You waited months for fifteen minutes, and you came out having forgotten the one thing you meant to ask. Paste what is already on your mind — questions, what has changed since last time, your symptoms in your own words, what you want out of the visit, what you are taking — and this lays it out as one printable sheet. The top half is what you take in: your first three questions at the top, because an appointment is short and the end of a list is where the time runs out; then what changed, in the order it started; then each symptom with what makes it better or worse and how it affects your day; then what you want from today, and what you are currently taking. The bottom half is deliberately blank, for writing in the room: what was said, what was decided, what was ruled out and why, what happens next, who is arranging it, when to expect it and what to do if it does not happen — plus a short set of phrases for when you do not understand what was just said. It organises your own words and adds nothing: it never suggests something to ask about, never names a cause, never says what an answer means and never decides whether anything matters. It is a preparation aid, not a medical record and not advice. Everything runs on your device — nothing is uploaded.
Worked example
APPOINTMENT PREP SHEET
ABOUT THIS SHEET
This sheet is made only from what you typed. It is a preparation aid: it is
not a medical record, it is not advice, and nothing on it is a medical
opinion. It puts your own sentences into an order you can carry into a short
appointment and it adds nothing of its own — it never proposes something to
ask about, never names a cause, never says what any answer would mean and
never decides whether anything on it matters. The bottom half is
deliberately blank; it is there to be written on while you are still in the
room. Everything runs on this device: nothing is uploaded, sent or stored
anywhere.
Said once and then not repeated: preparing for an appointment can wait, and
some things cannot. If something feels urgent to you now, deal with it now
through whatever emergency or same-day route applies where you live, rather
than waiting for the appointment this sheet is for. This tool cannot tell
you which is which and does not try.
BEFORE — TAKE THIS IN
MY TOP THREE QUESTIONS
1. what did the last test actually show?
2. what are my options, and which would you start with?
3. how long should I give this before I come back?
You wrote four questions. The first three you typed are at the top, because
an appointment is short and the end of a list is where the time runs out.
Being at the top is the ONLY thing that has happened to them: they were not
chosen, weighed or reordered, and the tool has no opinion about which of
your questions matters. If a different three should lead, move them to the
top of what you paste in and run it again. The rest are below, in your order
— nothing was dropped.
ALSO ON MY LIST, IF THERE IS TIME
4. is there anything I should stop doing?
WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST TIME
• 2026-06 — it started waking me at night
• 2026-08-02 — it now happens on most days rather than most weeks
• about three weeks ago — I stopped the evening walk
Lines with a date written as 2026, 2026-06 or 2026-06-02 are in the order
they started; the rest are in the order you typed them and sit at the end.
This sheet has no clock and never asks what today's date is, so "three weeks
ago" is printed exactly as you wrote it and is not placed on a calendar.
MY SYMPTOMS, IN MY OWN WORDS
• a dull ache on the right side
worse when: after a long day standing
better when: sitting down for twenty minutes
daily life: I do the weekly shop in two trips now
• waking at about 4am and not getting back to sleep
worse when: ______________________________
better when: ______________________________
daily life: I am tired by mid-afternoon
A blank line above is something you did not write down. Fill it in by hand,
or add "| worse: ... | better: ... | daily: ..." to that line and run this
again. Nothing has been filled in for you.
WHAT I WANT FROM TODAY
• to leave knowing what happens next and who is arranging it
• the form for work signed
WHAT I AM CURRENTLY TAKING
• two tablets in the morning and one at night — I will bring the boxes
• something I buy myself, in a green tub
Bring the boxes, or the printed list, if you can.
This sheet has only what you typed.
OTHER THINGS I WROTE DOWN
Lines that did not start with one of the words this tool knows. They are
kept exactly as you typed them rather than being sorted into a box they
might not belong in.
• I have the letter from the last appointment with me
DURING — FILL THIS IN
WHAT WAS SAID
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT WAS DECIDED
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT WAS RULED OUT, AND WHY
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, AND WHO IS ARRANGING IT
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHEN TO EXPECT IT
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
IF IT DOES NOT HAPPEN, WHAT I DO
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT TO ASK IF I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
These are about the conversation, not about you. They are here for the
moment when a word goes past you or the next step is not clear, and they are
the same nine phrases for everybody who opens this tool — nothing here was
chosen because of anything you typed.
• Can you write that word down for me?
• Can you say that again in plain words?
• Can I take a moment to write that down?
• What are you ruling out, and what made you rule it out?
• What would make you change your mind about this?
• What should make me come back sooner?
• What happens next, and who is arranging it?
• When should I expect to hear something, and what do I do if I do not?
• If I think of something afterwards, how do I get an answer?
KEEP THIS WITH THE SHEET
Reminder, because this sheet leaves the house: everything on it was typed by
the person it is about. Nothing on it has been checked against any source
and nothing on it is a medical opinion. No order or grouping on this page
means anything — the three questions at the top are the first three that
were typed, and that is the only reason they are at the top. Nothing was
uploaded to produce this sheet.
Frequently asked
What do I paste in?
One thing per line, with a word and a colon in front: "q:" for a question, "changed:" for something that is different since last time, "symptom:" for a symptom, "want:" for what you want out of the visit, "taking:" for what you are taking, and "note:" for anything else. A line that just ends in a question mark is treated as a question. Anything the tool does not recognise is kept exactly as you typed it under "other things I wrote down" — it is never guessed at or quietly moved. Blank lines and lines starting with # are ignored, so you can leave yourself notes in the paste.
Why only three questions at the top?
Because appointments are short and the questions at the end of a list are the ones that run out of time. Deciding in advance which three must be answered is the single most useful thing you can do before you walk in. They are the first three you typed — the tool does not weigh, rank or choose them, and it says so on the sheet so nobody reads a judgement into it. If a different three should lead, move them to the top of your paste and run it again.
What if I have more than three, or fewer?
More: they are all kept, numbered, and printed under "also on my list, if there is time". Nothing is dropped. Fewer: you get exactly what you wrote. Nothing is padded out to three, because a question you did not write would not be yours to ask.
Can I add extra detail to a symptom?
Yes, on the same line, separated by pipes: "symptom: ... | worse: ... | better: ... | daily: ...". Anything you leave out prints as a blank you can fill in by hand. Nothing is ever filled in for you.
How does it order what has changed?
By when it started, oldest first, using dates written as 2026, 2026-06 or 2026-06-02. A change without a date keeps the position you typed it in and sits at the end. There is no clock in this tool and it never asks what today is, so "three weeks ago" is printed exactly as you wrote it rather than being placed on a calendar it cannot see.
Does it tell me what any of this means, or what to ask about?
No, and it will not. It lays out what you typed. It offers no cause, no explanation, no interpretation of any answer, no view on whether anything on the page matters and no question of its own about anything in particular. Those are conversations to have with a clinician. This sheet just makes sure the fifteen minutes are not spent remembering.
What are the phrases at the bottom, then?
Nine general phrases about the conversation itself — asking for a word to be written down, asking for plain words, asking what happens next and who is arranging it, asking what should make you come back sooner. They are about language, time and process; none of them mentions any part of you, and every person who opens this tool gets the same nine. That is the difference between leaving informed and leaving confused, and it is not a medical suggestion.
How is this different from the Medical History Timeline?
Different job, different page. The Medical History Timeline is your whole history laid out chronologically — years of events, one clean page to hand a new specialist. This is one appointment: what you are walking in with today and what you write down while you are there. Many people want both, and they do not overlap.
How is this different from CareBinder?
CareBinder is the standing folder for one person kept over time. This is a single sheet for a single visit, printed, written on and either filed or thrown away. Use this the night before; use the binder for everything that outlives the appointment.
Is anything uploaded?
No. It all runs inside your browser on your own device: nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored on a server and there is no account. Print the sheet or copy the text out yourself. That matters here — this is some of the most sensitive information a person owns.
Is this medical advice?
No. It is a preparation aid made only from sentences you typed. It is not a medical record, nothing on it has been checked against any source and nothing on it is a medical opinion. If something feels urgent to you, deal with it now through whatever emergency or same-day route applies where you live rather than waiting for an appointment — the tool says this once on the sheet and cannot tell you which situations those are.