Living with MS--Healthcare Team

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Living with MS--Healthcare Team. Sounds like the name of an amateur football team to me. Well maybe not, but you will inevitably deal with physicians and doctors of different kinds.

Cir has a neurologist, a urologist, and a GP or general practitioner, and also a home healthcare aide. He has also had physical and occupational therapists, a home health nurse....

Well, I think you get it by now that there can be a lot of people caring for a person living with multiple sclerosis.

One way to keep everyone and everything organized is to keep your records all in one place. A notebook with each of the doctor's information in it will help keep your health care team records in order. And if you're computer savvy, a document in Notepad or Wordpad, or one of the other programs like Word, can be easily updated with current medications and doctor visits. Cir and I are working on a organizational tool to help with this area.

In the meanwhile, make a list of all the doctors and physicians who currently take care of you or your family member with MS. Their names, address, phone numbers and what to do in case of an emergency. Include the following:

Health Care Team
Primary Care Physician – PCP
General Practitioner – GP
Neurologist
Urologist
Therapists

Physical
Occupational

Home Health Agency

Case Manager
Home Health Aide

You may have only a few of these on your health care team. Or you may have all of them or more than those on the above list. Again, it all depends on your situation. Make up your list and keep it in a notebook or file for easy access.

It's also a good idea to keep a list of the current medications, (including supplements) you take. A calendar with doctors appointments is also good to keep for reference. Whenever his case manager comes to call, we try to make sure we have it updated.

Do you also deal with emotional and physical issues? Click the link to read more.