How do you keep track of your medical history while living abroad?

Posted by Ffinnis@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 24 comments

I’m planning to spend more time abroad, and one thing I’m worried about is healthcare continuity.

At home, my medical history is at least somewhat understandable. I know which doctors I saw, where I did my tests, what I was prescribed, and where the records are. But once you move abroad, or split time between countries, it feels like everything can quickly end up scattered across emails, PDFs, clinic portals, screenshots, insurance apps, and memory.

For people who have dealt with doctors, dentists, labs, prescriptions, vaccines, or checkups outside their home country: how do you manage this?

Do you keep your own folder/system, ask clinics to transfer records, rely on your insurance portal, or just figure it out when something happens?

Any stories, mistakes, or practical tips would be appreciated.

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SamuiBeachLuvr@reddit

Lived in Thailand and I have a copy of every medical report and test that's been performed in the country. Easy to share with anyone, wish the US was this easy.

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khankipara99@reddit

I tried the folder thing for a while and it was a mess. PDFs with random filenames, portals I couldn't log back into especially when traveling, one clinic that just never sent my labs and some are even using Faxes lol. Now I just dump everything into KeepMD as it happens. Still have to scan the paper stuff but its automatic at least it's in one place and I can actually search it when a new doctor asks what I was prescribed six months ago in a different country.

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gadgetvirtuoso@reddit

I scan or download them so I have a digital copy and trash the physical version. I made a folder called medical and drop them in there organized by year. Blood test date.pdf and so on. For scanning iPhone does document scanning natively. I’m sure Android does it to. Many clinics also send you the results or a login for a portal to download. I’m in Ecuador and if they’re doing it here, they’re doing it most everywhere.

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Automatic_Antelope92@reddit

I had a copy of all my notes and test results from one specialist in the US and hand carried it to Canada. That specialist advance referred me to a specialist in Canada who knows how to deal with my condition, and also faxed as partial record in advance of my appointment (which I made three months before arriving in Canada to see them).

The provincial healthcare system had seen me here before coming here as I visited before and had to go to the ER. So the system already knows what medications I already had prescribed in the US and doctors here have been willing to write me new prescriptions to replace them.

The one biggest change is everything is generic. No brand names. If a generic fails to help or you have bad reaction to it, supposedly your doctor can propose that you get the name brand version of a drug and get it covered, but I have not dealt with this issue so far.

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Pamamore@reddit

I dont. But I dont have much of a “record”

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Signal_Chest_4312@reddit

I moved from the US to Mexico. Everyone just generally accepted my word when I told them my medical history and medications. My specialist did ask for a one page letter from my previous doctor that summarized my meds and treatment history, but it wasn't essential. Beyond that, the only medical documentation I carry are the letters I need to cross borders with prescription meds.

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Expensive_Session230@reddit

It's a control thing but I always carry a copy of my most recent medical and dental records with me as a backup system.

Then again, it's a trust issue also. Can't count the times medications I don't take or were never prescribed or procedures that I never had have shown up in my records.

I pay my own health insurance and the last thing I want is to have them pay for someone else's treatments and then bill me. Nope. I'm not a charity.

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mailmehiermaar@reddit

You can have your doctor or general practitioner write an handoff note when you leave. This will include medication and the important parts of your medical history.

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FinestTreesInDa7Seas@reddit

I've never kept track of my own medical records. I'm from Canada originally, and I've lived in the US, UK, and France.

In all 3 cases, I got a doctor in those countries, and they were able to access my medical records from Canada.

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

Interesting. I’m more worried about countries where systems don’t talk to each other, like Turkey, Thailand, or Bali. Would you still rely on doctors accessing your Canadian records there, or keep your own copy?

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FinestTreesInDa7Seas@reddit

I wouldn't be worried about that even in a situation of moving to a developing country, because the process of getting my medical records just involves me submitting a form to have my records obtained from Canada, and they forward them to my new doctor. If they have a mailing address, and they can read English or French, then they can receive my medical records.

Many other developed countries have government-operated health care systems that either already hold these records in a central repository, or they can request the records from facilities when needed.

I'm originally from the Canadian province of Manitoba, and Manitoba Health is the government organization that provides health care there (they run all the hospitals, and clinics all operate within their system). They don't hold your records themselves, they're held by each hospital/clinic/facility. If you move abroad, you can submit a request to have your medical records sent to your new doctor. They start a process of requesting all your records from each facility that you indicate you've visited in the past, and they send them all to your new doctor.

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

Thanks, Canada is so smart country

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PhereNicae@reddit

I have PCOS, a metabolic/hormnal disorder, they did their own tests and didnt want to even take a look at my reports...

Then another thing and the same story. Made me do gastroscopy that I had done 2 months prior...

Different countries have very different approaches to some disorders.. (I made a youtube video about my experience - not a youtuber btw)

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PhereNicae@reddit

I ended up for 26 days in hospital

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

I’m really sorry, that sounds awful. Being ignored and then ending up in hospital for 26 days is insane.

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PhereNicae@reddit

thank you but dont worry it is a Southern Italian thing

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Primary-Angle4008@reddit

From my experience you just need to tell them what you have and how it’s been treated so far, have copies of all your records just in case and for yourself but people won’t read them

I moved from Germany to the UK and while I was believed that I have Asthma and was asked what treatment I had so far it was basically ignored and I was put on the British treatment plan which was back then very different then it was in Germany

I’m now back on the medication I used to have from Germany after I had a major asthma attack and ended up in hospital for 5 days all which I told my GP will eventually happen

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

That sounds really scary, especially after you already knew the old treatment worked better for you.

I’m worried about a similar thing with my thyroid history if I move abroad. How did you explain your previous asthma treatment to the UK doctor, and do you feel there was anything that could’ve helped them take it more seriously?

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Primary-Angle4008@reddit

I’m here 20 years now and back then there was a set standard treatment which even though I explained which medication I was on they insisted on so I went with it and actually didn’t get on with it which I made clear several times and while I’ve asked multiple times to be put back on my old meds they refused and blaming me for taking it wrong

Now at one point a few years in I was admitted to hospital, stayed there 5 days snd was put back on my original meds no questions asked and my GP received a letter from hospital that I’m suppose to stay on this longterm as it works and I should have been listened too all along

Now funnily enough this med is now mainstream

But in hindsight I probably would be a lot more assertive and change gp surgeries

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nonotthestew@reddit

I moved from the US to Belgium to the UK while having hypothyroidism, and everybody runs their own tests. Nobody reads the medical history.

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

That’s exactly the kind of thing I was wondering about.

Did you actually bring previous thyroid labs/prescriptions to the new doctors, and they ignored them, or was it hard to transfer/share them in the first place?

And what was the most annoying part: repeating tests, delays, cost, or having to explain your history from scratch each time?

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nonotthestew@reddit

They are not going to blindly trust some doctor or lab they never heard of when writing bad prescriptions could destroy their careers (not that anyone wants levothyroxine that bad, but potentially for other medications), I do not take or show anything other than my prescriptions themselves, nobody has ever asked to see anything more, even when I moved from Belgium to the UK while pregnant. I wouldn't bother with a file or anything, tbh.

In my case, my thyroid needs to be tested regularly so it doesn't matter if it is repeated. I make sure I have as much supply as possible of my medication when moving, so that I am not in trouble in case of delays.

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Useful_Midnight_4682@reddit

Even at my home country, I kept binders with information of each family member: official documents and handwritten notes.

I think nowadays you could digitise things but I believe your health is your personal responsibility.

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Ffinnis@reddit (OP)

Agreed on the last statement