The
sound of shattering glass is part of Sandy Schantz's
earliest childhood memories.
"This was in the early 1960s when bleach came in glass
bottles. I remember shrieking when it hit the walls,"
she said.
"We were living in Hammond at the time. One night when
our car went down the alley, a man jumped out from
somewhere and smashed all the car windows with a billy
club. He was my mom's boyfriend."
The violent episodes among the adults in her life left
permanent scars. As trouble in the home escalated, she
got bounced around to various family members and
eventually family friends, on of whom sexually abused
her.
"It was someone my father had put us with to take care
of us," she said.
When she wound up in foster care at the age of 7,
child-care worker separated her from her brother, who
was 2. She wouldn't see him again until he was 18.
Eventually Schantz would be adopted at the age of 8, and
her first taste of normal, healthy life would begin.
Ella May and Rollin Armstrong saved her life by giving
her a permanent home, she said, introducing her to
Christianity and convincing the little girl she was the
answer to their prayers.
This message of hope and love was what Schantz
emphasized Tuesday a the candlelight vigil, "You Are
Remembered" at Edison High school in Lake Station. the
event commemorated Lake County children who died from
child abuse. Nine lost their live in 1999.
Schantz, a mother of three who lives in Lowell, became a
licensed foster care parent three years ago. She know
how much these children have suffered before they show
up at her doorstep.
"Children carry a lot of baggage, even with just a
divorce," she said. the trauma "haunts you. It bogs you
down until you can reconcile what happened."
she remembers well how hard it was to be a foster child;
"You get used to a family, to a routine, and then you
pack up and move again"
being a foster mom is hard, too, she admitted.
"But even if they're only with you a little while, that
may be the only time this child has any peace, any
stability, any love. It may be the only time they get
three meals a day. they could have been scrounging
peanut b utter out of a garbage can."
Schantz has had five foster children so far; they've
stayed with the Schantz family from six weeks to 10
months. the last two 'were adopted by a wonderful
family,' she said.
Foster parents are an important part of the picture,
Schantz believes.
"We may be God's Intervention," she said.
LOWELL - As a registered nurse, Sandi Schantz long has recognized the importance of keeping good medical records. But it wasn't until an automobile accident while on vacation that she decided to take positive steps to help others with their record-keeping tasks.
"We were in a car accident in Tennessee, and I was in one treatment room, my kids were in another, and it was very difficult to communicate," Schantz said. "I told my husband to go in my purse, get out our index cards with information about their allergies, last tetanus shot, immunization records, medications, that kind of thing. The questions stopped, the hospital personnel were so impressed that I had this information, and it made our time in the hospital easier too, because all of their questions were answered."
As an emergency room nurse, Schantz started thinking about the number of people who don't have the information.
"I spend a lot of time calling doctors and pharmacies," she said. "Someone will tell me they take a little blue pill, but they don't know what's it called. I started thinking this would be a great idea for people traveling, seniors who can't remember, or just about anyone."
So Schantz designed a medical history and health diary. Similar in size to a checkbook, the diary has information on allergies, physicians, immunizations, and lab work.
"People go to a new doctor, and they have to fill out all these forms," she said. "Physicians also don't talk to each other when they are treating the same patients. This diary improves communication between health care providers. This is also a tool designed to help people be knowledgeable and involved in their health care, and provide a way for them to keep track of checkups, annual exams and lab work."
The book is yellow, printed with black ink to make it easier for elderly to read. It is small enough to fit in a glove compartment, purse or pocket.
At a cost of $9.95 each, Schantz doesn't plan to quite her day job over this venture. But her goal is to sell them to doctors, who then will provide them on a complimentary basis to their patients.
"I have bulk discounts for businesses, physicians and organizations," Schantz said. "My goal is to have everyone carry one of these. They will not make me rich, but they can make a difference in someone's life."
Diary Keeps
Records for
Health-Care Providers
by Donna Wright, Health Matters
Don't
ever take it for granted that medical personnel are up
to date on your allergies and medical history.
I offer the following story as proof.
My doctor recently scheduled me for a colonoscopy to be
preformed at a local endorscopy center.
Armed with two pages of instructions for this "clean
out" preparation I restricted my diet two days before
the dreaded event. No Peas, no corn, no fruit nor beans.
No fiber of any kind.
One day before, I web on a strictly liquid diet quarts
and quarts of liquid, consumed as chaser to a
combination of laxatives that did not bode well for the
hours ahead. I was at home, of course.
Just as this concocton was beginning to work, my phone
rang.
The endoscopy center called to ask sure I was following
orders and to preadmit me for the test. Almost as an
afterthought, the nurse asked "Are you allergic to
latex?"
"Sure am," I answered. Silence followed. "We have to
reschedule," the nurse answered. "We can't do the
procedure here." About this time, I was getting clear
signals that the liquid and laxatives wending their way
through my digestive track were beginning to work.
"What do you mean reschedule the procedure?" I yelled
into the phone. "Do you now what I am going though? How
long it took to arrange time off for this test, not to
mention getting ready for it? I don't understand this.
My medical file has a list of all of my allergies. Why
don't you have that information?" Turns out there was a
communication breakdown. the endoscopy center to which I
had been assigned is not set up to perform latex-free
procedures. I had to go some-where else. They were
sorry, but that was the way it was.
Getting psychologically prepared for the test was bad
enough. Having already started the clean-out process was
worse. thinking about rescheduling the test was
unthinkable.
Fortunately, my doctor was flexible, rescheduling me at
a different location and changing his own schedule so I
could have the exam the next day.
this incident reminded me how important it is to make
sure all health-care providers know your medical
history. One way to keep up-to-date is to keep a medical
history and health diary - then make copies and share
the info with anybody who is gong to stick, prod or poke
you.
A quick search of the Internet gleaned several versions.
The one I like best is from Helping Hands, a publishing
company started by Sandra Schantz, a registered nurse
from Lowell, Ind.
Frustrated with interviewsing patients who didn't now
the medications they were taking Schantz designed the
"Enjoy Good Health Medical History and Health Diary."
the diary provides easy-to-use formats for listing not
only allergies and medications but also doctors, test
results, recent and chronic illnesses, vaccinations and
immunizations and lab work.
Imagine how valuable this handy record would be in case
of an accident or medical emergency away from home.
think how hand it would be when you have to fill out all
those forms when you first see a new doctor.
For more information on Schantz's medical diary, log
onto
www.helpinghandspublications.com or write to Helping
hands, P.O Box 223 Lowell, Ind.
Schantz sells single copies and can fill bulk copies for
groups wanting to use the diary as a handouts at health
fairs. The individual price is $9.95.
Do an Internet search for "medical diary" to see other
formats available.
Then consider getting a copy for every member of the
family, including children. I know I could have used one
more than a half a century ago when I was in
kindergarten.
One day, during recess, I fell off a swing. My teacher
led me to the health clinic, where my bleeding knees
were cleaned. It wasn't an easy job for the school
nurse, who had to use tweezers to pick tiny stones out
of the cuts.
She then reached for a bottle of Mercurochrome.
"You can't use that" I yelled. "I'm allergic."
"Now don't fuss," she said as she unscrewed the lid with
the long applicator attached. "this will hardly sting at
all."
"No, no, you can't use that," I yelled, trying to pull
my knees away from her. "Hold her down," the school
nurse told my teacher. "You're going to be sorry," I
warned.
With stern determination, the nurse swabbed my knees
until they were bright orange.
"There," she said. "All better now."
"You're in real trouble now," I warned.
In seconds my little knees started to sell to the size
of softballs. The hives stretched beyond the
Mercurochrome swabbed cuts.
The school nurse's face was a portrait of panic.
"I think we had better call your mother," my teacher
said.
Being the bratty kid I could be in those days, I quipped
back, "that will teach you both to listen to me."
Considering what is involved with a colonoscopy, I sure
am glad my doctor did.
Dear
Diary
Published by: BE Healthy, November 2009
Medical
errors are one of the nation's leading causes of death
and injury. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine
estimates that more American die from medical errors
than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer or
AIDS.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, the single most important way you can prevent
medical errors is to be an active member of your health
care team.
Keeping a personal medical diary organizes the
information you, you family and doctors need to make
better health care decisions.
Publisher Larry Cunningham developed a pocket-sized,
leather-bound personal health diary because of his
family's long history of health crises.
"I realized that when we face a health crisis and need
to understand and address potential risk factors, we
rely to much upon 'official' sources
--insurers, hospitals, doctors' offices --or upon our
own faulty memories."
It didn't take long for Cunningham to see that the diary
encourages proactive health care.
By the time two more of his brothers were diagnosed with
prostate cancer and another brother developed colon
cancer, the diary was part of his family's life. Then
his daughter had scoliosis, and is 2007 his wife was
diagnosed and treated with breast cancer.
"But all of their illnesses were detected early thanks
to regular screenings and a greater awareness of risk
factors promoted in My Diary for Life."
The diary makes it easy to stay on track with checkups
and improve treatment options.
"In some instances, it can even save your life," says
Cunningham. "With your medical and family history at
hand, it's much easier to talk with your physician,
pharmacies, dentist or a family member."
Cunningham's booklet, about the size of a checkbook, is
organized into two major sections - one for personal and
family medical history, and one for doctor and hospital
visits and health data, including logs for weight,
height, cholesterol, blood pressure, allergies and eye
and dental exams. Cunningham has also included a
schedule of checkups and age-appropriate health
screenings for men and women originally published by The
Men's Health Network (www.menshealthnetwork.org).
A medication log is printed on a removable card. For
information, visit
www.mydiaryforlie.com
Software to help organize health information is also
widely available from sites such as
www.brothersoft.com
and
www.healthanalyser.com.
Helping Hands
Publications Publishers a pocket-sized health diary
available at
www.helpinghandspublications.com.
They recommend people with chronic medical conditions
carry the diary with them at all times.
Noteworthy: Details to record in
your health diary
-
Physician name and contact information
-
Medications and dosages
-
Results, dates and location of blood work and other
medical tests
-
Diagnoses
-
Allergies
-
immunizations
-
Dates of regular checkups
-
Family medical history
