Eagle is also getting to a point where he is better able to understand the medications he takes and learning when he needs them, so I also wanted to come up with a system that would help him to be more independent and able to help others understand what he needs and when he needs it and I'm happy to say I found a way to get everything I wanted!
I found some extremely useful websites that has great printables! I found this wonderful Asthma Daily Diary. Here he will log his peak flow readings in the proper row and it will instantly tell him what color area he is in and he will know just what med pak to get his meds from! This will also be a great way to keep track of how he's doing and it's a great way to keep track of what meds he is using and when!
I also found a website where we can print off his current medication list (complete with pictures) and a medication checklist.
Here's how everything ended up!
I made him a folder to keep in his bag. His folder contains very important medical information and all of the phone numbers for his pediatrician, lung specialist and allergist! In his folder I used presentation sheet protectors to not only protect some sheets from getting damaged, but so that we could reuse one of his daily sheets (he will use a dry erase marker). The first sheet in his folder is his Asthma Action Plan (in a sheet protector). The next sheet (in a sheet protector) is the list of his current medications (this contains when he takes them, what each medication is used for and also a picture of the medication). The next sheet is a Weekly Med Checklist. On this sheet all of his medications are listed, along with the dosage and time it needs to be taken. Each medication has a checkbox for each day of the week. He will use a dry erase marker to mark off when he takes each medication. At the end of the week, I will transfer this info to a monthly record sheet which we can take to his appointments to his lung specialist. Next he has a few months worth of Daily Asthma Diaries. This is where he will record his daily peak flows. There is also a space for daily triggers and symptoms and a place to log any extra medications. No more guessing how often he needs his relief meds! These diaries are perfect to take along to his appointments also! This folder contains a wealth of information and is a great communication tool to help everyone understand what medications he takes, why and when!
Instead of his medications all being thrown in his bag, kept in ziplock bags, etc.....they are all now, neatly organized in boxes which are color coded or labeled!
He has his allergy emergency kit (his epi pen) that has to be kept with him, due to his rare "cold" allergy, that can easily send him into anaphlactic shock.
He has his peak flow meter, which he uses twice a day to help monitor how his lungs are doing. I hope to get him a Microlife Digital Peak Flow Monitor soon, since he will now be very dependent on this little piece of equipment. A digital meter will give a more accurate reading and it would also keep a record of his readings.
He has his Daily Box which is color coded green, to match his green section on his Asthma Action Plan. This box contains all the medications that he will take everyday, regardless of how he is feeling.
He has a box (which is now a red box to match his red zone on his Asthma Action Plan) labeled "Yellow and Red Zone". This box contains emergency relief medications that he needs if he is in the red or yellow zone on his Asthma Action Plan.
He has a box (In the market for a yellow one) that is labeled "As Needed". This box contains medications that he takes either when he is going to be exposed to a known asthma trigger or when he is having allergy symptoms. It also contains an extra emergency relief inhaler.
Along with his folder, he will also carry his "warm air mask", a special mask that warms the air that he breathes. Since he is allergic to "cold" breathing in cold air is a double danger for him, because it is not only an asthma trigger (a response in his lungs) but it is also an allergy trigger and this can swell his esophagus shut. He's had this mask for a long time and he is in need of a new one...they have some great ones out now, so I can't wait to get him a new one! Since he may develop little to no immunity to respiratory illnesses, he also has a bag full of disposable masks so that he will have one readily available if he is around anyone who has a known respiratory illness...hopefully, this will cut back on some of the germs that may make him sick. He also will carry Purell to help cut down on germs he is exposed to!
I'm so happy that his bag will not only be better organized, but it will be easier for anyone else to understand how to better care for him and it will also help him to be better able to be a little bit more independent with his own care...as he is going to have to learn how to take care of himself medically, just the same as little Johnny down the street has to learn how to brush his own teeth! I hope in time, I can also be a little bit more at ease when he is in the care of someone else!
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