Helpful Tips
Helpful Tips from Parents & Patients!
So, you’re just starting this journey with AA & you’re a little overwhelmed in the information you’re receiving, right? Where do you start? What can YOU do? What will life become? Well, that’s why this page was made…to give real-life advice from people who’ve been there & know what helpful tips helped them through this rollercoaster ride!
** If you have a tip you’d like to submit, please send it to me so I can post it on this page. Anything that you think was a life-saver for your family COULD also be a life-saver for someone else. Think! I know you have something to pass on to others…
1) If you have to bring children/siblings under the age of 3 to the hospital, the play-pen will become your best friend! It will give you a chance to care for them when you have the time to and not worry about what trouble they are getting into otherwise.
2) Learn as much about your diagnosis as you can so that you understand the terminology the doctor’s use. If your doctor tells you something that you don’t understand, ask them to repeat it on your level of understanding. If you don’t agree with something they say, ask questions as to WHY they feel how they do. Write everything down so that you will not forget important information! Start an AA journal.
3) I am a firm believer that a person’s ultimate health rests in THEIR hands. Don’t just sit back and ride the rollercoaster; be pro-active! Remember that diet, exercise, life-style, emotional well-being, etc. ALL affect how your body deals with illness. I’ve mentioned our naturopath/chiropractic & I truly believe that she had a big hand in how Josef healed. Dr. Lammers & Dr. Weeks worked beautifully together! Obviously, for some, this may not be the right path. However, search around & don’t forget that the medical doctors are working for YOU & not the other way around. If you’d like to learn about Dr. Weeks & how she’s helped others with illnesses, please visit www.drdeannaforhealth.com. Josef’s case study should be on there soon.
4) Instead of writing emails to everyone or repeating phone calls with the same updates, begin a blog where everyone can come TO read your update when they want & YOU don’t have to work to remember WHO to tell! There are many sites out there that offer this type of FREE service specifically for patients: www.carepages.com ,www.caringbridge.org,www.familypatient.com, etc. Find the best one for you. We use carepages.
5) Invest in a solid 4x-a-day, one week, pill holder. I prefered the locking kind because baby sister always tried to steal Jo’s pills (especially vitamin C!) You will use this not only to remember to take important medications on time, but if you use vitamins or supplements you won’t have to remember which ones at what time. Write the patient’s name on the bottom so that it won’t be confused with someone elses. Take it with you wherever you go so that you don’t miss a vital dose of medication. Set one day a week aside that you sort the pills out.
6) ASK FOR HELP. ACCEPT ALL HELP. If you need money, ask. Set up a paypal account where people can donate to you if it is awkward to accept it personally. Ask a trusted friend or family member to be in charge of setting up ways for people to help you out so that YOU don’t have to worry about it. There are tons of ideas for fundraising, all of which people want to donate to to help your family out! Garage sales, auctions, sit-down dinners, collections for a specific cause, etc. Plus you spread the word on Aplastic Anemia. Don’t feel guilty accepting help from others…if they can’t give money I’m sure they’ll give you their time. Behind on the laundrey? Failing to create dinner for the family due to being stuck at the hospital? Need a child picked up from school? Ask & you shall receive…trust me, I know.
7) Ask for prayer. There are many people out there who do nothing more than pray for people who are sick. Prayer lists circulate constantly. Find out if your church or community has a prayer list & request that they add your child to it. Even if you never meet these people, you will know that you have prayer warriors fighting along side of you which will strengthen your journey. PLUS, you never know what miracle God will perform! (I know though.)