Apps That Simplify My Life as a Chronic Illness Patient

I wanted to share some smart phone apps and websites that make living with chronic illness easier for me. 

Smart phone Apps: 
These are the android apps I use and they are all FREE.  There are many more medical apps on the market that may or may not be free. 

• The Walgreens app makes refilling medications super easy!  You just have to scan your bottle and set the date and time of pick-up.  So much better than calling in and pushing a bunch of numbers for the automated system.
• The Medi Minder app helps me keep track of my medications and doses.  The doctors always want a list of what I take.  This way it is always stored in my phone, in an organized list.  You can also set alarms to remind yourself to take your medications.  Emergency responders can use it to find out what medications you take in case of an accident.
• CamCard is an awesome way to always have your business cards (doctor cards) on hand.  The phone takes a picture of the card and stores it in your phone.  The phone numbers are all added to your contact list as well.  It makes calling your doctor a breeze and it is easy to look up doctor information for filling out new patient forms. 
• WebMD app puts the information of webmd.com in the palm of your hand.  It is good for answering medical and drug related questions when you are unable to consult your doctor right away.
• Itriage is kind of like webMD, but it also tells you where the closest hospitals, doctors, urgent care centers, and pharmacies are. 
• Asthma Tracker helps keep track of attacks, peak flow readings, and triggers.  Its basically an asthma diary on the phone.   There are apps similar to this for keeping track of diabetes, epilepsy, and menstruation too.
• Instant Heart Rate helps you keep track of your heart rate.  I have severe tachycardia (fast heart beat), so this is very helpful to me. There is a fancier version that hooks to a blue tooth device that also checks your oxygen levels.  
• Manage My Pain helps keep track of pain episodes.  It allows you to track when, where, level of pain etc. This can be helpful when trying to explain your chronic pain to your doctor. 

Websites:

• I use www.webmd.com (as mentioned above) often.  It always has a wealth of information. 
• www.rxlist.com is a great site for information about medications.  I use it to look for drug interactions, since I am on drugs that do not play well with others.
• Finish Safe is a site where you can order FREE medical alert tags and cards.  All of your medical information is stored in your profile on the site.  The alert tags have an ID number, your name, and birth date for emergency personnel to look up online.  I wear a tag on my shoe, carry a card in my purse, one on my key ring, and I use the luggage tag on bags. 
• Mayo Clinic is the best hospital in the country and their website offers reliable information about all kinds of medical related topics. I used this site often when doing research for school papers.

I hope you find some of these as helpful as I have!  Please let me know of any others that could be added to this list.