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How to make a chronological digest
The MultiGraph program reads your digest file and produces
graph(s) more or less automatically. When you send in
your first digest (either as an attachment or in the
email message), I make a few additions to help MultiGraph
find your data. MultiGraph then reads your file, creates
and sends you your graph(s) and sends you a digest ready
for you to update whenever you have more data (or to
correct errors in the original digest).
Your data should be listed in chronological format.
For any date on which something happened, or you have
test results, enter the date, followed by all of the
items associated with that date. (If you already have
your data in a series of tables, that works too. See
the example below.)
Include diagnostic test results, such as DREs, imaging
tests, etc., procedures such as RP, seed implantation,
etc, and other events with a single date.
Include the start and stop dates of treatments such
as Lupron, Proscar, dietary and lifestyle changes, X-Ray
treatments, etc.
Here's a sample of a few entries as you might send
them in. You can include as much descriptive text as
you like.
2/2/98 PSA 4.1 DRE, nodules detected TrusBx positive,
three cores. Gleason: 4+3=7 Clinical stage, T2B, Prostate
volume: 45 cc.
3/2/98 PSA 4.5
3/5/98 PAP 23
4/2/98 Bone scan, negative. <Include as much detail
as you like.>
4/13/98 Started Lupron, started Proscar
4/1598 Started dietary changes.... <Include as much
detail as you like.>
6/13/98 ProstaScint, negative PSA <0.05 7/15/98 PSA
0.1 PAP 46 8/20/98 PSA 0.9
2/3/99 Stopped Lupron PSA 0.06
etc. etc
You can use just about any date format you like, such
as 15 Sep 98, 98/3/24, or 5/22/35.
Please copy and paste the following header into the
beginning of your file. All fields except Name:, EMail:,
and DOB: are optional. Don't modify any of the keywords
below.
Identification:
Date:
Name:
Address:
Line2:
City:
State:
ZIP:
Country:
DayPhone:
EvePhone:
FAX:
EMail:
DOB: // date of birth
DiagnosisDate:
Options:
Chart: Med PSA // and any other variables to be charted.
// These optional items can appear anywhere in your
digest, followed by the data:
Prostate Volume: or PV:
Clinical Stage: or CS:
Gleason:
Ploidy:
Partin:
Narayan:
If you have several variables to plot, you can list
them in your narrative as shown above or you can put
them in a table as follows:
Table: PSA PAP T Chol PSA2
22 May 98 4.5 -- 200 180
15 Jun 98 4.0
23 Jul 98 3.5 7.2
26 Aug 98 3.0 -- -- --- 18
Be sure to use dashes to indicate missing values before
other values. You can have more than one chart, with
different variables plotted together on each chart.
Unless you tell me otherwise, I will give you one chart
with all variable plotted together, plus one with your
PSA alone.
Your digest can be quite terse, with only your medical
data to be plotted, or in narrative form, with as much
explanatory information as you like.
Send your digest,
either as an attachment, or in the body of your message,
to john@pcref.org. If you have any questions, send
email to the same address.
When you receive your first graph, you will also receive
some information that will help you understand how MultiGraph
works, and what you do to get updates efficiently.
The main thing is don't worry about format details,
just send in a file with your data!
Cheers,
John Fistere, Executive Director, PC-REF
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