in no particular order, of course.

1. When in doubt, shower. Thinking you can wait until tonight to shower that hair? Think not, always be clean. Because if you end up in an ER or even worse, being admitted to the Hospital, you probably wont be able to shower. Especially, if you are on cardiac monitoring.
2. Learn how to have your companion (aka mom for me) learn how to wash your hair in the hospital sink. You will feel so refreshed and at least your hair will smell good, if you have been at the hospital for a week.
3. Always shave if you are a lady, because nothing is more embarrassing then having your doctor go to check your legs for swelling and having a cactus patch.
4. Lastly, always make sure your toenails look good. Your luck, you will get the cute unmarried doctor or nurse who has to check your pulses. You want to win the “best toenails on the unit” while you are there. #alreadywonthatawardatHopkins
5. As previously mentioned, do not use WebMD. The last time I used it, I had convinced myself I had 12 different conditions, when in reality I had a stomach bug. Leave the diagnosing to your doctor.
6. Pack a go bag. This is my number one tip. Buy an extra phone, kindle, ipad, etc charger and keep it in this bag. Also pack your own toiletries (travel size shampoo ,see #2, soap, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste). Keep those extra set in your go bag, along with some comfy pajamas or shorts, to wear under your gown. The easiest thing is to tell your mom to grab the green bag, when you jump in the car or ambulance. Most importantly, keep a non medal rosary in your go bag. If you end up in the Cath Lab you can carry anything non medal in, so I have always taken my rosary, I only think I’ve usually gotten to the 3rd prayer before the meds kicked in, but it brought me comfort. It also helps to have for nights you can’t sleep, to ask for our Lady’s intercession.
7. Find a way to organize your medications. We use two over the door shoe hangers to organize mine. Each slot is labeled with a index card with the name of the medication and the dosage. That way, I can tell my mom to go grab the Atenolol, and she isn’t searching for days.
8. If you are on more than 3-5 medications, sort them into little baggies for each day of the week (we do it every two weeks), so that your daily medications are already presorted. With 30+ pills a day, it would be quite confusing to have to go through each medication every morning and evening.
9. Have your emergency medications in one location and notify people around you where it is. All my coworkers know my nitro, baby aspirin, inhaler, benadryl is in my polka dot pouch in my purse and my medication list is always in my blue folder in my purse. It helps them feel at ease to know where it is, if they ever need to help me.
10. Always carry your medication list with you. Include dosage, time taken, name & the generic name on your list. This helps the doctors and nurses when they are ordering your meds during your hospital visit or at followup appointments. I also have a list that includes all my specialists with their name, address, phone number and fax number so that they can easily be in touch with one another. Finally, I have a list of allergies and my medical conditions ,(it also includes what vessels were grafted), so that in an emergency situation it can be handed to the doctor and he can see what he’s looking at.
11. Order a medical alert bracelet. I was able to find a nice website, called Lauren’s Hope, which feature fashionable medical alerts that  you are able to engrave on the back. I should be better about wearing mine, so that if I was ever unconscious or alone somewhere, people would know that I am a cardiac patient. I also have a keychain that says “medical alert-Heart Patient”, so that if I was ever in an accident, the EMT would hopefully see it on my keys.
12. Find good spiritual reading, to keep your spiritual life alive. I didn’t do this for awhile and amongst all the doctor visits, hospitalizations, and chaos, my prayer life took a hit. When you are bed bound for days, you have no excuse to read that good spiritual book that you’ve been wanting to read.
13. Read funny books too. My counselor gave me this advice and she was right. She and I talked about how I needed to have a healthy way to ‘leave the medical stuff for a while’ and enjoy myself. Reading a good, funny book has helped distract my mind. She was right
14. Get help if you need it. I mean professional help. Who cares if you need to go to a psychologist and/or psychiatrist. No one has to know, but you would be surprised how comforting it is when you do share, and someone says, yes, I go too. You can ask each other medication questions, talk about if its a good day or a bad day and be a great support to one another.
15. Trust God. When you can’t see God’s hand, trust His Heart”. I have had to pray that line so many times over the past two years. Trust his heart, that loves you so abundantly. Having a chronic illness will be difficult at times, manageable at times, but it will also be the journey you walk. You can walk it with God, or you can walk it without God. It’s up to you…but walking with God, is a whole lot easier.
16. Have a good support team and that one person you can say whatever you want to. My mom has to be my greatest companion through all the ups and downs. I see her wish she could take it all away, I heart the fear and concern in her voice when she asks the doctors a questions, but I also see the mother’s heart who is their to fight with me and fight for me and protect her baby girl. Word of advice to my doctors: don’t make Mama Bear mad, because you are gonna see a whole other side of that bear.
17. Look into social media support groups. I am in a couple for heart patients, and it is a great way to ask and get information. Have a question about if a certain medication also caused others a certain side effect, people can weigh in. It certainly isn’t medical advice, but its there to encourage one another. Usually, there is at least one person in one of the groups in the hospital for something, so its also become a prayer ministry, praying for other people. I have also become connected with other young adults who have cardiac issues, so it has helped me a lot.
18. Only stay with Great doctors. I have gained some and I lost some duds along the way. Make sure you have good communication with your doctors. With 11 specialists, I have to make sure they work as a team. And usually everything gets run by cardiology, because they want their clearance. The good part about being a 28 year old cardiac patient, is that I am not just a name on a chart. Doctors remember me (and usually my extensive medication list). They have to work well together and if someone isn’t playing nicely with others, he is gone.
19. Find out which doctors you are most comfortable with. I prefer male doctors for urology, GI, cardiology, pulmonology, surgeon, etc. But I prefer female doctors for Psychiatry, Psychology and as my GP. I like the matter of fact information male doctors usually provide, but I also feel more comfortable with my female doctors for the emotional side of things, because I feel more open to talking to them. This is a matter of choice. Find what works for you.
20. Be honest. If you are tired, take a nap. If you are not up for going out after a long week, be honest. If you are struggling with depression and need help, be honest. Be honest with yourself and be honest with others. You can’t manage this illness by yourself, but you can have a lot of great help if you are honest with others.