I should probably call this article, “How I didn’t Follow My Own Advice” or “True Confessions”. Truth be told, I did not follow my own advice this week and it could have affected my health.

I am really good at keeping track of my kids' reflux symptoms. Month after month, I have filled notebooks with vital information such as:

• Test results
• Doctors recommendations
• Symptoms
• Food eaten
• Food refused
• Spit ups
• Contents of diapers
• Medications and doses

Even…

The number of burps and belches per day.

I used to think my daughter Rebecca’s food diary held clues to a sure-fire weight loss method. She ate and ate yet she kept losing weight. I was going to publish a best seller diet book and get invited to Oprah!

Recently I became a frequent flier at the doctor’s office. No Gastroesophageal Reflux but I was back and forth to the doctor for blood work and medication checks. Did I have a notebook detailing my vital test results and medication dosages? Nope. Did I have a record of my symptoms? Well I did write down some notes on little pieces of paper and I wrote down the medication doses on the back of my co-pay receipt. All of the papers were folded neatly into a messy wad and then I lost the hold “record” of my medical care.

I looked everywhere-on my desk, the kitchen counter mail pile and even the onboard “file”/cup holder in my car. I checked my purse three times and asked the kids. It was gone. On the eve of my follow up visit with the doctor, I became desperate. I re-checked every place I had checked before and finally found the papers in a zippered side pocket of my purse.

I immediately started a notebook and organized my jumble of papers into an orderly medical record. The next day, my doctor quickly and easily read my notes and I was able to answer her questions accurately because I had my notebook. My treatment was adjusted quickly, efficiently and accurately.

So I learned my lesson. It is so important to have a notebook to write down notes and keep track of my symptoms and treatments. It doesn’t take a lot of time to write down a date and a blood test level. It does take a long time to find a little piece of paper that is lost-even if it is right where you put it!