The first year can produce more appointments, phone calls, equipment changes, receipts, forms, and passwords than anybody wants. This checklist is a starting point for organization. Your clinical team should determine your actual medical schedule and treatment.

Appointments and people

• Keep one calendar for surgical or medical follow-up, prosthetic visits, physical or occupational therapy, and other specialty care.
• Write down the name, phone number, portal, and after-hours instructions for the clinicians and suppliers you use most.
• Ask who you should contact first for a fit problem, skin problem, equipment problem, pain concern, or insurance question. Those answers may be different.
• If emotional health is getting crowded out by physical recovery, ask where counseling or peer support fits into the plan.

Supplies and equipment

• Maintain the supplies your prosthetist or clinical team recommends for your specific setup, such as liners, socks, sleeves, skin-care items, or mobility-aid parts.
• Keep chargers, proprietary tools, manuals, serial numbers, and manufacturer information together.
• Before travel, think about what would be difficult to replace quickly and keep essential assistive-device items with you when practical.

Records worth saving

• Prescriptions and written orders.
• Prosthetic evaluations, therapy evaluations, and major progress notes you can access.
• Prior-authorization notices, approvals, denials, appeal letters, and Explanation of Benefits statements.
• Receipts and out-of-pocket expense records.
• A simple phone log: date, organization, person, reference number, and what happens next.

Questions to keep in your phone

• What problem are we trying to solve with this change?
• What should I expect to improve, and what will it not fix?
• What changes should make me call sooner rather than waiting for the next appointment?
• What documentation does my insurer require?
• If this is denied, what is the next appeal step and deadline?
• What is the backup plan if this equipment is unavailable, damaged, or uncomfortable?

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