Keeping a medical log-with free printable & spreadsheet!

This free printable medical log is the quickest and easiest way of staying on top of contact with your medical team, especially for patients with complex health conditions. I’ll explain why you should keep track, then you can download a free printable medical log and/or spreadsheet and learn how to adapt them to the specific needs of your chronic pain, invisible illnesses, or complicated medical issues.

Why You Should Keep a Medical Log

Seriously, you should be tracking contact with your doctors. I cannot tell you how many times over the last two decades it would have saved my ass to have a spreadsheet keeping track of when I tried to contact doctors or a printable medical log I could stick in a binder to drag with me to appointments.

I started out with forgetful genes– my mom is the master of the accidental “set it and forget it”– then added ADHD and two decades on and off a rotating cast of pain and psych meds. Sprinkle some medical cannabis on top and my recall ain’t great, y’all.

Because of this, I’m especially bad with names and dates and other stuff I find boring… like making medical calls! But I have a bunch of health problems and a bunch of specialists to juggle. Worse, I’m on controlled meds where any issue has the potential to become a clusterfuck. Hate them or not, I have to make these calls happen. (Note: I’m using ‘call’ because that’s my go-to. If you prefer to email or use a patient portal, just change it to ‘type’ in your mind.) And I have to remember them (hence the medical log).

LEARN TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE

Here’s why you should keep track of your calls with this medical log. Take a gander at these two messages. They both communicate the same basic set of information. However, the wording and details of the second one is apt to get you called back sooner.

Compare these two examples of phone calls to doctors:

Voicemail #1: Bad Example

“Hey Dr Pepper, I keep calling and calling you guys. It’s really important that I get Medication X before I run out. But y’all keep telling me different things about how to get a refill, the pharmacy too, & I’m super confused. I keep leaving messages. Maybe you’re not getting them? But I really need to speak to a human about this as soon as possible please.”

Voicemail #2: Good Example

“Hi! My name is Janet Jay and I’m calling regarding the situation with medication X. When I spoke to someone last Monday afternoon, I believe it was a PA named Susan, I was told that I would need to be seen at an actual appointment before you could write a prescription.

I know that Y can cause withdrawal if stopped suddenly and Susan couldn’t get me an appointment until October 12. So I called back on Tuesday morning and left a message on the nurse’s line about possibly getting a script to fill the gap between now and the appointment.

When I didn’t hear back, i left a second message on Wednesday at 12:15. I also had my pharmacy send in a refill request. Unfortunately they gave me some conflicting information about filling the med. Since I will be completely out of this medication on Monday morning, I’m starting to get nervous. I’d really appreciate if you could call me back ASAP so we can hopefully get this sorted soon.”

More Info Is Better… To A Point

You have to learn to speak the language of medical staff, and that can take time. But a good rule of thumb is that the more specific information you can give, the better. (And this is true more widely too! It will help your doctor so much more if you say “my pain was a 7 last weekend and made me miss my cousin’s graduation” than “my pain has been really bad lately and I haven’t been able to get out much.”)

But use your judgment and think about what information you need to communicate. Use a blank sheet in your medical log to plan out what you’re going to say. You don’t want to bury them in info that’s not crucial. Don’t show up with a  four-inch-thick medical binder expecting the doctor to be thrilled.

Want to learn what to say to get your meds refilled, even controlled substances? Here’s a free script to help you leave more effective messages and get that prescription filled ASAP.

Be Kind To Yourself

Above all, be kind to yourself. Phone anxiety is a real thing and can be really hard to conquer. Unfortunately, as a chronic pain patient I’ve found that leaving actual voice calls is often the best way to get the desired response. That’s one reason I started using a medical log. But it sure doesn’t make it any easier! And I’m a pretty extroverted person to start with.

Describing your pain can be hard AF though– this post delves into different types of pain scales, the best way to use them to communicate your pain with your doctor. (Also, there are some funny memes.)

For a limited time, the call log and downloadable spreadsheet are both FREE!!! Sign up below (and please email me if you don’t get them for some reason).

If you have any questions or suggestions on something to add to the medical log or free spreadsheet, don’t hesitate to reach out to pain.chronic.words.iconic@gmail.com . Hope this helps you!