As a sickle cell patient, maintaining your health is of the utmost importance. Health maintenance includes prevention, early recognition, and treatment of complications, as well as continuing patient education.

Well-patient visits provide a better psychological setting for the development of effective health provider-patient relationships. The development of such relationships may result in fewer emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations.

We encourage you to adhere to the following suggestions:

• Have regular medical examinations every six months
• See an ophthalmologist for an annual eye examination
• See a dentist every six months
• All female patients should have a gynecology evaluation every year
• Get an annual influenza vaccine and a pneumococcal vaccine every five to seven years
• Avoid excessive use of alcohol
• Refrain from smoking and using drugs
• Pursue your vocational goals