Thanks, yes it does. I can see the benefits of both. I do read the doctor’s notes after visits and you’re right, I’m horrified at the mistakes I find! My personal doctors sometimes note information they didn’t share with me. The worst was a recent ER visit which had several big mistakes. No wonder communication can be so difficult at appointments!
Thank you Kate, it’s great to hear that journaling is so helpful for you. Can I ask if you write in a paper journal or use a digital source? I’m thinking of beginning a paper journal, maybe it’ll prompt me to write more.
I write in a spiral notebook but I wish I would have done a Word document from the beginning. One, it's faster to type than handwrite. Two, you can search key words so if I’m wanting to search for when I’ve had migraines, I can easily search and find. With handwritten, it’s a lot of reading and searching when I am trying to find something from years ago. I also keep a specific notebook just for doctor appointments. I summarize the visit and try to put down all I can remember. Then, I re-read just prior to my next appointment. This has come in very handy (especially since most of the time, the doctor’s notes are incorrect in some way - if you aren’t reading your doctor’s notes of your visit in your web portal, you should give it a try. I think you’ll be amazed at the mistakes you’ll find.) The plus side to handwritten is that I do a lot of drawing that I can’t do in digital form. For example, if I have an unexplained pain in my arm, I draw a picture of my arm and put a dot where the pain is. I have a lot of back problems so it helps to be able to draw a pic of exactly where the pain is from day to day. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this excellent resource. I'm sharing with my chronic illness community.
Thank you so much Dawn!
Excellent guidance! Thank you.
Thank you Linda, I’m so glad you find this helpful!
This is very good info. I have kept a health journal for years and it comes in very handy - especially for preparing for the doctor's appointment.
Thanks, yes it does. I can see the benefits of both. I do read the doctor’s notes after visits and you’re right, I’m horrified at the mistakes I find! My personal doctors sometimes note information they didn’t share with me. The worst was a recent ER visit which had several big mistakes. No wonder communication can be so difficult at appointments!
Thank you Kate, it’s great to hear that journaling is so helpful for you. Can I ask if you write in a paper journal or use a digital source? I’m thinking of beginning a paper journal, maybe it’ll prompt me to write more.
I write in a spiral notebook but I wish I would have done a Word document from the beginning. One, it's faster to type than handwrite. Two, you can search key words so if I’m wanting to search for when I’ve had migraines, I can easily search and find. With handwritten, it’s a lot of reading and searching when I am trying to find something from years ago. I also keep a specific notebook just for doctor appointments. I summarize the visit and try to put down all I can remember. Then, I re-read just prior to my next appointment. This has come in very handy (especially since most of the time, the doctor’s notes are incorrect in some way - if you aren’t reading your doctor’s notes of your visit in your web portal, you should give it a try. I think you’ll be amazed at the mistakes you’ll find.) The plus side to handwritten is that I do a lot of drawing that I can’t do in digital form. For example, if I have an unexplained pain in my arm, I draw a picture of my arm and put a dot where the pain is. I have a lot of back problems so it helps to be able to draw a pic of exactly where the pain is from day to day. Hope that helps.