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Prepare

Before You Get Sick

Collect the numbers, lists, and written instructions now, while you feel well enough to ask for them.

Almost nothing on a sick day is hard except finding things: the after-hours number, the current medicine list, the instructions someone gave you at a visit two years ago. This section is about assembling those in advance, and about the one thing you cannot assemble alone — written sick-day instructions from your own care team.

Guides in this section

If this feels like an emergency, stop reading. In the United States, call 911 or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency department.