Pre-Op Examination.

Hello everyone,
How are you today? I am doing very well except of course for the pain in my hip. I have osteoarthritis in my right hip. It is so badly worn that two bones are rubbing against each other and cause a great deal of pain even when I lie down and take the weight off of it. I have included a link to a website that gives a detailed description of what happens after the hip joint is replaced.
I am actually looking forward to having it done, because I expect the pain will disappear entirely.

Yesterday I went to my family doctor for a pre-op physical examination to determine whether I am physically fit to have the operation. As usual the doctor wants a list of all of my medications and supplements. Now I don't know about you, but this exercise can be very frustrating to do. Why? you ask. Well, I will tell you. I take 11 different prescription drugs, that is right, 11 of them. Have you ever tried to remember the names of 11 different drug names? It ain't easy, let me tell you. Saying them out loud is difficult let alone being able to spell them correctly. Oh! yes! you have to remember what the dose is and how many you take a day.

I don't know about you but this is difficult if not impossible. I used to carry a plastic grocery bag to the doctor's office with all of my prescription bottles and supplement bottles. I don't like doing that because I feel like a fool. I feel like everybody looks at me and my bag, shake their head and say, that poor man can't keep track of his meds, tsk, tsk.

Then I started writing down a list of everything I take making sure to include the dosage and the number of times per day taken. This is better, but it is still troublesome because the nurse will ask, "can I keep this list?" What else can I say but yes, which I don't do, I will tell them to make a copy. Since the doctor's office usually has a copy machine they can make a copy faster then I can generate the list in the first place.

I still like the list, but where do you keep it on your person. Usually it won't fit in your wallet. If you keep it in a shirt or pants pocket it usually ends up being run through the washing machine, or it gets lost somewhere.

What to do, what to do. Most of us older folks face this as a delimna. So I had a brainstorm. I was looking at my business card one day, and it hit me, why don't I put all of the information on a business card. That way I could make several copies and keep them in my wallet. This way when I go to a doctor, dentist, hospital or emergency room I can just hand the information to the attendent. I also include my name, social security number, and my allergies to medications. This has saved me enormous amounts of time and headaches when dealing with pain while trying to answer the doctors questions. I have trademarked this idea and plan to make it available for a very reasonable cost on the internet.

Is there anybody out there with any thoughts on this idea? I would love to hear them whether they be positive or negative.

Blessings to all,
gahillbilly