Organizing the details of a medical condition can be as overwhelming as managing the diagnosis itself. However, we can experience great peace even in the midst of the unknown when we organize our medical history.
Set Your Medical History In Order
Whenever we get overwhelmed with the details of managing our health, we quickly think about King Hezekiah.
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”
~ 2 Kings 20:1-2 (NKJV)
King Hezekiah isn’t the only one who found himself in this situation. Many people wait until they’re dying to set their house in order.
Why is it that we don’t change our…
- behavior in relationships after experiencing multiple broken relationships?
- diet until we’re faced with a health challenge?
- mindset about exercising until a doctor tells us we need to?
Let’s not wait until we’re on our deathbed to organize our medical history. Instead, let’s purpose to live in a state of order because the Bible tells us to!
Let all things be done decently and in order. ~ 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NKJV)
DIY Medical Binder
You’ve heard us say that frustration occurs when our priorities are out of order. Well, the same is true when managing our health.
Frustration occurs when there’s chaos in the details of our condition.
Having our medical history organized and easily accessible will not only bring us peace, it can become a life-saving resource in the event of an emergency.
We have experienced firsthand how critical our medical binders have become to our medical care.
How many times have you been at a doctor’s appointment and couldn’t remember the dates of your past surgeries, or family history? These are important details that help physicians manage your care.
If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry! We got you covered with a simple guide to setting up your DIY Medical Binder. However, if this sounds overwhelming, grab our done-for-you Medical Binder Worksheets.
DIY Medical Binder Supplies
Binder – A 1-inch binder works great for individual Medical Binders. However, if you’re planning on creating one binder for the entire family, you may want to consider a 2 or 3 – inch binder.
Divider Tabs – Use divider tabs to create sections in your Medical Binder. The number of sections will vary per person. You can also consider divider tabs with pockets if you need additional compartments.
Hole Punch – Select a hole punch that will work with the binder style (3-ring, disc, etc.) you choose.
Paper For Notes – Keep blank paper handy for note-taking.
Gather Important Information
Here’s a list of suggestions to gather for your Medical Binder. You can download the DIY Medical Binder Checklist from the community library here, the done-for-you Medical Binder Worksheets here.
- Patient Personal Information – Include your; date of birth, address, emergency contact information, organ donor, etc.
- Copies of Insurance Cards – Make copies of medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, disability, and Medicare cards.
- Most Recent Labs, or tests – We keep one year’s worth of results.
- Immunization Records
- Medical History – This should include; diagnosis, allergies, and past surgeries.
- Contact Information – Physicians, Specialists, Pharmacies, etc.
- Family History
- List of Medications and Supplements
- Copy of Health Care Directive or Medical Power of Attorney
- Password Log – Keep a list of health Care websites, login, and passwords.
Organize Your DIY Medical Binder
Now that you have your supplies, and have gathered your information, it’s time to organize everything according to the sections you create in your binder.
- Place your divider inserts in your binder.
- Hole Punch Information You Gathered
- Insert your information in the appropriate sections.
- Keep Your Medical Binder In An Accessible Location
What Not To Include
We don’t use our Medical Binder for billing matters or explanations of benefits. We keep those documents with our important financial records. The Medical Binder is designed to be the one-stop-shop for all things related to our medical history to help physicians managing our care.
Our Emergency Story
If you’ve been around our community for a while then you may know about our medical journey. More specifically, how we combat chronic illness with chronic faith.
We labor to walk in peace even while walking through Parkinson’s Disease (Andre) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (Timberley). And while fighting covid, we found ourselves needing our medical information more than ever before.
That was the catalyst to why we created the Medical Binder Worksheets for our family. It was such a blessing to us, we thought it would be helpful to other families.
You can learn about our emergency story here!
In The End
Creating a Medical Binder is the first step to organizing your medical history. Knowing where to find it, when you need it, is just as important.
So since you’ve gone through the work of organizing your information, make sure everyone in your family, babysitters, etc. know where to find it.
We hope by helping you organize your medical history, it will bring you peace while you wait on the complete manifestation of healing!
PS…If you’re inspired to get started on your Medical Binder, make sure you download the DIY Medical Binder Checklist from our community library; or the done-for-you medical binder worksheets we’ve created.
Either way, we want to congratulate you on getting your medical history in order before it becomes an emergency!
~ Andre & Timberley Gray
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