Overwhelming is one of the best ways to describe the initial days and weeks after a cancer diagnosis. There are so many forms to complete, information packets to read, and every new doctor needs copies of all.the.things.
When I was a cancer caregiver for my mother-in-law, one of the few things that helped us gain a sense of control was having things organized in a binder.
Knowing what I know now, after her years-long journey, I’ve developed a cancer binder printable for you to use to get and stay organized, and have everything you need at your fingertips.
This is an expansion of what we used, and I’m excited to offer it to you now. Even more important to me, I’m launching the Holistic Cancer Toolkit on the 2-year anniversary of my mother-in-law’s passing.
I felt like Darlene was with me each day that I worked on this, and reminded me of all of the pages that should be included in this cancer binder pack.
I’ll first review supplies needed to create your medical binder. Then I’ll go into more details about the Holistic Cancer Toolkit I’ve created and how it helps you keep track of more than just your medical records, but also other areas of your life that cancer affects, like finances, home management and self care.
Why Do I Need a Cancer Binder?
Cancer patients and their caregivers have so much to keep track of:
- General information about their type of cancer
- Contact information for all of their medical providers
- Treatment information and schedules for radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or infusions
- Appointments for integrative therapies
- Scans
- Labwork
- Follow up appointments with different specialists
- Medication List
- Side effects
- Bills
Rather than keeping things in random piles around the house, it’s easier and less stressful to find something when needed.
Oh, the oncologist you’re seeing for a second opinion needs your most recent bloodwork? If it’s in the cancer binder, it’s easy to find. So is the business card of the doctor’s office, with the fax and phone numbers and email to send that medical information.
Best of all, it should take less than an hour to put together and start using. Once you have all of the printable pages you need, it’ll just take a few minutes at a time to update/complete the pages.
Supplies Needed to Create a Cancer Binder
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Start off with a 3-ring binder.
I recommend a 1.5 inch binder, since it’ll be big enough to hold most everything you need, but won’t get full right away.
A binder that has the pockets on the inside covers is great to hold additional papers.
1.5 inch heavy duty binder perfect to get your Holistic Cancer Toolkit set up.
If you don’t want to have to upgrade to a larger binder if your treatment plan is complex or is estimated to last quite a while, you might want to start with a 2 inch binder.
Heavy duty binder with front and side clear pouches for easy labeling.
A pencil case/pouch will make sure you always have pens, pencils and no-bleed highlighters available.
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$6.89
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$12.60
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$6.85
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I love this pouch, because it expands and has two slots.
Clear, double zippered pencil pouch with reinforced grommets for durability. Expands up to 1.5 inches.
Sticky notes are great to jot down quick reminders or to share your contact info with a new treatment friend.
We can always use more sticky notes! Fun, bright colors will help with reminders, even when chemo brain kicks in.
Carry some blank note cards and envelopes to catch up on thank you notes while you’re waiting at yet another appointment.
Cute, simple designs are perfect for any type of note you’d like to send.
Pouches are also great to hold change for a vending machine if a craving for something sweet hits, some hard candies or mouth drops for dry mouth.
Ease dry mouth and freshen your breath with these soothing drops.
Next, get a set of dividers.
Add a soft pop of color to your binder with these divider tab. There’s lots of room to write, and they’re erasable too!
I recommend these because you can write on them in pencil or these erasable pens and make edits whenever needed.
Don’t worry about making mistakes with these erasable pens!
These will separate out the sections of the Holistic Cancer Toolkit so it’s easy for you to find the exact pages you need.
The above is all that you absolutely need for your cancer binder, but a few additions that add just a small extra cost but again, helps to keep things organized:
A set of business card holders. You’ll get cards from almost the entire medical team at your cancer center.
Place them into the holders and they’ll always be in the same space – no more digging around to find the nurse navigator’s number or the email to the social worker.
A great way to store business cards from clinics, cancer care teams and holistic providers all in one place for easy reference.
A set of CD holders are also helpful to hold disks of previous scans.
Often new medical providers will ask for copies, so when you’re requesting those, it helps to request an extra copy for your own records.
Great to store backup CDs of scans.
This way, if you show up to an appointment and they haven’t received your scans from another medical facility yet, you’ll have a copy for them to review prior to your appointment.
Just be sure to get it back before the end of your appointment!
Why Should I Buy the Holistic Cancer Toolkit?
I’m biased, but this toolkit has all the things you’ll need to stay organized and prepared for appointments, to track side effects and medication changes.
It was designed out of necessity and expanded to include all of the things I wish I had when I was caring for my mother-in-law.
It is a massive 115-page printable pack. You select which pages apply to you and print those off to assemble your cancer binder.
It has a simple design with touches of neutral, calming colors. It can be printed in color, or in black and white if you prefer.
The toolkit also has a section section on Home Maintenance which includes things like contact information for service providers, a cleaning schedule and things to fix or replace around the house.
If something breaks and you can’t remember the plumber you always call, it’ll be helpful to have their contact info handy so your caregiver or another family member can reach out to them.
Other sections include food/nutrition, medical history, medications, current treatment and self-care.
Here is a list of the pages included in the Holistic Cancer Toolkit:
- Cover (2 designs to choose from)
- Personal Details
- Additional Contacts
- Pharmacy Contacts
- Medical Team Contacts
- Specialist Details
- Passwords
- Important Dates
- Notes
- Medical History
- Family History
- Surgical History
- Vaccination Records
- Dental Records
- Vision Records
- Medical Tests
- Imaging Records
- Diagnosis Overview
- Decision Making Guide
- Treatment Plan Overview
- Appointment Details
- Appointment Notes
- Specialist Appointment Notes
- Chemo Log
- Radiation Log
- Post-Op Notes
- Wound Care Log
- Complementary Therapies Tracker
- Tumor Marker Tracker
- Blood Pressure Log
- Blood Pressure Tracker
- Blood Sugar Log
- Weekly Blood Sugar Tracker
- Blood Count Tracker
- Period Tracker
- Symptom Tracker
- Headache Tracker
- Sleep Tracker
- Fatigue Tracker
- Nausea/Vomiting Tracker
- Pain Tracker
- Allergic Reactions
- Bathroom Tracker
- Pain Scale
- Medication Tracker
- Discontinued Medications
- Supplement Tracker
- Bank Account Information
- Monthly Household Budget
- Finances To Do List
- Credit Card Information
- Credit Card Tracker
- Health Insurance
- Insurance Appeal Call Tracker
- Medical Expenses
- Medical Bills Tracker
- Financial Assistance Request Tracker
- Subscriptions Tracker
- Bills Tracker
- Debt Payoff Tracker
- Debt Snowball
- Donations/Gift List
- Pantry Inventory
- Freezer Inventory
- Weekly Meal Planner
- Grocery List
- Meal Train Signup Form
- Utility Providers
- Service Providers
- Pet Care Providers
- Pet Information
- Vehicle Maintenance Log
- Weekly Cleaning Plan
- Fix or Replace
- Self Care Wheel
- Healthy Mind Platter
- 5 Ideas for Self Care
- Creating a Self Care Plan
- Self Care Checklist
- My Self Care Routine
- Daily Gratitude
- Weekly Self Care Reflection
- Weekly Health Tracker
- Exercise Tracker
- Habit Tracker
- 30 Day Water Tracker
- Calming Techniques
- Journal Prompts
The Holistic Cancer Toolkit is a portable, easy to assemble and easy to use binder to store useful information for family members and your care team.
Take it to each cancer treatment appointment and every follow up visit with your doctor and avoid the frustration of having to search for documents or remember dates and procedures from years ago.
Buy the Holistic Cancer Toolkit today and get started on your way to feeling more confident and in control. I can’t wait to hear how it works for you!
