You can work towards maintaining your physical, mental, and financial independence by preventing the undesirable effects of illness. Work with your doctor and other healthcare providers using this checklist to achieve your goals.
1) Maintain a healthy blood pressure to protect from future heart attacks, strokes, vision loss and abnormal kidney function.
2) Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight through an ad lib low glycemic diet, to try and prevent complications from further weight gain i.e. increased risk for higher blood glucose levels, higher blood pressure, joint pains, strokes, heart attacks, kidney damage, and cancer.
3) Get recommended amounts of exercise to help reduce weight, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol, increase insulin sensitivity, and lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
4) Get adequate sleep and work with your Doctor to investigate any unusual fatigue. That may increase your productivity.
5) Avoid tobacco smoke exposure to delay and prevent the development of heart and lung disease and various cancers.
6) Get routine recommended eye examinations to help prevent vision loss or impaired vision.
7) Get evaluation for skin diseases/ skin cancer depending on your medical condition and risk factors. Early diagnosis and treatment could prevent advanced stages of disease.
8) Get routine recommended screenings for cancer to allow treatment of cancers at early stages before they have spread to various parts of the body. (breast, colon, prostate, cervix, etc.)
9) Consider being tested for diabetes mellitus. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent further loss of pancreatic islet function and complications.
10) If you have diabetes mellitus, check your blood glucose levels regularly.
11) If you have diabetes mellitus, maintain a healthy HbA1C, blood pressure and lipid levels, along with appropriate monitoring to prevent damage to your eyes, nerves, kidneys, strokes and heart attacks.
12) Have your kidney function tested, especially if you have risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, etc. to prevent dependence on dialysis or kidney transplants.
13) Get white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelet counts checked to prevent the undesirable effects of low or high blood counts.
14) Maintain healthy blood lipid levels to prevent future heart attacks and strokes. (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL)
15) Get your thyroid status checked to avoid the unpleasant and harmful effects of low or high thyroid function.
16) Maintain adequate Calcium/ Vitamin D levels and have your bone strength tested at recommended intervals to prevent or delay broken bones due to osteoporosis.
17) Have your urine tested for signs of infection, blood, or kidney stones if you have symptoms or risk factors. That could prevent spread of infection to the blood and future kidney damage.
18) Have your testosterone levels checked if you have decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, HIV related diseases, fatigue, and other chronic disease states.
19) Take steps to prevent cardiovascular disease, which may include Omega-3 supplements and baby aspirin. Also maintain healthy blood glucose, blood lipid, and blood pressure levels.
20) Stay up to date on your vaccinations to prevent against many infectious diseases.
21) Visit appropriate specialists for persistent symptoms.
22) Get routine teeth cleanings and dental care to prevent loss of teeth and further protect your heart.
23) Use medications agreed on by you and your Doctor to address any current health problems and prevent future complications. Appropriate monitoring should prevent adverse interactions between different medications.
24) You can download “My Health Record” (Attachment 3) from “downloads” to maintain a checklist of your health parameters.