Step 1 - Getting it Written Down

So, for me, the first step in getting my healthcare organized is to get it all written down. It's easy, and it's great to share for Works for Me Wednesday.

I learned long ago that the first step is to make a list of every medication I take. It was simple to do, and I have a copy now saved on my computer, AND a copy in my wallet. Hopefully the only time that the one in my wallet will be used is when I go to the doctor and they ask what I am taking. (you know, they always do that, and I always give them that look like "what, I'm supposed to remember these things?") I'm not posting a picture because I don't really need the various asthma medications I take out on the internet, but you get the idea. :) I also have, in big letters on the top of my list, the fact that I have drug allergies. Just in case that there was ever an emergency, it's somewhere on me, and someone else could find what I am taking and what not to give me.

The second thing I did today to get myself organized was to put the refill dates for my prescriptions on my calendar. I use the auto-refill service at Target, so I don't have to call them in, but I do have to remember to pick them up. I sometimes get an automated call, but not always, which was how I managed to miss one last week. Now I can see when it's time to swing by Target on the way home. One of the best parts of my neighborhood is that I live down the street from Target, so I can easily stop by or even walk if the weather is nice.

Any other things that I should write down to get my healthcare organized? Next stop...tackling the stack of receipts!

Mission #9 - Healthcare

With so much talk of healthcare reform the past few months, it's no surprise that my own healthcare is at the front of my mind lately. Aside from hoping that healthcare reform passes for my own personal benefit, I often think about how lucky my husband and I really are. Sure, our health insurance isn't great. And I get mad every time I think about the fact that they only cover some of my asthma medications. But at least they cover some of them. And I only have to pay the co-pay - it's hard enough to pay $50 for an inhaler; I can't even fathom what it's like to have to pay the list price on these medications each month. But I digress. Keeping my own healthcare organized is tough - REALLY tough. I have a number of medications that I take daily, so I am the Target pharmacy regularly enough that they know my name. The receipts are everywhere, and this week, for the first time, I actually managed to miss picking up a prescription, and didn't realize it until I had both an empty bottle and no new one on the shelf.

It's not just prescription medication that needs to be organized. Over-the-counter stuff litters my medicine cabinet, my linen closet, and my dresser; it's hard to know what we have, and, if we do have it, where it is.

So Mission #9 is tackling my own healthcare - my prescriptions, my receipts, my Tylenol...you get the idea. Because this mission is a little broader than some of the others, I'll be tackling it in stages. Stage #1 - prescription receipts. See the Target bags piled up on my dresser? That's not a staged picture - it's what is actually there right now. All of the bags that have been emptied into my nightstand or medicine cabinet and are now waiting for me to do something with the receipts inside. Why are the receipts so important? Well, if your healthcare costs reach a cetain percentage of your income, you can deduct them on your taxes. I keep my receipts so I can track my spending. And we are lucky enough to have a flexible spending account through my husband's job, so I submit all of the receipts monthly to be reimbursed.

Wish me luck...

Mission #7: COMPLETE!

I'm more than a little proud of finishing this mission. It's not just a matter of my nightstand now being clean; it's that it barely looks like its former self.

The top of my nightstand now just has the essentials - my alarm clock, remote controls, tissues, water cup, lotion, and a lamp. That's it. And the only reason that the lotion gets to be on top is that not only am I disorganized, I am cheap. I buy lotion in ridiculously large containers at Costco, and the over-sized pump doesn't fit in the drawer. (and yes, if you are fan of Cetaphil, you too can own a vat of the stuff from Costco for the same price as a small tube at the grocery store. You're welcome.)

Inside the drawer are just the essentials - the medications and vitamins that I take every day, Tylenol PM, nail clippers, fancy hand cream, and the like. I got rid of all of the nail polish that was living in there, along with a slew of expired medicine and questionably old lotion. A surprising find in the drawer were buttons. Lots and lots of buttons. All of the extra buttons that come attached to a new shirt had somehow found their way into my drawer. I don't know why. Since I apparently throw them in my drawer anyways, I felt like they should probably live there permanently. I took a small candle holder, put it in the corner of the drawer, and filled it up. I know the picture isn't the best (by the way, if anyone knows how to reset the settings on a camera, please let me know - I apparently have set my camera to make all indoor pictures fuzzy, and I can't get it back), but you get the idea. It's a pretty simple fix, especially considering that the candle holder probably cost less then a dollar (buy a 4 pack at Ikea & put candles in the other 3!). And if I ever really do need a button, I'll know where they are. (you can see lots of other great tips over at We Are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday post)

Mission #7: Nightstand

Oh, the nighstand. Holder of alarm clock and remote controls; hider of all sorts of personal junk. I wish I was one of those people who had a tidy nightstand. You know those people - the top of it has their alarm clock, their remote control, maybe a box of tissues. Inside they hold their hand cream, some vitamins, maybe some other personal items. But not me. My nightstand is essentially a junk drawer for my bedroom. Some stuff in there is necessary - I take a few medications at night, so it holds those, plus vitamins & Tylenol PM (I could write an ode to Tylenol PM...oh, how I adore you...). And I suppose that the nail clippers and lip balm are necessary too. But the expired medications & old nail polish? Probably not. So this mission is simple - clean it out & organize it so I can get to what I need and let go of what I don't. Let's just hope that it goes more smoothly (and more quickly) then my desk. :)