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My sister has colon cancer but I would think that organizing all her treatments and tests are similar to women with breast cancer.

The first thing is to have someone close to you help you organize things. Sometimes the person with cancer might be too upset to really listen to what has to be done and when it has to be done. It's a lot to think about with the words "I have cancer" constantly floating around in your head. That's how it is with my sister.

I do most of the organizing for her. I keep a large day planner in my pocketbook whenever we go to her chemo and doctor visits and days for all the scans. I write everything down and use different color pencils so I will know when and what test was given. Many times when she goes to her oncologist the people who take her blood ask for the date of her last scan.

I also make note of every chemo treatment and what side effects she had just so we can tell her doctors about it. I also write down if she has any problems with her stoma and the date so this information can be given.

I have the phone numbers of all the doctors, chemo unit, the name and phone number of where she gets her scans done, the name of the transportation company that takes us to and from her appointments, the name of the surgical supply company where she gets her ostomy products, her health insurance number, her social security number, and anything else that she might need when she goes for a medical appointment. It's amazing what can be asked and it's vital that you have the answer.

It's a lot to keep track of but I have two years of day planners filled with all this information. You never know what will be asked at a doctor, a hospital, at chemo, or if a test has to be taken at a moment's notice. This sudden testing has happened to my sister.

I can barely manage it but I know my sister couldn't because of how upset she is.

Organizing is hard but it is a must. Get a day planner and put all kinds of information in it. But especially try to find someone who can always be there with you and help you fill things out and manage all the appointments.

I have lost several loved ones to cancer of various kinds. My Aunt died from Breast cancer. She lost her ability to keep up with the things that were important to her in her life. Her husband had to take care of the treatments and appointments in a day planner. Otherwise they would have been forgotten.

Cancer is a cruel and unforgiving disease.

Maintaining balance in my normal day-to-day routine was primary. I also found clearing the physical, paper, technical and mind clutter enabled me to concentrate on the task at hand…dealing with my health. And whenever I had to talk to a doctor or insurance representative about anything I recorded the conversation in a notebook i.e. – date of call, name of person I visited/spoke with, questions I had and the response of the contact person.

Here's what works for me and my 5 brothers. When our father was diagnosed with cancer we wanted to figure out a way we could offer regular support to my parents. The challenge is we live across 3 states, and the closest one to my parents is an hour drive away. We use good record keeping, technology and a commitment to share the responsibilities to keep all of us up-to-date with just what's happening.

- We actually have conference calls where we dial into a conference line when there is an important treatment decision to be made. It's comforting and fun to all be on a call together, including my 81 year old parents. We talk though what needs to be discussed and we make sure to include some fun talk too.

- I set up a spreadsheet to keep track of medications. At one time my dad was on 18 meds and keeping track of time to take, dosage amounts, and notes on any reactions was important. We print out a weekly schedule and my parents refer to it to keep track of what to take when. And they check off when he's taken the med and record any side affect. Any change in meds is kept updated on the spreadsheet, so all of us know exactly what the current meds are. The file is on my parent's computer so we all have access to it when visiting them.

- My parents use a small briefcase to keep all medical related material in one place. They use a calendar to track appointment times, procedures and which of their kids is taking them.

- We made a commitment to my parents that one of us will attend appointments with them most of the time. Since there are 6 "kids" we plan 6 weeks at a time and each take a week. We take a few minutes at the end of appointment days to send an email to the family with updates. This is where we include notes such as – there's been a change in dosage amounts because of a reaction. So that the next visit our sibling can ask if the change had a positive affect.

The silver lining to this horrible disease is the closeness it builds in a family. We all get to take time out of our busy lives to care for each other.