Record-keeping
What to bring to an appointment about your iron results
A short checklist of the records that make a short appointment go further: results with dates and units, a supplement log, symptom notes and your own questions.
By FerroLady · Updated · 3 min read
Appointments are short, and the details that matter are the ones that are easiest to forget under pressure. Having the facts written down lets you spend the time on the conversation instead of on remembering.
The checklist
- Your test results, each with its date, the laboratory, and the unit printed on the report.
- A log of the supplement you have taken: product, strength, and the days taken and skipped.
- A list of every medicine and supplement you take, with the dose.
- Notes on how you have been feeling, with dates, in your own words.
- Cycle and bleeding notes, if you keep them, with dates.
- Anything the last appointment left open: what was said, and what you were asked to do.
- Your questions, written down before you go.
Why units and dates matter
A result without a date cannot be placed in a timeline, and a result without a unit cannot be compared with anything. Writing both down at the time costs seconds, and trying to reconstruct them later can be impossible.
Write your questions in your own words
The most useful question is the one you actually want answered. Write it as you would say it. If you want to be sure to leave with something specific, such as a copy of your results or a date for the next appointment, put that on the list too.
Take it with you in one place
A single page is easier to hand over than a pile of papers. The printable preparation sheet has a space for each item above. FerroLady can also compile your recorded results, bleeding and symptom check-ins and supplement logs into one page that you choose whether to share.
