GETTING ORGANIZED

It is important to tackle the "cancer" part of your plan before you confront the "career" part. Develop a treatment strategy first, then get back to business. In order to understand your treatment options, you need to fully comprehend the type of cancer you have and how it will affect your life. That can mean sorting through a sometimes staggering amount of confusing information and conflicting advice. Now's the time to put the organizational skills you've honed on the job to work. Here are some steps to help guide the way.

SETTING UP YOUR FILES

Whoever predicted a paperless society never had cancer. The paperwork can be mind-boggling. Filing insurance claims, preparing taxes - not to mention keeping your own thoughts in order - will be easier if you have some systems in place. Start by setting up two sets of files, one that's portable (to bring to appointments), and another for home or the office.

For Appointments

Designate one large file folder (vinyl ones are especially durable) to hold your vital paperwork and bring it to every doctors' appointment. Keep your original insurance card in the business card slot and stock the folder with:

• Several copies of your insurance card (front and back)
• Insurance claim forms
• Identification: driver's license, passport, or birth certificate
• Copies of your written medical reports
• Your Medical History. (A summary - prepared beforehand - is helpful. You can give it to doctors directly or use it as a guide when filling out pre-examination forms. Click here for a template.)
• Checklists of questions. Click here for sample questions to ask your doctors.

Carry your files in a tote bag (LL Bean boat bags are easy to carry and just the right size) that's large enough to hold x-rays and anything else you might need, such as : a notebook; tape recorder; Post-it(r) Flags to highlight important pages; pens, pencils, and highlighters; books, newspapers, or magazines for the waiting room; blank checks; tissues; and a Palm Pilot, calendar, or date book.

At Home or the Office

• Medical Reports: Set up by doctor or specialty
• Health Insurance: Set up separate folders for:
  • blank forms
  • copies of forms submitted but not yet paid
  • reimbursement statements
  • a log to monitor insurance (click here for an easy-to-use example)
  • Research: Set up separate folders by topic, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, nutrition & diet, exercise & physical therapy, psychology, spiritual
• Disability and life insurance policies
• In the course of researching your diagnosis, you may consult with several doctors from different specialties. Keeping a Doctors' Notebook can help you remember "who said what". This can be a small loose-leaf binder with pre-printed pages (use our template or create your own) or a spiral notebook, with each doctor on a separate page. Maintain business cards for every doctor you see in a card file as well.