If the mountain of information seems insurmountable, consider using these venues:

The Google News app allows you to set up a filter for Parkinson’s disease (PD). This sends all PD news that hits mainstream new channels straight to your phone without requiring a search.
 
Another avenue for regular updates is Parkinson’s News Today. When you subscribe to their website they send you the latest updates in various areas of PD including new therapies, approved treatments, and recent studies.
 
Many of the well-known PD organizations also have accessible tools. Parkinson Disease Foundation has published newsletters in printable PDF versions and educational podcast episodes listed here. Michael J Fox Foundation has a podcast, webinars, and “Ask the MD” as a part of their education tools that can be found here.

Take these tools and start small. You don’t have to juggle everything at once. Start by tracking your symptoms and jotting down the important dates related to your care. You will gradually build the medical history that will be requested by every new member of your medical team. By tracking this information, you will save time by eliminating the scavenger hunt for medical details that were lost along the way and decrease the stress of loose documents around the house.

Have you had success with a specific resource or tool? Comment below and tell us about it.