Keeping a Medical Journal for Your Child
Treatment Summary
Keep a three-ring binder or notebook to record your child's medical information. Creating a treatment summary to assist you in organizing this information is not only helpful, but critical for your child's current and future medical needs. The medical journal should contain the information listed below. You can also use it to record changes in your child's weight, body functions, sleep pattern, bowel habits or other aches and pains in response to medications, blood transfusions and other procedures. This information will help you recognize any patterns and will help the doctor in making recommendations. Always have the doctor or nurse spell out and explain any unfamiliar words.
- Child's diagnosis, including stage and location of cancer.
- Names and contact information of doctors, hospital and medical team (including who treated your child for which condition).
- Date of diagnosis and age.
- Number of relapses and dates.
- Chemotherapy, including the names of the drugs, dosages, frequency and modality.
- Blood counts and reactions to medications.
- Surgery, including date and type.
- Radiation, including body area treated and total dosage.
- Date and type of transplant, as well as treatments in preparation for transplants.
- Any complications and follow-up recommendations.
- Current medications.
- Late effects and recommended testing.
- Blood transfusions.
- If your child is participating in a clinical trial, be familiar with relevant information.
