Friday, December 12, 2014

Medical and Asthma Apps

This isn't an all-inclusive list of apps by any means.  I actually don't use much in the way of medical apps, but I use the two below on a daily basis.  It's so great to keep track of everything in one place!


Asthma Tracker
I found this app last spring, when my asthma started flaring up far more regularly.  I dug out my old peak flow meter, but knew that I wouldn't keep track of it with pen and paper.  I needed a way to compile my peak flow data in the pocket-sized computer that was already taking over my life.  A search in the play store revealed Asthma Tracker!

This app allows you to record peak flows, medications, and attacks, based on immediate time stamp (or you can change the time if needed.)  You can also compare pre-med peak flow with post-med peak flow.

I haven't used this much with medication tracking, because I don't want to do that in two places and all my meds are in the second app, but it's very useful in keeping track of my peak flow for me.  I do keep track of pre-vs-post-meds peak flows when I have a cold, and that's very handy to see.

This app has a pro version, which is not terribly expensive.  I find it very likely that I will buy the Pro version once Kal is old enough to do peak flow tests (multiple users is one of the Pro features not included in the free version.)

I really like this app!

Med Helper
When I found this app, I was looking for a way to keep track of medications.  Particularly, I wanted to easily be able to input medications for myself and the boys, and be able to keep track of who could get more medication when.  I looked at a lot of apps, and most of them seemed to be exclusively medication reminders for meds that you take at the same time every day.  While that's all well and good, I needed something to help me keep track of as-needed medications more than anything else.  After several false starts, I found Med Helper!

Mostly, I use med helper to keep track of medications.  We have a handful of asthma meds that Kal and/or I use daily, and then we have allergy meds and painkillers that we use when we need them.  When inputting a new drug into the app, you have the option of scheduling it regularly, taking it as-needed, or scheduling it plus adding as-needed.  You have the option to have it give you reminders when you're supposed to take something.  And you can have multiple users.

It's very easy to make a few taps and input a medication when you're taking it, and when you pull up a medication it automatically tells you the last few doses you took--so if it's too soon to take more, you'll notice.  For scheduled medications, you can select whether you took it at the scheduled time, skipped it, or you can change the time you took it.

This app also allows you to keep track of vitals, so if you're trying to keep track of blood pressure or weight, those can be inputted as well.  You can also make notes, so you can jot down the circumstances leading to a migraine or something.

I like this app a lot, and I really can't stress how helpful it is to keep track of as-needed medications.  More apps may have been added since I did my search, but this was the only one I found that keeps track of as-needed meds in an easy-to-use and intuitive format.  Highly recommended!


(I'm receiving nothing for these reviews. I just wanted to share what I use to keep track of our health.)

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