Managing a Long-Term Condition

Managing a Long-Term Condition

Peter has just turned 45 and is a project manager at a construction firm. He is married to Grace who is a part time teacher.

GOALS

  • Take more control over the MS and learn what to avoid
  • Keep a record of symptom progression, medicines and appointments to enable a more effective dialogue when meeting doctors
  • Learn more about MS from people with the condition.

Peter’s Story
Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis

A year ago, Peter started to get tingling sensations in some of his fingers of his right hand which, being a typical guy, he just ignored. After a few months, he became conscious that his hand was becoming weaker and the tingling sensations were being felt further up his arm.
Grace insisted that Peter see his GP.
Peter delayed this until he started noticing that he was having some difficulty with his balance and became fatigued easily.
Peter and Grace met with the family GP who referred Peter to meet with a physiotherapist who in turn referred him for a MRI. After the scan, Peter and Grace were shocked to discover that Peter had been diagnosed with MS – a condition they both knew little about.
He is now being treated with a medication programme prescribed by a consultant neurologist
Both Peter and Grace want to do more to control the progression of symptoms. Grace is keen to help Peter as much as she can.   As well as supporting him, she plans to maintain an active role in managing his appointments and information relating to his condition and wants to help them both learn more about the disease.

Eight ways Peter uses Healthbit to manage his Multiple Sclerosis

1. Personal Health Record

The details from meetings with multiple doctors and nurses are captured – appointments, medicine and dosage history, investigations. All correspondence is carefully locked away in the file vault.

2. Tracking Health

Monitoring the management of Peter’s MS and the influence of other factors on symptoms, such as heat and any infections.
Trackers used:
Symptom severity, Medicine effectiveness, Side effect severity, Mood, Nutrition, Sleep, Mobility

3. Devices & Apps

Monitoring activity and sleep.
  • Fitbit
(N.B. Over 400 devices and apps are compatible with Healthbit).

4. Sharing Records

Shared with Neurologist, GP and MS nurse.

Stay informed regarding treatments that are working well for others with multiple sclerosis.

Visualise how other factors impact the severity of symptoms over time.

Grace helps update appointment details for her partner, Peter.

Connecting with other MS patients to learn from others and to support other people that have been newly diagnosed.

People Often Manage More Than One Condition at a Time

Now you can manage all your conditions using one health app. Information concerning appointments, conditions, medicines and allergies, as well as important medical letters can all be stored in one place.
Keep a diary of your symptoms over time and the effectiveness of your medication programme so you can share these with your doctor. Learn which health regimen works for others with the same conditions as you – so you can hear their experiences and share yours anonymously.
Set yourself health goals and track your progress towards these using lots of available trackers or by connecting your favourite apps and devices, such as Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Strava or Endomondo.

Do You Have a Long-Term Condition?

Try the App

How Others Use Healthbit

Busy Parent of Two

Caring for an Elderly Father

Personal Trainer

Women’s Health

Managing a Long-Term Condition