// Transmissions — What We Shipped
Free tools · Scarlet Beast En español →
Four hundred and seventy-four free tools and guides for when your mind is loud, your words won’t come, a task won’t start, or you need to ask for what helps. There is no sign-up and no cost, and every one is in English and Spanish. All but one run no tracking at all, and each card says exactly what it does with what you type.
The tools you chose to keep at the top of this page. The list is kept only in this browser, on this device, and is sent nowhere. Anyone who opens this page in this browser can see it. To back it up or erase it with everything else, use My data on this device.
Or pick one and we’ll show the tools for it. Pick it again to see everything. Or open the whole list, by subject. Too many to read? Start here asks up to three questions and shows five pages at most.
Use a few of these often? Press Keep at top on a card and it stays at the top of this page. The list is kept only in this browser, where anyone who uses it can see it. Leave it off if that is not safe for you.
All 474 pages, each one listed once, under 16 headings. Press a heading to open its list. The cards further down say more about each page.
The short list shows each title and the start of what it does. Full cards add the rest, the labels and the link to the Spanish page. Your choice is not saved.
One page for the worst night: call, text or chat 988, 911 for emergencies, crisis lines for veterans, LGBTQ+ young people, trans people, domestic violence and more, food and shelter, how to help someone else, and a pocket card to print.
One page to find the right first-aid page fast. Thirty cards, each named for what you can see: choking, someone collapsed and not responding, chest pain, the signs of a stroke, a seizure, heavy bleeding, a burn, a possible poisoning, an overdose, a severe allergic reaction, an asthma attack, low blood sugar, heat, cold, carbon monoxide, a smell of gas, a fire, someone in trouble in the water, a broken bone, an electric shock, an eye injury, a knocked-out or broken tooth, a baby coming before you can get to the hospital, a hit to the head, a snakebite, a spider bite, a bite or scratch from an animal, a tick attached to the skin, a sting from a bee, a wasp, fire ants or a scorpion, poison ivy, oak or sumac. Each card gives the first thing to do and opens the full page. Type a word to narrow the cards. Prints in black and white. General information, not medical advice.
For the friend, partner, parent or coworker: pick what you are noticing and get what to try, words you could use, what to avoid and when to call 988 or 911. Then make a private plan to check in again.
For anyone being hurt, threatened or controlled by a partner, a date or someone at home, and for the people who worry about them: what to do in danger, a warning-signs checklist, a safety plan and go-bag list that print, phone safety, kids and pets, and hotlines. It has a Leave quickly button.
Sexually assaulted, last night or years ago, or beside someone who was: who answers at any hour (the National Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-4673), medical care and the medicine that has a deadline, the forensic exam and why it doesn’t commit you to reporting, the police if you choose to, what it costs, school and work, keeping it private, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. It has a Leave quickly button. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Made to work, or to have sex for money, by force, lies or threats; out of it now; or worried about someone: what human trafficking is in plain words, the signs, the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888, text 233733) and what it keeps private, staying safer, leaving and what comes after, options if you are not a U.S. citizen, a job or a partner that worries you, if you are under 18, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. It has a Leave quickly button. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone being blackmailed over a nude or sexual picture or video, real or fake (it is called sextortion), and for the adult they told: what the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says to do first (don’t pay, block but don’t delete, report), Take It Down for pictures taken before you were 18 and StopNCII.org for adults, which both work without sending the picture to anyone, the CyberTipline and 1-800-THE-LOST, what to save, the 2025 federal law, and 988 for when it feels like the end. It builds the first words to tell someone, and prints a card to keep. Each fact is passed on from its source by name. It never asks for a picture. No state’s law. General information, not professional advice.
Followed, watched, tracked, or called and messaged again and again by someone who will not stop; or worried about someone who is: what stalking is in plain words, what to do first, how to keep a record that shows the pattern, stopping contact, your phone, your accounts and your location, safety at home, at work and at school, protection orders and the police, who to call (1-800-799-7233, or 1-855-484-2846), the words to say to the people around you (built from what you tick), and a card that does not say what it is for. A Leave quickly button. General information, not legal advice.
You cannot find someone: a child, a teenager who left, a person living with dementia, an adult you love, or someone gone a long time. What to do in the first hour, what the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says to tell the police and to ask them for, that there is no waiting period to report a missing child, which line answers for which situation (1-800-843-5678 for a child, 1-800-786-2929 for a teenager who left, 1-800-272-3900 for dementia), how AMBER Alerts work, NamUs and family DNA when it has been a long time, the words for the call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. General information, not legal advice.
Worried about a child, just told something by one, a kid or teen who is being hurt, a parent afraid of what you might do, or an adult it happened to long ago: what counts as abuse or neglect, the signs, what to say when a child tells you, how to report with your state’s number, the Childhelp hotline (1-800-422-4453, call or text) and what it keeps private, sexual abuse, pictures and threats online, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. It has a Leave quickly button. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Worried about an older person, an older person who is being hurt, frightened, neglected or robbed, or a caregiver with nothing left: what counts as elder abuse, the signs, how to talk with them, who takes a report (911, Adult Protective Services, the state licensing agency), the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for nursing homes and assisted living, money taken by someone they know, scams and the National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311, weekdays), the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116), the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. It has a Leave quickly button. General information, not medical or legal advice.
What to do, one step at a time: wake them, call 911, give naloxone (Narcan) with a timer for the next dose, help them breathe, and stay. Plus the signs, too much alcohol, stimulants and seizures, what to do after they wake, how to be ready, and a card to print.
For the call, text or message that feels off, and for anyone worried about a parent or friend: a red-flag checklist, what to do in the next five minutes with a line to end the call, a step-by-step list if you already paid or gave your information, where to report, and a card for the fridge.
For the next few minutes, when everything is too loud: breathe with a slow moving circle, or name what is around you one sense at a time (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).
For a body that is holding the day: a tight jaw, raised shoulders, clenched hands. The page walks you through eleven parts. Tense one gently for about 5 seconds, then let it go and rest while the page keeps the time. It can read the steps aloud, there is a way with no tensing, and you can leave out any part or print the sequence. It cannot see your body, it is not treatment, and it cannot promise calm or sleep.
When “bad” or “fine” is the only word that comes. A wheel of eight families and 76 words, from milder to stronger. Pick up to three, say how strong each one is and what it is about, and the page makes one plain sentence to show big, copy or keep in a log on your device. It does not read you, test you or diagnose anything.
When everything feels wrong and you can’t tell why: one gentle question at a time about water, food, sleep, medicine, noise and people, and one small thing to try for each “not yet”.
For a thought that arrives as if it were a fact. Write what happened and the thought, what makes it seem true and what does not fit it, then another way to say it. The page keeps what you write, prints it, and gives you a blank worksheet for pen and paper. There is no AI in it: it does not answer you or say whether a thought is true, and it is a worksheet, not therapy.
For worries that run the whole day. Write each one in a line when it shows up, choose one time of day to open the list, then sort them one at a time: it has passed, I can do something (with one small next step), or it is out of my hands. An optional clock, a 30-day count and one sheet to print. It cannot remind you, it does not judge a worry, and it is not treatment.
For a decision that goes round and round in your head. Name it, write each option with what speaks for it and what speaks against it, then what matters most to you and what you do not know yet. The page keeps what you write, prints it, and gives you a blank worksheet for pen and paper. There is no AI in it: it does not count the reasons or pick an option, and it is a worksheet, not advice.
A quiet page for the middle of the night: park your worries for the morning, shuffle your thoughts letter by letter, breathe slowly with a guide that fades out, loosen your body, and what to do after a bad dream. Dim and black-screen modes.
A private grief companion: one slow minute for when a wave hits, a gentle list for the first days and weeks, a letter to the person who died, a place to keep memories, a plan for the hard dates with calendar reminders, and words to ask for help.
Someone has died and the forms have landed on you: the first hours, death certificates, your rights with a funeral home and what costs less, Social Security and survivor benefits, who to tell, burial benefits if they were a veteran, their debts and the collectors who call, the final tax return, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not legal, financial or medical advice.
For the moment you’re about to say, send or do something you can’t take back: one guided minute to cool the heat, words to step away from a fight with a timer to come back, a vent box that is never saved, a wait-before-you-send check, and a cool-down plan with a wallet card.
For a panic attack: a breathing circle to ride the wave, what each body feeling means and when to call 911, words to hold onto, a card to show someone when you can’t talk, a private log with patterns, and a panic plan that prints with a wallet card.
A private page for loneliness: a few guided minutes of company, words to reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with, a ladder of small steps, a private list of your people, where people gather, and who to call at any hour. Prints a one-page connection plan.
Want a drink, a hit, a bet or a smoke right now? Rate it 0 to 10, start a 20-minute timer and watch your own wave rise and fall, with one idea at a time, your reasons and your people. Plus a plan that prints as a wallet card, and a log.
For a shutdown, a meltdown, a panic or a loud room: tap a message and your phone shows it in huge letters to whoever is in front of you. Make a card that explains what helps you, for your wallet or lock screen.
For when the lights, the noise, the people and the things to decide are more than you can take in: a dark, still screen with one short line at a time, a note to show someone when you cannot talk, fifteen ways to take one thing away, and a plan to write on a calmer day. Not treatment, and not a diagnosis.
White, pink or brown noise made in your own browser, to put between you and a loud street, an open office or a too-quiet house. It starts low, has a tone slider and can fade out by itself. Nothing is downloaded or recorded. Not treatment, and no promise of sleep or focus.
For when a task feels too big to start: break it into steps small enough to begin in the next minute, look only at the next one, and add a gentle timer if it helps.
When everything feels heavy and the usual advice is too big. Pick one small thing you could do even on a bad day (36 ideas, or your own words), give it a day, tick it, and say how you felt after. The page lists what left you feeling a little better. No streaks, no score, no reminders; it is not treatment.
You lost someone to suicide, last night or years ago, or you are standing beside someone who did: who answers at any hour, what the first days hold (the police, seeing them, their belongings), what to tell people and what to tell a child, what you may be feeling, the question “why” and the guilt, how to reach people who have been through the same loss, counseling, help for military and veteran families, getting through the days, how to support someone, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. Never describes how anyone died. No numbers and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
A short list you write before the worst moments: your warning signs, what helps you get through, who to reach in what order, and your reasons to keep going. Print it or keep it on your phone.
A plan you write on a good day: what keeps you well, your own early warning signs, what you will do when you notice them, and who to tell (58 ideas, or your own words). Then tick the signs that are true today and the page shows what your own plan says. Prints as one sheet. No score, no reminders; it is not treatment.
Fill a private box while you’re well: a note to yourself, kind words, things you’re proud of, comforts, songs and photos. On a hard day, open it and go through it one thing at a time.
A hard day leaves the hard parts in your head. At the end of a day, write up to three things that went well, or went less badly than they could have, and what made each one happen. On a hard day the page shows you one of your own lines again. No streaks, no score, no reminders; it is not treatment.
Write down, while you are well, how you want to be treated in a mental-health crisis and who should speak for you. It walks you through any U.S. state and prints a directive shaped to your state’s law.
Ten minutes before you go: what has been happening, your medicines, your questions and what helps you, on one page to hand to your doctor, therapist or psychiatrist, with room to write down the plan.
If you were hurt, lost or too overwhelmed to speak, what would a stranger need to know? A wallet card and a one-page sheet for home: who to call, your allergies and medicines, your conditions and how to help you. Every box is optional.
Show a day as pictures in order, then show only two things: what is happening now and what comes next. Eight ready-made routines, a big view for handing over a phone, and a list or cut-out cards to print. For children and adults.
“Did I already take it?” Write down what you take and when, tick each medicine as you take it, and the page keeps the time. Print the list for your wallet and a week chart for the fridge. It cannot remind you and gives no medical advice.
Write down what you notice when it happens, with your own number from 0 to 10. Look back over the weeks, then print one sheet for the appointment. It cannot tell you what a symptom means and gives no medical advice.
Dealing with a benefits office, a landlord, an insurer or a bill? Write down who you spoke to, when, the reference number, what was said and what you have to do. Tick things off, then print the whole record. It cannot remind you and gives no legal advice.
Write one line for each thing that comes in and each bill, with the amount and the day. See what is left and what is still to pay, tick bills off, then print the sheet. It is not connected to a bank, cannot remind you and gives no financial advice.
For seeing whether a month fits when pay comes weekly, rent comes monthly and some bills come once a year. Write each thing that comes in and goes out with its amount and how often it comes. The page turns each line into an amount a month, adds it up and shows what has to be paid, the rest, and what is left or how far short, with the sums printed on the sheet. It can copy your bills from Bills on the same device. It is not connected to a bank, does not tell you what to spend and gives no financial advice.
For seeing where a pile of debts ends. Write each debt with what is owed, its interest rate and its minimum payment, and the amount you can pay each month for all of them. The page counts month by month and shows when each debt is gone, what the interest adds up to, and the same debts three ways: the highest interest rate first, the smallest debt first, and only the minimums. It is an estimate, it does not say which order to choose, it is not connected to a bank and it gives no financial advice.
For a deposit, a car repair, a fee or anything else with a price. Type what it costs, what you already have for it, and either how much you can put aside each time or how many times you have. The answer shows right away with the sum that made it: how many times it takes and how small the last one is, or how much each time. With the date of the first time, it shows the date of the last one. It only divides: it adds no interest, takes off no fees, does not know your bills, and never says what to save or where to keep money.
Three sums with a percent in them: a percent of an amount (a sale price, a tip, a tax, a raise), how much something went up or down (rent, pay, a price), and one amount as a part of another (rent out of pay). The answer shows as you type, in whole cents, with the sum that made it written under it, and it says so when it had to round. It multiplies and divides and nothing else: it knows no tax rate, and it does not say what a tip, a price, a raise or a rent increase ought to be.
For forms that ask for monthly income when the pay comes by the hour, by the week or every two weeks. Write each job, benefit or other money that comes in: the amount and how often. The page shows each one, and all of them together, as a week, two weeks, a month and a year, in whole cents, with the sum it used printed beside it. It multiplies and divides and nothing else: it does not know what a form counts as income or how an office does the sum, and it takes out no taxes.
For housemates, families, friends on a trip, and anyone sharing rent, bills, food or a ride. Write who is sharing, then each thing that was paid for: how much, who paid it, and who shares it. The page adds up what each person paid and what their part comes to, in whole cents, and gives a short list of payments that leaves everyone even. It divides evenly and nothing else: it does not know what is fair between you, it is not an agreement, and it moves no money.
For anyone paid by the hour, and anyone whose pay does not seem to match the time they worked. Write down each shift: the date, when you started, when you stopped, and the unpaid meal break. Write down each time you are paid. The page adds up every workweek, shows the hours over 40 in a week, splits a night shift at midnight, and prints the whole record. It quotes the U.S. Department of Labor on what to write down. It does not know whether the overtime rule covers your job or the rules of your state, it cannot tell you what you are owed, and it gives no legal advice.
For the store aisle, when two sizes or two brands are hard to compare. Write the price and the size of each choice, in ounces, pounds, grams, quarts, liters or a count. The page shows what each one costs for the same amount, the lowest first, and what the others would cost at that lowest price. It compares across different measures, and it handles 2 for $5 and packs of several. It does not know any store’s prices, does not know if you will use it all, does not tell you what to buy and gives no financial advice.
For diapers, formula, test strips, pet food, bus fares or the tablets in a bottle. Type how much you have and how much gets used each day or each week. The answer shows right away with the sum that made it: how many full days it lasts, what is left over, the date of the last day, and the day a number of days ahead of it. It also counts how much is needed for a number of days, and how many packs that is. It only multiplies, divides and counts days: it never says how much anyone needs to use or take, it does not know a pharmacy’s refill rules or a store’s hours, and it cannot remind you.
For when the recipe makes 12 and there are 18 people, or it feeds 6 and tonight it is only 4, or you have half of what it calls for. Type what the recipe makes, what you want to make, and each amount the way the recipe prints it (3/4, 1 1/2, 2). The answer shows right away: every amount multiplied by the same number, as an exact fraction, with the sum that made it. An amount that lands between the marks is also shown as a number, with the nearest half, third, quarter or eighth. It only multiplies: it does not change one measure into another, it does not know cooking times, oven heat or pan sizes, it is not for mixing baby formula or medicine, and it never says what or how much anyone ought to eat.
For a job interview across town, a clinic two towns over, or a week of driving to work before the first paycheck. Type the miles, the miles the car goes on one gallon, and the price of a gallon. The answer shows right away: the miles in all (one way or there and back, once or many times), the gallons, and what the gas costs, with the sum that made it. Or type the money there is for gas and see how many whole miles it is enough for. If you do not know how many miles the car goes on one gallon, a third count works it out from a fill-up. It only multiplies and divides: it does not know your car, the price at the pump or the road, it has no map and does not ask where you are, it counts gas only (no tolls, parking or repairs), and it never says whether to make a trip.
For a thermometer that reads in Celsius, a form that asks for kilograms and centimeters, a recipe in grams and milliliters, or a baby weighed in pounds and ounces. Pick what to change and type the number. The answer shows right away, with the sum that made it and where the number in the sum comes from: the conversion table of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Eighteen changes: temperature, weight, length and height, and kitchen measures and liquids, each one both ways. It keeps nothing and sends nothing. It is not for working out a dose of medicine, it does not say what a temperature means, and it does not change cups into grams.
For calling family in another country, or an office whose hours are given in Eastern or Pacific time. Pick where you are and the other place. The page shows the time there right now, or for a day and a time you pick, how far apart the two clocks are on that date, when it is another day there, and the next date the gap changes. There are 89 places, from Guatemala to the Philippines. The clock rules come from your own device, so the page is only as right as the device. It keeps nothing, sends nothing and does not ask for your location. It does not know office hours or holidays.
For the line on a paper check where the amount goes in words, and for a lease, a receipt or a form that asks for it. Type the amount in numbers. The page writes it out in English or in Spanish, three ways: the words with the cents as a part of 100 (One thousand two hundred thirty-four and 56/100), the words with dollars and cents, and the number alone. Each has a button to copy it. The spellings people stop at are printed on the page: forty, ninety, dieciséis, veintiún. It keeps nothing and sends nothing. It does not say how to fill in the rest of a check, and it does not know what a bank or an office accepts.
The rent is in an envelope, the drawer has to match the slip at the end of the shift, or the yard sale box is full of ones and quarters. Write how many of each U.S. bill and coin you have and the page adds them up as you type. Write what it should come to and it says whether you are exact, over or short. Write a price and what was handed over and it says the change, the fewest bills and coins to hand back, and how to count it back aloud. It does not round, and it knows no store’s rules. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A cash machine asks for a lot, quickly, often with a line of people waiting behind: the card, a PIN, a choice from a list, an account, an amount, a screen about a fee, a question about a receipt. Then it hands things back, and each has to be taken. This page draws a pretend cash machine and gives 6 short lessons: the keys, the card and the PIN, seeing a balance, taking out cash, the fee screen, and a whole visit from putting the card in to walking away. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. No bank is reached and no money moves: the card, its PIN, the accounts and the fee are made up by the page. The only PIN it takes is the made-up one printed on the pretend card; a real PIN never belongs on a website, this one included. It is not any real machine, and a real machine’s screens, words and fees will be different. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real machine will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
At a store checkout, the small machine by the register asks for a lot, quickly, with a cashier and a line of people waiting: tap or insert, credit or debit, a PIN, cash back, whether the amount is OK, sometimes a tip or a donation, a receipt. This page draws a pretend card reader and gives 6 short lessons: the keys; tapping the card and putting it in; credit or debit, and the PIN; cash back; the questions you can say no to; and a whole checkout from the total to the receipt. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. No bank is reached and nothing is paid: the card, its PIN, the prices and the store are made up by the page. The only PIN it takes is the made-up one printed on the pretend card; a real PIN never belongs on a website, this one included. It is not any real reader, and a real reader’s screens, words and order will be different. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real checkout will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
In many stores the lanes with a cashier are few, and next to them stands a row of machines where shoppers scan and bag their own things. The machine talks, beeps, stops and turns on a light, with other people waiting behind. This page draws a pretend self-checkout machine and gives 6 short lessons: scanning and bagging; things with no barcode; the times the machine stops and a worker comes; finishing and paying, by card or in cash; the questions you can say no to; and a whole trip from the first item to the bags. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Nothing is bought and nothing is paid: the basket, the prices, the weights and the cash are made up by the page, and there is nowhere on it to type, so no card, PIN or number of yours is asked for. It is not any real machine, and a real machine’s screens, words and order will be different. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real checkout will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
To someone who has never used one, a gas pump is a strange machine: it asks for a card, a ZIP code and a grade, and then expects you to know what to do with a heavy nozzle, while other cars wait behind. This page draws a pretend gas pump and gives 6 short lessons: the engine, the cap and the grade; the nozzle; paying at the pump with a card; paying inside with cash; the questions you can say no to; and a whole stop from turning the engine off to putting the cap back on. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Nothing is bought and nothing is paid: the prices, the gallons, the pump number and the cash are made up by the page, and there is nowhere on it to type, so no card, PIN or ZIP code of yours is asked for. It is not any real pump, and a real pump’s screens, words and order will be different; at a real pump, the signs on it are the ones to follow. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real stop for gas will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
The ticket machine in a train or bus station asks a string of questions, one screen after another: where to, one way or round trip, how many, which fare, how to pay, while a train is coming and a line forms behind. This page draws a pretend ticket machine and gives 6 short lessons: starting, and the language; where to, and which ticket; paying with a card; paying with cash; adding money to a fare card; and a whole trip to the machine, from the first touch to the ticket in your hand. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Nothing is bought and nothing is paid: the stations, the fares, the cash and the fare card are made up by the page, and there is nowhere on it to type, so no card, PIN or ZIP code of yours is asked for. It is not any real machine, and a real machine’s screens, words and order will be different; at a real machine, the signs on it are the ones to follow. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real trip will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For the trip to the store when the money is tight. Write each thing with the price of one and how many, mark it Need or Can wait, and say how much you have for this trip. The page adds the list up, can add a sales tax you type, and at the store shows what the cart comes to as you tick things off, and what is left. One sheet to print, with a box beside each thing. It does not know any store’s prices, does not tell you what to buy and gives no financial advice.
For a calm day before a storm, a fire, a flood or a long power cut. Answer the questions Ready.gov says to talk through at home (how you will get alerts, where you will shelter, which way you will leave, how you will reach each other, where you will meet), keep the phone numbers you would not remember, and tick off Ready.gov’s supply list; the page multiplies the water for the people in your home and puts the plan and what is still to get on one sheet to print. There is no account and no server. It does not know which disasters could affect your area, it sends no alerts, and it is not an official form.
For a calm day before any fire. Write down a meeting place outside and who helps whom, list two ways out of every room (the page counts the rooms that still have only one), tick off Ready.gov’s own lines about windows, smoke alarms and children, and time your drill: Ready.gov says to practice getting out in under 2 minutes. The plan, what is still to do and your drills go on one sheet to print, with a blank grid for a map if you want one. There is no account and no server. It makes no sound, it is not a smoke alarm, it does not know your home, and it is not an official form.
For a calm day before a storm, a fire or a flood. Keep a line for each animal you live with, write the plan Ready.gov says to make for pets (a place that will take them, who steps in if you cannot, the microchip, who to ask near you, where they hide), and tick off Ready.gov’s pet kit; the page puts the animals, the plan and what is still to get on one sheet to print or hand to a neighbor. There is no account and no server. It does not know which shelters or hotels near you take animals, it sends no alerts, and it is not veterinary advice.
For a calm day before a storm, a fire or a long power outage. Keep a line for each person in your support network, fill in eight boxes that come from the planning steps Ready.gov wrote for people with disabilities (who has a key, accessible transportation, equipment that needs electricity, how to communicate with you), open only the groups of tips that are about you, and tick off Ready.gov’s additional kit items; the page puts it all on one sheet to print or hand to the person who would help. There is no account and no server. It does not know your local offices, it signs you up for nothing, it sends no alerts, and it is not medical advice.
Most lists for getting ready for a storm, a fire or a flood start with things to buy. This one is Ready.gov’s page of steps that cost little or nothing, as a checklist: know what can happen where you live, write phone numbers down somewhere besides your phone, talk about where you would go, keep papers dry on a high shelf, build a kit one item at a time from what is already at home. Tick what is done, leave off what is not for you, open the lines for earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes or home fires if they can happen where you live, and print what is left on one sheet. There is no account and no server. It does not know where you live, it signs you up for nothing, it sends no alerts and it gives nothing away.
When the power goes out, the questions come all at once: how long the food in the refrigerator lasts, what to do about medicine that is kept cold, whether the phone will work, where to go if the home gets too hot or too cold. This is Ready.gov’s page on power outages as something to work through on a day when the lights are on: a checklist for before, four notes of your own, and its lines on food, generators and carbon monoxide for during and after, on one sheet to print, because paper can be read with a dead phone. There is no account and no server. It does not know when the power will come back, it is not medical advice, it sends no alerts and it gives nothing away.
If you were in the hospital or away, would someone know who to call, where your papers are and where the keys are? Write one line for each thing and print one sheet for a person you trust. It is not a will, it is not for passwords or account numbers, and it gives no legal advice.
Days without a drink, a bet, a cigarette or hurting yourself. Say what you are counting and the first day, and the page shows the number and the next round number. If you slip, a new run starts and the earlier days stay on the record. It is not treatment and gives no medical advice.
For days when there is less of you than the day wants. Give today a number of points and each thing you mean to do a number too. The page adds them up and shows what is left, or how far over the plan is, so something can move to another day. Every number is your own guess. It is not treatment and gives no medical advice.
For an appointment, a hearing, a shift or a bus to catch. Type the time you have to be there and the minutes for each step before it: getting ready, the walk, the ride, being early. The answer shows right away with the sum that made it: when to start, and the time each step begins. It also counts forward, from the time you start to the time you get there, and says when a count crosses midnight. It only adds minutes and counts on the clock: it knows no traffic and no bus times, has no map, does not ask where you are, and never says how early anyone has to be.
For the 30 days on a letter, the 10 days before a visit, or the days left until a date. Pick a date and a number of days, weeks, months or weekdays (Monday to Friday) before or after it, or pick two dates. The answer shows right away, with the day of the week and how it was counted, and when it lands on a weekend the page shows the Friday before and the Monday after. It counts squares on the calendar and nothing else: it knows no holidays, does not know how a court or an office counts its days, and never says when anything is due.
A paper calendar for the fridge or the wall. Pick a month and the page draws it with a box for each day, ready to print: one month, up to twelve months a page each, or twelve months on one page. Put a name at the top, write a few words into a day before printing, start the week on Sunday or Monday, in English or in Spanish. Any month from 1900 to 2100. It knows no holidays and does not remind you of anything. It keeps nothing and sends nothing: to keep the calendar, print it or save it as a PDF.
A sheet of paper for a board near you. Type a few big words, the details and how to reach you, and the page draws the flyer with a row of 6, 8 or 10 strips along the bottom for people to tear off, or with none for a plain sign. Add a picture from your device, which stays on your device. Thirteen starting points, such as Lost cat or Room for rent. It does not post the flyer anywhere and does not know the rules of your town about posting paper. It keeps nothing and sends nothing: to keep the flyer, print it or save it as a PDF.
A sheet of paper that says what it was and what it cost. Type who it is from, who it is for, and up to 12 lines: what it is, how many, and the price of one. The page multiplies and adds in whole cents, adds a percent if you type one, takes off what was already paid, and draws the paper to print, or gives it to you as text to paste into a message. The words printed on it can be in English or in Spanish. It does not know about taxes or the rules where you live, and it does not send the paper or take payment. It keeps nothing and sends nothing: to keep the paper, print it or save it as a PDF.
A sign for a door, a window or a table: OUT OF ORDER, YARD SALE, PLEASE KNOCK, a name, a room number. Type up to 60 characters and the page draws them as large as one sheet of paper lets them be. It breaks the lines for you, trying 1 to 6 lines and keeping the largest letters, or you break them yourself. Small words underneath, an arrow and a frame can be added; the paper can be upright or sideways. It knows no rule about signs and does not say from how far a sign can be read. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A sheet for a clipboard, a table or a wall: who is coming, who brings what, who takes which job or which hour. Type the words for the top and up to 5 column headings, and the page rules a sheet of numbered lines to write on by hand. A list of up to 30 things to sign up for (a dish, a job, a time) can go down the left side, each with 1 to 5 lines. With no list, the sheet holds as many empty lines as fit, or 1 to 100. The paper can be upright or sideways. Nobody signs up on the screen: who signed is on the paper and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For a meeting, a class, a volunteer day, a dinner, a table of guests. Type up to 60 names, one on each line, and the page draws sheets of name tags to cut apart, 8 or 10 on a sheet, or table cards that fold and stand, 2 on a sheet with the name on both faces. Each name is made as large as its tag lets it be, on 1 line or 2. Small words can go above and under every name (HELLO, my name is; Volunteer), and up to 30 empty ones can be added to write on by hand. It is made for plain paper and scissors, and does not line up with sticker sheets. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For a volunteer, a student, a teammate, a child who finished the book. Type a heading, up to 40 names and a few words of why, and the page draws one certificate for each name, each on its own sheet turned sideways, with one or two lines to sign and a border. The name is the largest thing on the sheet, and up to 10 can carry an empty line to write a name on by hand. What it prints is your own words on plain paper, in black and white: not a diploma, a licence or a record of anything. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
To say thank you, I am sorry, get well, happy birthday, or I am thinking of you. Type a few words for the front and what you want to say inside, and the page draws one sheet of plain paper that folds twice into a card, with the front, the inside and the back in the right places. Leave the inside empty to write it by hand, with lines to write on if you want them. Black and white, with no pictures and no ready-made verses: the words are your own. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For a community dinner, a coat check or a bag check, a line where people take a number, a drink, a door prize, a school play. Type a few words and how many tickets, up to 200, and the page draws sheets to cut apart, 10 on a sheet or 5 wide ones. The tickets can be numbered one after another from any first number, and each can have a stub that carries the same number, with two lines to write a name and a phone number on by hand if you want them. It is made for plain paper and scissors. It does not make a ticket hard to copy, and it knows no rule about raffles or selling tickets. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A beat in your head and nothing to make it with. This page is a small drum machine: eight drum sounds (kick, snare, clap, closed hat, open hat, tom, rim, cowbell), sixteen squares for each, and a Play button. Turn squares on, hear the beat go round, change it while it plays, and set the tempo and the swing. There are five starting points. The beat can be taken away as a link, or as a WAV sound file made on your own device. The sounds are not recordings, not samples and not AI-made audio: the code makes each one from sine waves, square waves and random numbers. Nobody has listened to them yet: the AI that wrote the page cannot hear, and a program checked the sounds only as numbers. It has one bar of sixteen squares, no notes and no bass line. It never asks for a microphone, keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Never had a piano, or a lesson. This page is a small piano that plays in the browser: seventeen keys from middle C, played with a mouse, a finger or the letters of a computer keyboard. There are seven things to learn on it (up and down the white keys, Hot Cross Buns, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the first part of Ode to Joy, London Bridge, Row Row Row Your Boat and Frère Jacques). Pick one, and the page marks the key that comes next and waits, with no clock and no score; it can also play the tune first. The notes of the six tunes were compared by a program with the scores on Wikipedia’s pages for them. The sound is not a recording and not AI-made audio: the code adds three sine waves for each note. Nobody has listened to it yet: the AI that wrote the page cannot hear. It does not teach fingering, reading music or keeping time. It never asks for a microphone, keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For anyone getting ready for the U.S. citizenship interview, where an officer asks civics questions out loud. This page has every question and answer from both of USCIS’s lists, word for word: the 100 questions of the 2008 test and the 128 of the 2025 test (which one applies depends on the day Form N-400 was filed). Practice one question at a time, sit a practice interview that stops where USCIS says an officer stops, or read the whole list; the 20 starred questions for people 65 and older can be practiced alone. A program took the questions from USCIS’s own files and checks them on every build; none was typed or reworded. The page prints no names of people in office and links to USCIS’s updates page for those. It cannot hear or judge an answer: the reader marks their own. It is not from the government and not legal advice. It asks nothing about the reader, has nowhere to type, keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For anyone getting ready for the English part of the U.S. citizenship test, where a person reads one sentence out loud and writes one sentence. USCIS publishes the words to study: 64 for reading and 75 for writing. This page has both lists, word for word. See a word and read it out loud, or hear a word in the device’s own voice and write it, on paper or in a box that compares it with the list letter for letter. A program took the words from USCIS’s own files and checks them on every build; none was typed or changed. The page makes up no sentences and translates no word. It cannot hear, cannot see handwriting, and does not know what an officer accepts. It is not from the government and not legal advice. It asks nothing about the reader, keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For anyone who needs a strong password they can still remember, such as the one that opens a password manager, an email account or a phone. A passphrase is several random words in a row. This page picks 4 to 8 words at random from the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s public list of 7,776, on your own device, or looks up the words for real dice that you roll. It can put a space, a hyphen or a period between the words, and add a capital, a number or a symbol for sites that insist. It counts how many phrases could have come up; it says nothing about how long one would take to guess. It never asks for a password you already use, and it has no box for one. It is not a password manager and not professional security advice. The words are English. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Who goes first, who gets the front seat, who does the dishes this week, which ticket wins the door prize. Write the names and press one button, and the page picks by chance: one name, several, an order for the whole list, groups or teams, a number between two numbers, heads or tails, or up to six dice. Every pick is numbered from when the page was opened and listed at the bottom, so everybody can see whether the button was pressed once or many times. The chance comes from your browser. The page cannot show anybody afterwards that a pick was made by chance, and it knows no rule about raffles or prize draws. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
The box on the form says 500 characters, the application asks for 250 words or fewer, or you get three minutes at the microphone. Write or paste your words and the page counts them as you type: words, characters, sentences and paragraphs. Give it your limit, in characters or in words, and it says how much room is left, or how far over you are and where the limit falls. Give it a pace and it says about how long the words take to say aloud. The form you are writing for may count another way, and the page says where. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A square of small squares that a camera can read, for a flyer, a sign, a menu or a card. Type a link, a few words, a phone number or an email address, and the page draws the code on your device. Print one big code or a sheet of 12 small ones, with a few words above it and what it holds printed under it, or save the code as a picture. The code holds your text itself, with no address of ours inside and nothing in between, so it does not run out and nobody here can count who reads it. It does not read codes, does not check your link, and has not been tried with a real phone camera: try it with your own first. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Time shown as a shape: a colored disc that gets smaller as the time runs, until nothing is left. For homework, a shower, a turn, a break, or a job you only have to do for five minutes. Pick a time from 1 second to 3 hours, hide the numbers to watch only the disc, pause, add a minute, or fill the screen. Nothing flashes, and the soft sound at the end is off unless you turn it on. It is something to look at, not an alarm to rely on. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Cards with a question on one side and the answer on the other: a word and what it means, a sum and its result. Type them one on a line, front = back. Go through them on the screen one at a time: turn the card over and say whether you knew it; a card marked Not yet comes back a few cards later. Or print them: 4 a sheet to cut and fold, or 8 a sheet on both sides of the paper. The page can write the times tables for you. It does not check your answers. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
The notebook is full, the homework wants graph paper, a child is learning to write their letters, or a song needs writing down. If you can get to a printer, this page turns a blank sheet into the paper you need: lined, squares from 5 mm to 1 inch, dots, handwriting lines with a dashed middle line, or music staves. For Letter or A4 paper, upright or sideways, with a line for Name and Date if you want one. It is drawn to measure; print at 100% and hold a ruler to the first sheet. It follows no school’s rules for ruled paper and has not been tried on a real printer. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A quarter is 25 cents, a dime is 10, a nickel is 5 and a penny is 1. This page draws a few of those coins on your own device, each with its value written on it, for practice at adding them up, in three kinds: pennies, nickels and dimes; with quarters, up to 99¢; or a dollar or more. Count one picture at a time on the screen and pick the amount from four answers, or print 6, 9 or 12 on a sheet to write the amount or draw the coins, with the answers on a second sheet. The page can say in words how many of each coin are in each picture. A sheet number makes the same pictures again, so a whole class can have the same sheet. The coins are plain circles, not pictures of real coins; there are no bills, and it does not make change or check coins you draw. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
In a number like 243, each digit has a place: 2 hundreds, 4 tens and 3 ones. This page draws that with blocks on your own device: a big square for each hundred, a rod for each ten and a small block for each one, for numbers 1 to 20, 21 to 99, or 100 to 999. Name the number one picture at a time on the screen from four answers, or print 6, 9 or 12 on a sheet to write the number or draw the blocks, with the answers on a second sheet. The page can say in words how many hundreds, tens and ones are in each picture. A sheet number makes the same pictures again, so a whole class can have the same sheet. It stops at 999, it does not add or take away, and it does not check blocks you draw. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A fraction says how much of a whole thing. This page draws circles and bars cut into equal parts, with some parts shaded, on your own device: halves, thirds and fourths, up to eighths, or up to twelfths. Name them one at a time on the screen from four answers, or print 6, 9 or 12 on a sheet to write the fraction or shade the parts, with the answers on a second sheet. The page can say in words what is in each picture. A sheet number makes the same pictures again, so a whole class can have the same sheet. It does not put fractions in lowest terms, compare them or add them, and it does not check parts you shade. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A clock with hands takes practice to read. This page draws clocks on your own device: to the hour, the half hour, the quarter hour, five minutes or the minute. Read them one at a time on the screen and pick the time from four answers, or print 6, 9 or 12 on a sheet to write the time or draw the hands, with the answers on a second sheet. The page can say in words where the two hands point. A sheet number makes the same clocks again, so a whole class can have the same sheet. It has no a.m. or p.m. and no words like “quarter past”, and it does not check hands you draw. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A box of crayons and nothing to color. This page draws patterns on your own device: quilt squares, a round pattern, or a window of colored glass, with big, medium or small shapes. Fill the shapes with twelve colors on the screen, or print up to four on a sheet, with thin or thick lines, and color them by hand. A pattern number makes the same one again, so a whole table can color the same page. It does not keep your colors, and it draws shapes with straight sides, not animals or scenes. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A waiting room, a long bus ride, a rainy day, a child who has finished the coloring page. This page draws mazes on your own device in four sizes, from a small one for a young child to a very large one. Walk one on the screen with four arrows, or print up to six on a sheet with the answers on a second one. Every maze has exactly one way through, and after each move the page says where you are and which ways are open. It does not keep your place, and it has no timer or score. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A tic-tac-toe grid for two people (also called noughts and crosses): at one screen, passing a phone back and forth, or sending a link after each move to someone far away. The page knows the rules. A square that has a mark takes no other, and the page says when a player has three in a row (a row, a column or a diagonal) or when the grid is full and nobody has. X and O are drawn as shapes, so they differ without colour. The moves are listed by square number, and the rules are explained in plain words underneath. There is no computer opponent and no AI in it: it never picks or suggests a move. No clock, no score, no account. A program plays out all 255,168 possible games against published numbers each time the page is built, to test that the moves it allows are the right ones. The game lives in the address of the page and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A four in a row board for two people: at one screen, passing a phone back and forth, or sending a link after each move to someone far away. The page knows the rules. A disc dropped in a column falls to the lowest empty place, a full column takes no more discs, and the page says when a player has four in a row (across, up and down, or on a diagonal) or when the board is full and nobody has. The moves are listed by column number, and the rules are explained in plain words underneath. There is no computer opponent and no AI in it: it never picks or suggests a move. No clock, no rating, no account. A program counts 1,662,623 possible boards against published numbers each time the page is built, to test that the moves it allows are the right ones. The game lives in the address of the page and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A reversi board for two people: at one screen, passing a phone back and forth, or sending a link after each move to someone far away. The page knows the rules. It shows where a disc can go, will not place a disc the rules do not allow, turns over every disc that has to turn, hands the turn back when a player has no move, says when the game is over and counts the discs. The moves are listed by the names of the squares, and the rules are explained in plain words underneath. There is no computer opponent and no AI in it: it never picks or suggests a move. No clock, no rating, no account. A program counts 3,005,288 possible games against published numbers each time the page is built, to test that the moves it allows are the right ones. The game lives in the address of the page and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A checkers board for two people: at one screen, passing a phone back and forth, or sending a link after each move to someone far away. The page knows the rules of American checkers. It shows where a piece can go, will not make a move the rules do not allow, makes a player take a jump when one is there, handles jumps of more than one piece, crowns a man that reaches the far row, and says who has won. The moves are listed by square number, and the rules are explained in plain words underneath. There is no computer opponent and no AI in it: it never picks or suggests a move. No clock, no rating, no account. A program counts 3,963,680 possible games against published numbers each time the page is built, to test that the moves it allows are the right ones. The game lives in the address of the page and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A chess board for two people: at one screen, passing a phone back and forth, or sending a link after each move to someone far away. The page knows the rules. It shows where a piece can go, will not make a move the rules do not allow, handles castling, en passant and promotion, and says when it is check, checkmate, stalemate or a draw. The moves are listed the way chess books write them, and the rules are explained in plain words underneath. There is no computer opponent and no AI in it: it never picks or suggests a move. No clock, no rating, no account. A program counts 500,117 possible games against published numbers each time the page is built, to test that the moves it allows are the right ones. The game lives in the address of the page and nowhere else. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A waiting room, a long bus ride, a quiet hour, a rainy day with the children. This page makes number puzzles on your own device: small ones of 4 by 4 or 6 by 6, and the full 9 by 9, at three levels. Solve one on the screen, or print up to six on a sheet with the answers on a second one. Every puzzle has exactly one answer, and the easy and medium ones can be finished one sure step at a time. It does not keep your place, and it has no timer, hints or pencil notes. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A sheet of arithmetic to do with a pencil: adding, taking away, multiplying or dividing. Choose the kind, how big the numbers are, and 12, 20 or 30 problems. The page writes the sheet and a second sheet with the answers; press Another sheet for a new one. Every sheet has a number, and the same number gives the same sheet again. No answer is below zero and every division comes out whole. It does not check anyone’s work. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A word search made from words you type: spelling words, names, words in a new language. Up to 20 words, in a square of 10, 12 or 15 letters, running across and down only or in all eight directions. The page hides them and writes a second sheet that shows where each one is; press Another puzzle to hide them again. Every puzzle has a number, and the same number gives the same puzzle again. The letters it adds are looked over so they do not spell one of your words a second time. It does not check anyone’s work. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A crossword made from words and clues you type: spelling words, names, words in a new language. Up to 16 words, each with its clue. The page crosses the words where they share a letter, numbers the squares, lists the clues under Across and Down, and writes a second sheet with the puzzle filled in. A word that finds no place to cross the others is left out and named. Every layout has a number, and the same number gives the same puzzle again. It writes no clue and checks none, and it does not check anyone’s work. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Bingo cards made from a list you type: words to practice, names, numbers, words in a new language. Up to 75 lines, on cards of 3, 4 or 5 squares a side, 1 to 40 cards, printed 1, 2 or 4 to a sheet. The page deals the list onto the cards by chance, so that no two cards are the same, and writes a call list to read out. Every set has a number, and the same number gives the same cards again. It does not say who has won. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A chart for the jobs of a home, for a family, roommates or a shared house. Type up to 12 jobs and, if you want, up to 8 names. The page draws a chart to print for each week, 1 to 8 of them, with a box to tick for every day, and says who has which job. With taking turns on, every job moves on to the next person each week, so after as many weeks as there are people everyone has had every job once. Nothing is drawn by chance. It counts jobs, not how heavy they are. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For the court date on one letter, the form to send back on another and the appointment in a text message. Put each one in with the day, where and what to bring. The page sorts them, counts the days left and makes a file that puts them into your phone’s calendar, and it prints as one sheet. It cannot send a reminder, it does not work out a deadline for you, and it is not legal advice.
For a job search with too many places to hold in your head. Put each one in with the day, what you did, who you spoke to, where it stands and the next step. The page lists your next steps by day, counts the entries in each week and prints a record week by week, or saves it as a spreadsheet file. It does not find jobs or send reminders, and it does not know any unemployment office’s rules.
For the application that asks for a resume. Four short steps: who you are, what you have done (paid or not, including caring, volunteering and work done in prison), your skills and your schooling. It lays your words out as one plain page, with work first or skills first, to print, save as a PDF or copy into an online form. No account and nothing held back. It does not write the resume, check spelling or send it anywhere, and it cannot promise a job.
For the application that asks for a cover letter, or has a box for a message. Four small parts: why you are writing, what you bring, why this place, and how to reach you, each with a few ways to start a sentence. It lays your words out as one plain page to print, save as a PDF or copy into an email or a form, and it can take your name and contact lines from the Resume builder on the same device. No account and nothing held back. It does not write the letter, check spelling or send it anywhere, and it cannot promise a job.
Typing without looking down at the keys is a skill that job applications, school work and most office jobs lean on. This page has 19 short lessons: they start with two keys, F and J, and add two more each time, then capitals, numbers, whole words, sentences and a text of your own. It shows the text to type and a picture of the keyboard with the next key lit, and says which finger goes there. A wrong key is counted and the page waits for the right one. At the end it says how long it took, your speed in words a minute and how many keys were right the first time. For a U.S. keyboard or one with an ñ key. It gives no certificate, has no lessons for accents, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will type. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Job applications, benefit forms, school portals and library computers all expect a hand that already knows a mouse. If yours does not yet, this page is a quiet place to practice. It has 8 short lessons: moving the pointer, clicking, clicking smaller things, double-clicking, right-clicking, dragging, going down a long list, and the parts of a form (a box to check, a round button, a list that drops down, a box to type in, a button). Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. At the end it says how long the lesson took and, in the clicking lessons, how many clicks landed outside a square. It does not teach a touch screen or the keyboard, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Applying for a job, asking for benefits or reading a letter from a school now mostly happens on web pages, and web pages take for granted that you know what a tab is, where the Back button is, and how to close a box that jumps up over what you were reading. This page draws a pretend browser with a pretend library site inside it, and 9 short lessons: links, Back and Forward and Reload, the address bar, tabs, the bottom of a page, the Menu button, the search box, boxes that cover the page, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked is said, and the pretend browser stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real browser and goes nowhere on the internet. It does not teach passwords, email or downloads, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A job application, a benefits claim, a clinic’s patient page, a child’s school: each one now asks you to make an account and sign in before it will let you do anything. This page draws a pretend library site with a pretend account, and 8 short lessons: signing in, the dots in a password box and “Show”, a password that does not match, making an account, a code sent to a phone, a forgotten password, “Keep me signed in” and signing out, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Every name, email, password and code is made up by the page, and it asks for nothing of yours. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked or typed is said, and the pretend site stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real site: no account is made and no text or email is sent. It is not security advice for your own accounts, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A job application that is answered by email, a clinic that sends its forms as a file, a school that writes to parents: an email address is asked for nearly everywhere, and then the messages start to come. This page draws a pretend mailbox with four pretend messages in it, and 8 short lessons: opening a message, replying, writing a new message, attaching a file, a message that came with a file, forwarding, a message that asks for a password, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Every name, address, message and file is made up by the page, and it asks for nothing of yours. “Send” sends nothing, and no file on your device is opened or read. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked or typed is said, and the pretend mailbox stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real mailbox: no message is sent or received. It is not security advice for your own accounts, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
“Download the form, fill it in, and send it back.” A lot is asked in a line like that: where a file goes when it comes from a web page, how to find it again, how to give it a name you will know next week, and where it went after “Delete”. This page draws a pretend computer with four pretend files in three folders, and 8 short lessons: opening a file, a file from a web page, giving a file a new name, making a folder, moving a file, saving a note, deleting a file and putting it back, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Every file, folder and name is made up by the page, and it asks for nothing of yours. No file on your device is opened, read, saved, moved or deleted. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked or typed is said, and the pretend files stay as they were, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real computer, and real ones differ. It is not advice about your own device or files, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
“Your visit will be by video. Use the link we sent you.” Then the call opens and a lot happens at once: a question about the camera and the microphone, a row of small buttons, and people saying “you are on mute”. This page draws a pretend call, and 8 short lessons: getting in from a link, the microphone, the camera, the written chat, raising a hand, getting in with a code, leaving and coming back, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. No camera and no microphone is used: the page never asks your device for either, the picture of “you” is a drawing, and nobody is on the other side. Every name, place, code and message is made up by the page, and it asks for nothing of yours. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked or typed is said, and the pretend call stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real call, and real call programs differ. It cannot tell whether your own camera, microphone or internet will work, is not advice about a medical visit, a court date or an interview, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A job, a benefits claim, a clinic, a school: more and more of them hand you a form on a screen in place of a paper one. Some boxes have a star, a list opens when it is clicked, a date has to be typed in one shape, and sometimes a red note comes up and the form will not go on. This page draws a pretend sign-up form for a pretend class, and 8 short lessons: boxes with a star, a list that drops down, circles (pick one), small squares (pick any), a date and a phone number, a red note, looking the answers over before sending, and all of it together. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Every name, date, phone number and answer is made up by the page, and it asks for nothing of yours. “Send” sends nothing. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked, picked or typed is said, and the pretend form stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real form, and real forms differ. It cannot tell you what to answer on a real form, is not advice about a job application, a benefits claim or any other paper, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A form to sign, a bus pass, a resume, a letter for an office: sooner or later something on a screen has to become paper, often at a library or a job center, with a price for each sheet. Clicking “Print” opens a window full of choices. This page draws a pretend page and a pretend print window, and 8 short lessons: opening the window and closing it, picking the printer, only some of the pages, more than one copy, color or black and white, tall or wide and both sides, a file in place of paper (“Save as PDF”), and all of it together. A line in the pretend window counts the sheets of paper as the choices change. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. No printer is used: the page never opens your device’s own print window, “Print” prints nothing and “Save” makes no file. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked, picked or typed is said, and the pretend window stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real print window, and real ones differ. It cannot say what a sheet costs or which printer to pick in any real place, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A letter to a landlord, a note for a teacher, a list for a class, a page that an office asks to see typed: sooner or later the writing has to be done on a screen. A writing program opens with a blank page and a row of buttons, and nothing says which one to press, or where the page goes when the program closes. This page draws a pretend writing program, and 8 short lessons: a new document and its first lines, bold and larger letters, the middle of the page and the right side, a list with dots, Undo and Redo, Save and Save once more after a change, closing a document and opening it again, and all of it together. A line in the pretend program says how many lines the document has and whether it is saved. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Nothing is kept: “Save” makes no file, and the pretend document is not kept after the lesson. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked or typed is said, and the pretend document stays as it was, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real writing program, and real ones differ. It does not teach picking words by dragging, copy and paste, fonts or folders, gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A confirmation number in a message that a form asks for, a long web address, a line that belongs further down the page: copy and paste carries something that is already on the screen to another place, with no typing it again. But the clipboard, the place it waits in between, usually cannot be seen, and nothing on the screen says that anything happened. This page draws two pretend pages and a pretend clipboard that can be seen, and 8 short lessons: copy a line and paste it, cut a line and paste it, paste the same thing twice, a new copy taking the place of the old one, Undo after a paste, from one page to another, Select all, and all of it together. A yellow line on the pretend screen says what the clipboard holds at every moment. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. The real clipboard of the device is never read and never changed, nothing is typed, and nothing is kept. Only the step at hand answers: anything else that is clicked is said, and the pretend pages stay as they were, so nothing can be broken. It is not a real program, and real ones differ. Here a click picks a whole line and a paste lands at the end of a page; dragging across words, pressing and holding on a phone, the right mouse button and the Ctrl keys are named, not practiced. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
Before a confirmation number can be copied, it has to be picked: that number, all of it, and not the period after it. Programs call this “selecting”, and it is done with the hand: a press, a slide and a letting go, or two quick clicks. It often lands a letter short or takes in a letter too many. This page draws one pretend page with six made-up sentences, and 8 short lessons: one word, a few words in a row, a number and nothing else, a whole sentence, a long stretch, everything and then nothing, a pick that stops short, and all of it together. The picking is real, done with your own mouse, finger or keyboard, and a yellow line says at every moment what is picked and whether it is what the step asks for, more than it, or part of it. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. Nothing can be typed on the pretend page, so nothing on it can be changed or lost. The page reads only where the pick on that one pretend page begins and ends; nothing is copied, the clipboard is never touched, and nothing is kept. It cannot do the picking for you or show how your device does it; it says the usual ways in words. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser, and it has not been tried by us on a touch screen. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how fast anyone will learn. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
For the job interview that is coming. 24 common questions, including the hard ones about a gap, a firing or a record, or write your own. Keep a few notes for each answer, practise saying it out loud with a clock that only counts up, tick questions to ask them, and print one sheet for the way there. It does not listen, record or score, it cannot know what you will be asked, and it cannot promise a job.
See everything these tools have saved in your browser, download it as one backup file with an optional password lock, move it to a new phone or computer, or erase it. Nothing is sent anywhere.
One tap a day for your mood and how long you slept, with optional tags and a note. Two simple charts, patterns you can look at, and a one-page summary to print for a doctor or therapist.
For a run of bad nights, and for the doctor who asks what they are like. Each morning, note when you got into bed, about how long it took to fall asleep, how often you woke and when you got up. The page adds up your time in bed and about how long you slept, shows your last two weeks and prints a sheet. It measures nothing, it does not say how much sleep you need, and it is not treatment.
For the doctor or nurse who asks when your last period started. Write down the first and last day of each period; the page counts the days between them, shows which day you are on and prints a sheet. There is no account and no server: the dates stay in this browser. It is not birth control, it cannot tell whether you are pregnant, and it does not forecast.
For the doctor who asks you to check your blood pressure at home. Type in what the monitor showed; the page keeps the readings in order, names the row of the American Heart Association chart each one falls in, averages the last 7 and 30 days and prints a sheet. There is no account and no server: the numbers stay in this browser. It measures nothing, it does not diagnose, and it does not say what your numbers ought to be.
For the first weeks with a baby, when nobody remembers at three in the morning when the last feed was, and the doctor asks how many wet diapers there were. One tap keeps a feed at the breast, a bottle, a wet diaper, a dirty diaper, a sleep or a stretch of crying with the time. The page says how long it has been since the last feed and the last diapers, counts each of the last 7 days, and prints a one-week sheet for the checkup. There is no account and no server: the entries stay in this browser. It measures nothing, it cannot remind you, it does not know your baby’s age, and it never says whether your baby is getting enough.
For the doctor or nurse who asks you to weigh yourself every morning, most often with heart failure, where a sudden gain can be fluid building up. Type in what the scale showed, in pounds or kilograms; the page keeps the weights in order, shows the change from the day before and from the last week, speaks up at the gain a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs patient guide says to call your healthcare team about, and prints a sheet. There is no account and no server: the numbers stay in this browser. It is not for losing weight, it measures nothing, it does not diagnose, and it never says what you ought to weigh.
For the doctor or diabetes educator who asks you to check your blood sugar. Type in what the meter showed and when; the page keeps the readings in order, sets each next to the CDC’s published numbers, averages the last 7 and 30 days and prints a sheet. There is no account and no server: the numbers stay in this browser. It measures nothing, it does not diagnose, and it does not say what your numbers ought to be.
On the phone, B sounds like D and M sounds like N. Type a name, an email address or a confirmation number, and the page spells it one letter at a time to read aloud: S as in Sierra, M as in Mike, at sign, dot. There is a card that shows one letter at a time, the whole list, and a button to copy it. It can say which letters are capital. In English or in Spanish. The 26 words are the international alphabet as the FAA prints it; any clear word of your own works too. It keeps nothing and sends nothing. It does not speak, and it does not know how a name is said.
A clinic, a benefits office or a power company often answers with a recording: “For this, press 1. For that, press 2.” The choices are said once, none may sound quite like the reason for the call, and then the line asks for a number “followed by the pound key”, and then there is a wait. A lot of calls end right there. This page draws a pretend phone and gives 7 short lessons: the twelve keys, a list of choices, hearing the choices again, typing a number and then pound, a second list, getting to a person and waiting, and a whole call from the first word to hanging up. Each lesson asks for one thing at a time, in words, and waits; there is no countdown. No call is made: the phone cannot dial, the three lines it pretends to call do not exist, and every number on the pretend card is made up. It shows the line’s words, where a real line only says them, and a real line’s choices will be different. A program tried it with a mouse and a keyboard in one browser; it has not been tried on a touch screen, and its “Hear it” button has not been heard by us. It gives no certificate, and makes no promise about how any real call will go. It keeps nothing and sends nothing.
A phone call you keep putting off? Write who you are calling, the sentence that says what you want, what to have ready and what to ask. The page lays it out as a script, with lines for when it gets hard and a message to leave if nobody answers. It does not make or record the call and gives no legal advice.
Five short letters with blanks to fill in: ask a billing office for an itemized bill, ask a hospital for its financial assistance policy and application, ask for a payment plan, tell a debt collector you dispute a debt and want verification, or ask a collector to pause while you apply for help. The letter can be in English or Spanish. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy the text. The notes pass on what CMS and the CFPB say; the letters are ours. General information, not legal advice.
Five short letters with blanks to fill in: ask a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital for a copy of your health record, ask them to send it to someone else, ask them to correct a mistake, reply when they say no, or follow up when the record has not come. The letter can be in English or Spanish. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy the text. The notes pass on what ONC, a federal health office, says; the letters are ours. General information, not legal advice.
Five short letters from a renter, with blanks to fill in: ask for a repair, ask again when it has not been done, ask for a repayment plan when you are behind on rent, ask for a statement of what you have been charged and paid, or ask for your security deposit back. The letter can be in English or Spanish. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy the text. The notes pass on what USAGov, the CFPB and HUD say; the letters are ours. General information, not legal advice.
Five short letters from a parent or guardian, with blanks to fill in: ask for a special education evaluation, ask to see your child’s school records, ask for a meeting to review the IEP, ask for the school’s decision in writing, or raise a problem. The letter can be in English or Spanish. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy the text. The notes pass on what the Center for Parent Information and Resources says; the letters are ours. General information, not legal advice.
A letter that is hard to get through? Paste the words, then make the print bigger, give the lines room, change the colours, and read one sentence at a time or hear it in your browser’s own voice. It lists the dates, amounts and phone numbers it finds by pattern. There is no AI in it: it does not explain, shorten or translate, and it is not legal advice.
One page that tells a boss, a teacher, a team or a housemate how to talk with you, what helps you do your best and what stress looks like on you. In your words, on your terms, with no diagnosis needed.
Need to raise something with someone, or say sorry and mean it? Finish a few sentence-starters and get a drafted message, with gentle checks for the phrases that tend to start a fight. Send it, or print notes for talking in person.
For housemates, families, couples and anyone sharing a room or a house. Write who lives here, who does which job and how often, and what you agreed about quiet hours, guests, shared money, shared things and what to do when something bothers one of you, with a few ways to start a sentence. It lays it out as one sheet with a line for each person to sign, to print, save as a PDF or copy into a group chat. It does not write the agreement, decide what is fair or say what the paper means in law, and it is not a lease.
Write a clear, calm letter asking your employer for changes that help you work, like quiet, written instructions, a flexible start or breaks, without having to name your diagnosis.
Under the U.S. Fair Housing Act you can ask a landlord to change a rule because of a disability, including a mental-health condition. This writes that request clearly and calmly.
Your record is not the whole story: write a calm letter of explanation, practise a short, honest interview answer, gather proof of how far you have come, and know your rights when an employer runs a background check.
Not enough to eat today or this week, anywhere in the US: where to find free food near you, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), a first pantry visit, how to ask for SNAP fast, help for babies, kids, older adults and people with no kitchen, and a card to print.
Nowhere to sleep tonight, or afraid of losing your home, anywhere in the US: who to call for shelter, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), what to do about an eviction notice or court papers, help with rent and bills, lines for veterans, young people and people leaving violence, what helps if you sleep outside or in a car, and a card to print.
Sick, hurt or out of medicine, with no insurance or no money, anywhere in the US: your rights in an emergency room, health centers that charge by income, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), how to get Medicaid or other coverage, what to do about a bill you can’t pay, low-cost medicine, dental and mental health care, and a card to print.
Can’t cover the basics or the bills this month, anywhere in the US: what to do first, benefits you can apply for, unemployment, help with energy and phone bills, the words to say to a company you owe (built from what you tick), your rights when a debt collector calls or sues, what a payday loan costs, money you may be owed, and a card to print.
For anyone who wants to vote and is not sure they can: with no home address, with a conviction, with a disability, without ID, after a move, or for the first time. Who can vote, how to register and check that you still are, what to use as an address, what to confirm before registering with a record, what you can ask for at a voting place, voting by mail or early, and where to report it if someone tries to stop you. It builds a list of questions for your election office and prints a plan to keep. It passes on USAGov, vote.gov and ADA.gov by name. No state’s rules, no dates, no candidate and no party. General information, not legal advice.
ID or papers lost, stolen or left behind, anywhere in the US: where to start when each paper seems to need another one, who to contact for a birth certificate, a Social Security card and a state ID, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), passports and other cards, what to do if it was stolen, flying and voting without ID, and a card to print.
A legal problem and no money for a lawyer, anywhere in the US: where free legal aid is, what to do with court papers before the date on them, who to call about eviction, unpaid wages, a debt lawsuit, family or immigration, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), what you can do without a lawyer, and a card to print. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone applying to rent with an eviction case, rough credit, or an arrest or conviction in their past. What is in a tenant screening report, what to ask before you pay an application fee, how long evictions, arrests and convictions can be reported, the notice a landlord must give you after a no, how to get your free copy within 60 days and dispute mistakes, and what federal rules say about public housing and vouchers. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, the FTC, the CFPB, HUD and two federal housing rules. It does not say which states or cities limit screening, and promises nobody an apartment. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone with an arrest or a conviction on their record. What sealing, expungement, set-aside and pardon mean, how to see your own FBI and background check records, where to find what your state allows, what “automatic” clearing does and does not do, federal pardons, juvenile records, and how to fix a background check that is wrong. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet to take to legal aid and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, the FTC, the EEOC, the Justice Department, the Collateral Consequences Resource Center and the Clean Slate Clearinghouse. It does not say which state allows what, and promises nobody that their record can be cleared. General information, not legal advice.
About to be released, or just home, anywhere in the US: the first days in order, ID and papers, restarting Social Security and SSI, the 60 days to pick health insurance, work with a record, a place to stay, probation and parole, voting, clearing a record, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not legal or medical advice.
After a flood, fire, storm, tornado or earthquake, anywhere in the US: where to sleep tonight, going back safely, applying to FEMA and the 60 days to appeal, disaster food help and unemployment, replacing papers, the repair scams that follow, help whatever your immigration status, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice.
Looking after a parent, partner, relative or friend who is older, ill or disabled, anywhere in the US: where to start, who helps caregivers near them, how to get a break (respite), what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, being paid as a family caregiver, keeping your job, the papers to have in order, dementia and veteran helplines, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice.
When your health, physical or mental, keeps you from working, anywhere in the US: the two federal programs (SSDI and SSI), what SSI counts, what to have ready, how to apply, what happens next, the four appeals and the 60 days you have if you are denied, who can help for free, trying work without losing benefits, the words to say when you call Social Security (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice.
Pregnant, or home with a baby under one, anywhere in the US, and for the people beside you: the CDC’s urgent warning signs, what to do when you don’t feel like yourself and the hotline that answers at any hour, health coverage, WIC and diapers, safe sleep, what to do when the baby won’t stop crying, your rights at work, after a loss, the words to say when you call a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
Served in the US military, or love someone who did: the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988, then press 1), mental health care VA says you can use without enrolling, how to get VA health care and file a disability claim, free accredited help, what to do if VA said no, housing, discharge status, military sexual trauma, records, the words to say when you call VA (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Not part of VA.
Worried about your own drinking or drug use, or someone else’s: who answers at any hour (988, and SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357), the signs, why stopping heavy drinking suddenly can be dangerous, where to start, kinds of treatment, medications for opioids and naloxone, how to choose and pay for a program, what to do after a setback, help for family, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
Lost a job, about to, or helping someone who has: filing for unemployment in your state, keeping health coverage and the 60-day deadline on it, COBRA, your last paycheck and severance, layoff notice, what to do if it wasn’t fair, free help finding work, food and bills in the meantime, taxes on unemployment, scams, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not legal, financial or medical advice.
For a young person who is being bullied, a parent who thinks their child is, someone who saw it happen, and the family of a child who is doing it: what bullying is, what to do in the moment, the signs parents miss, what to say when a child tells you, how to bring the school in, what to do when it is online, and where to turn when it is hurting badly (call or text 988). It builds a message to the school from what you tick, and prints a card for writing down what happened. It passes on Nemours KidsHealth, MedlinePlus and the CDC by name. No statistics, no state’s law. General information, not professional advice.
Your child is struggling at school, or learns, moves, speaks or behaves differently: how to ask the school for an evaluation, what an IEP is and what happens at the meeting, 504 plans, suspensions, bullying, what to do when you and the school disagree, help before age 5, Parent Centers, the words for a letter to the school (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not legal, medical or educational advice.
Getting older, or looking out for someone who is: one number that finds help near you, staying in your own home, what to do after a fall, your medicines, help paying for Medicare, money and paying for care, memory worries, being alone, driving, scams, what to do if someone is mistreating you, putting your wishes on paper, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
Your gambling, or someone else’s, is hurting you: who answers at any hour (988, and the National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET, by call, text or chat), the signs, getting through an urge, blocking and self-exclusion, treatment, meetings and peer support, the debts, what families can do, teens and young adults, what to do if you gamble again, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
For anyone who can’t pay for a prescription, and the people beside them. What to ask the person who prescribes and your pharmacist; what a generic is; drug-company and state assistance programs; Medicare’s Extra Help, the insulin limit and the payment plan; what to do when a plan won’t cover a medicine; mail order; the FDA’s signs of a safe and an unsafe online pharmacy; and why to ask before splitting pills or skipping doses. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the National Institute on Aging, the FDA, Medicare.gov, Social Security and HealthCare.gov. It names no medicine and gives no dose or price. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a tooth that hurts and no way to pay, and the people beside them. What the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research says an infected tooth can cause, and why a swollen jaw is not a money question; health centers that charge by income, and dental and dental hygiene schools; what states must cover for children on Medicaid and CHIP, and why adults have to ask their state; what Medicare leaves out and the few things it may cover; what to check before buying a dental plan; dental care through VA; and the offers of free implants that are not real. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Medicaid.gov, InsureKidsNow, Medicare.gov, HealthCare.gov and Veterans Affairs. It states no price and names no clinic. General information, not medical or dental advice.
For anyone who cannot see well and cannot pay to find out why, and the people beside them. The sudden symptoms the National Eye Institute says mean going for care right away, whatever is in your pocket; who needs a dilated eye exam and what happens in one; health centers and colleges that may have low-cost eye care; the programs the National Eye Institute names for free or low-cost exams, eyeglasses and cataract or glaucoma surgery; what Medicaid, CHIP and Marketplace plans cover for children; what Medicare leaves out and the four conditions it does cover; vision coverage for adults; and who gets eye exams and eyeglasses through VA. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the National Eye Institute, Medicare.gov, HealthCare.gov and Veterans Affairs. It states no price and names no store. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who misses care because there is no way to get there, and the people beside them. The ride Medicaid covers to and from Medicaid-approved care, who to call and what they will check; the rules of the ride and what to do when it does not come; when Medicare pays for an ambulance and when it does not; free rides and travel pay from VA; what the federal paratransit rule says a transit agency owes a person with a disability; who older adults can call; and other places to ask. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare.gov, Veterans Affairs, the Code of Federal Regulations and the National Institute on Aging. It states no fare and names no company. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone who needs a wheelchair, a walker, oxygen, a hospital bed or other equipment at home and cannot pay for it, and the people beside them. What Medicare counts as equipment and who has to order it; the question to ask a supplier before you take anything home; power wheelchairs, walkers and hospital beds; how oxygen rental works and what the supplier owes you; what a state Medicaid program may not refuse outright, and the wider benefit for children; equipment through VA; and the program in every state that lends and reuses devices. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, Medicare.gov, Medicaid.gov, the Code of Federal Regulations, Veterans Affairs, the Administration for Community Living and the Assistive Technology Act. It states no price and names no supplier or brand. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone who needs a nurse, an aide, or a hand with bathing, dressing and meals at home and cannot pay for it, and the people beside them. The home health care Medicare covers and the daily help it leaves out; the order, the agency and what it has to tell you before it starts; the short deadline when an agency says your care is ending; long-term care and PACE; what a state Medicaid program must cover at home, what it may add, and choosing who helps you; a home aide, Veteran Directed Care and Aid and Attendance through VA; and the local agencies behind home-delivered meals and friendly visits. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, Medicare.gov, Medicaid.gov, the Code of Federal Regulations, Veterans Affairs, the Administration for Community Living and the National Institute on Aging. It states no price and names no agency or company. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone who needs a nursing home or assisted living, or is already in one, and cannot pay for it, and the people doing the paperwork. The short stay Medicare covers and the long stay it does not; the short deadline when coverage is ending; what a state Medicaid program must cover and what a resident may be charged for; what is protected for a spouse at home, the house and the estate; what a nursing home may not ask you to sign, the six reasons it may make a resident leave, the written notice and the appeal; the VA homes and Aid and Attendance; and choosing a place and the ombudsman who stands up for residents. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, Medicare.gov, Medicaid.gov, the Code of Federal Regulations, Veterans Affairs, the Administration for Community Living and the National Institute on Aging. It states no price and names no facility or company. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
For any adult with a disability who wants to live in a home of their own choosing and run their own life, and the people beside them: someone in a nursing home or another institution who wants out, someone at home who is not getting enough help, someone finishing school. The local Centers for Independent Living run by people with disabilities and the services every one offers; what ADA.gov says about the law against unnecessary segregation; who to ask about moving out, and the Money Follows the Person program; the Protection and Advocacy organizations that do not charge; vocational rehabilitation and Ticket to Work; ABLE savings accounts and SSI; and assistive technology. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the Administration for Community Living, ADA.gov, Medicaid.gov, Social Security and the Rehabilitation Services Administration. It states no dollar figure and names no center, agency or company. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
For anyone who gets SSDI or SSI and wants to work, or is already working and afraid of what it will do to the check and the health coverage, and for the people beside them. The nine trial work months and the thirty-six months after them; how SSI counts less than half of what you earn; how long Medicare can continue, and Medicaid under section 1619(b); what to report, how, and the receipt to keep; what to do about a letter that says you were overpaid; the costs of working Social Security can leave out; how benefits start again if the job does not last; and the free benefits counselors. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, Social Security’s own Red Book (June 2026) and two other Social Security pages. It prints none of the amounts that change each year, and says where this year’s are. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
A medical bill you can’t pay or don’t understand: what to check before you pay (is it yours, the itemized bill, the same charge twice), the financial help nonprofit hospitals must offer and how to apply, surprise bills and the No Surprises Act, the written estimate and the dispute when you have no insurance, appeals when the insurance says no, Medicaid and Medicare, payment plans and medical credit cards, debt collectors, credit reports, people who help for free, the words to say when you call the billing office (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.
Federal income taxes when you can’t pay someone to sort them out: whether you need to file, the credits many people miss (the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, refunds from the last three years), where IRS-certified volunteers do a return for free, IRS Free File, what to bring and what to do about a lost W-2, years you didn’t file, payment plans and hardship when you owe, a letter from the IRS, where a refund is, scams and identity theft, free clinics for a dispute, the words to say when you call the IRS (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not tax, legal or financial advice.
For the family and friends left outside: how to find where they are, the first days, phone calls and messages, letters and packages, sending money, visiting, what to tell the children, who to tell when you are worried about their health or safety, how to complain, getting ready for them to come home, the words to say when you call the facility (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Federal Bureau of Prisons rules in detail; state and local rules differ. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice.
For people living with pain that has lasted for months, and the people beside them: what chronic pain is, how to describe it so a doctor hears it, making a plan, treatments that are not medicine, pain relievers from the store and opioids used safely, storing and getting rid of medicine, what pain does to sleep and mood, getting through the day, what to do when you don’t feel heard, the words to say at the appointment (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For people who smoke cigarettes and want to stop, and the people beside them: what quitting does, the free quitlines, text programs, app and chat, quit-smoking medicines, getting ready and the first day, what to do in a craving, the first weeks, what to do if you smoke again, how to help someone quit, the words to say to a doctor or a pharmacist (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For people who have lost a pregnancy or a baby, and the people beside them: what the words mean, the warning signs after a loss and when to call, what the doctor may offer, what the health agencies say about why it happened, grief, partners and other children, free helplines and support groups, thinking about another pregnancy, what to say to someone who has lost a baby, the words to say to a doctor or a midwife (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For people who have just been told they have cancer, and the people beside them: the first days, the National Cancer Institute’s questions to ask the doctor, a second opinion, the fever during chemotherapy that is an emergency, clinical trials, paying for it, your job, telling your children, caring for someone with cancer, comfort care and hospice, free helplines at any hour, the words to say to the doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to print. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For people who are not hearing as well as they used to, and the people who talk with them: sudden hearing loss (an emergency), the signs, who to see, over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids, what Medicare does and does not pay for, ringing in the ears, protecting your hearing, how to talk with someone who has trouble hearing, captions, 711 and alarms, what you can ask for at the doctor’s office and at work, a baby or a child, the words to say to the doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to hand over. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For people who are beside someone at the end of life, and for the person who is dying: what palliative care and hospice mean, who hospice is for and what it does, what Medicare pays for and what it does not, care at home, in a hospital or in a care home, keeping someone comfortable, what you may see as death gets close, what to say and do at the bedside, making decisions for someone who cannot speak, advance directives and do-not-resuscitate orders, questions to ask the doctor (built from what you tick), and a card for the bedside. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For people who are not seeing as well as they used to, or who have been told glasses can’t fix it, and the people beside them: the sudden changes that are an emergency, what low vision is, who to see and what a dilated eye exam is, the four common causes, what Medicare does and does not pay for, where eye care is free or low-cost, vision rehabilitation, small changes at home, free audiobooks and braille from the Library of Congress, getting around and driving, what you can ask for at work, the words to say to the eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to hand over. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For people who have kidney disease, who have diabetes or high blood pressure and have never been told how their kidneys are, or who are facing dialysis, and the people beside them: when to get help right away, who should be tested, what the two tests (GFR and urine albumin) mean, protecting the kidneys you have, the common pain relievers that can damage them, food, the four choices if kidneys fail, living on dialysis and your right to complain, a transplant, how Medicare covers kidney failure at any age, the questions to ask the doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to carry. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone who had COVID-19 and never got back to how they were, for parents who think it is happening to their child, and for the people beside them: what Long COVID is, the symptoms, why tests can come back normal, how to get ready for an appointment and be heard in it, day-to-day life, work and disability, children and school, lowering the chance of getting it again, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to show people. Each fact is passed on by name from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Names no medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose period is late, who cannot tell what a home pregnancy test says, or who just saw a result: the early signs, when to test, how to do a home test, how to read a faint line or a negative you do not believe, the first steps after a positive, the warning signs that need care right away, folic acid and medicines, getting care without insurance, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the Office on Women’s Health, MedlinePlus, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and HealthCare.gov. No brand names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a painful rash on one side of the body or face that may be shingles, or looking after someone who has it: the signs day by day (pain, itching or tingling, then a stripe of blisters), why to see a doctor no later than three days after the rash starts, blisters on the face or near an eye, what helps the pain and the itch at home, who can catch chickenpox from the blisters and until when, the nerve pain that can stay after the rash and other complications, the vaccine (who, the two doses, after shingles, side effects, what Medicare Part D pays), when to call a provider, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a record to print. Each fact is passed on by name from three pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the National Institute on Aging and one of the National Library of Medicine. It names no medicine and no brand. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who just found a tick on themselves, a child or someone they look after, or who is heading out to a yard, a park or a trail: how to take a tick off (as soon as possible, fine-tipped tweezers close to the skin, a steady pull, no twisting, no petroleum jelly, heat or nail polish), where to check on a body and on clothes, what to watch for in the several weeks after, the early and later signs of Lyme disease and what is not Lyme disease, why testing the tick is generally not advised, how to prevent bites before and after you go out and in the yard, when to see a doctor and what to tell them, the words to say (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from five pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one page of the National Library of Medicine. No brand is named and no amount of any medicine is given. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who was just bitten by a snake, is with someone who was, or will be working or walking where snakes live: call 911 and get emergency care as soon as possible without waiting for symptoms, do not drive yourself, leave the snake alone (a photo from a safe distance may help), what to do while you wait (lie or sit down, rings and watches off, wash, cover, mark the edge of the swelling with the time), what not to do (no cutting, sucking, ice, soaking or tourniquet, no alcohol, no pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen), the signs of a venomous bite, the four kinds of venomous snakes in the US, how to keep from being bitten, the hospital, the words to tell 911 (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and NIOSH. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who was just bitten by a spider, is looking after someone who was, or is about to clean out a shed, a garage or a woodpile: call 911 for trouble breathing, first aid (stay calm, wash with soap and water, a cold damp cloth or ice in a cloth, raise the bite, do not try to remove the venom), the signs, when to get care (a small child, severe symptoms, a brown recluse sore), black widows and brown recluses, how to keep from being bitten, tetanus boosters, the words to tell a nurse or doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC, NIOSH and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who was just bitten or scratched by a dog, a cat, a bat or a wild animal, or is looking after someone who was: first aid (wash it right away with soap and water, for 15 minutes if the animal could have rabies), call 911 for bleeding that will not stop or feeling faint or weak, when to see a doctor (a deep wound, signs of infection, an unknown rabies vaccine, a tetanus shot more than 5 years ago), rabies and who decides about the shots, reporting the bite, a bat in the house, how to keep from being bitten, the words to tell a nurse, doctor or health department (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who was just stung by a bee, a wasp, a hornet, fire ants or a scorpion, or is looking after someone who was: first aid (stay with the person, scrape the stinger out with gauze or a fingernail, never squeeze it or use tweezers, wash, ice), the signs of a severe allergic reaction and when to call 911, what to do when many insects attack, fire ants, scorpions and the poison center, how to keep from being stung, the words to tell a nurse, a doctor or a poison center (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who touched poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac, has the itchy rash, or breathed the smoke of burning plants, or is looking after someone who did: first aid (rinse the skin right away with rubbing alcohol, a poison plant wash or dishwashing soap and lots of water, scrub under the nails, wash the clothes, tools and pets), the signs, why the rash is not catching, what CDC and FDA name for the itch, when to call 911 and when to see a doctor, what the plants look like, how to keep the oil off you, the words to tell a nurse, a doctor or a pharmacist (built from what you tick), and a card to fill in. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC, FDA and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who woke up with bites, found a bug they think is a bed bug, or has bed bugs at home, in a shelter or in an apartment building: the bites and the itch, the signs and where bed bugs hide, EPA’s steps to get rid of them, what never to use (rubbing alcohol, kerosene, gasoline, heating the home), telling a landlord, help with the cost, keeping them out at home, at a laundromat, in a shelter and when traveling, the words to tell a landlord, shelter staff or a doctor (built from what you tick), and a record card to keep. Bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC, EPA and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone with an itchy ring-shaped rash, itchy peeling skin between the toes, an itchy rash in the groin, a scaly bald spot on a child’s head, or a nail that turned thick and discolored: what ringworm looks like on each part of the body, why not to put a steroid cream on it, how it is treated and for how long, when to see a provider (always for the scalp or a nail), a harder-to-treat kind, keeping it from spreading at home, in shared showers, with pets and at school, the words to say to a pharmacist, a doctor, a school or shelter staff (built from what you tick), and a treatment record to keep. Ringworm is a fungus, not a worm. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with red, itchy sores that break open, leak and form a honey-colored crust, or a child with them: what impetigo looks like and how it spreads, why it is treated with antibiotics from a provider, when a child can go back to school or daycare and an adult back to work, the rare kidney problem to watch for about three weeks later, keeping it from spreading at home, in a shelter and at school, the words to say to a pharmacist, a doctor, a school, work or shelter staff (built from what you tick), and a care record to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and MedlinePlus. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who thinks they or their child may have measles, or who was near someone who has it: why to call a doctor or hospital before you go in, the signs day by day (fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, then the rash from the hairline down), how it spreads through the air, what to do after a contact and how many days you have (the vaccine within 72 hours, immune globulin within 6 days), the emergency signs, who gets very sick, and the MMR vaccine: who, when, who should wait, and paying for it, the words to say to a doctor’s office, a school or shelter staff (built from what you tick), and a card of the dates to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For adults with hard stools, few bowel movements, straining, a laxative they can’t stop taking, or constipation that began with a new medicine, travel, a move or a shelter: the signs, when to see a doctor right away (NIDDK: bleeding from the rectum, blood in the stool, constant belly pain, no gas passing, vomiting, fever, lower back pain, weight loss without trying), and when it is a 911 call (ours); the kinds of medicine and the changes that can cause it, and who gets it more; 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day, liquids, moving and a routine; the kinds of laxative, stopping a laxative slowly, and what a doctor can do; what a doctor asks and the tests. The words to say to a clinic or a pharmacist (built from what you tick), and a card to track two weeks. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults with pain in the upper right belly after a meal or at night, gallstones found on a scan, or a gallbladder that a surgeon says should come out: a gallbladder attack, and the signs NIDDK says need a doctor right away (belly pain lasting several hours, nausea and vomiting, a fever or chills, yellow skin or eyes, tea-colored urine and light stools); when it is a 911 call or an emergency room (ours); silent gallstones, which usually need no treatment; what causes gallstones and who gets them more; the tests; surgery to remove the gallbladder and what comes after; food, weight and moving, and why fast weight loss raises the chance. The words to say to a clinic or a surgeon’s office (built from what you tick), and a card to note each attack. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults with a burning or dull pain between the belly button and the breastbone, an ulcer a doctor has found, or who take aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen often: the common signs, and the ones NIDDK says need a doctor right away (black or tarry stool or blood in the stool, blood or coffee grounds in vomit, sudden severe belly pain, dizziness or fainting); when it is a 911 call (ours); the two most common causes, H. pylori and NSAIDs, and who gets ulcers more; NSAIDs and ulcers, and why not to stop a prescribed one on your own; the breath, stool and blood tests and endoscopy; treatment, why every dose matters and the retest; why no special diet is needed, and smoking. The words to say to a clinic or a pharmacist (built from what you tick), and a card for your pain and medicines. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who thinks it could be celiac disease, was just told they have it, or is caring for a child who has it. NIDDK says celiac disease is a chronic digestive and immune disorder that damages the small intestine, triggered by gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye; that many people who have it have not been diagnosed; and that it is treated with a gluten-free diet, for life. The signs in children and adults, from belly trouble and slow growth to an itchy, blistering rash; why to keep eating gluten until you are tested; the blood tests and biopsies, and who should ask about testing; what has gluten, cross-contact, labels and eating out; hidden gluten in lip balm, toothpaste and medicines; follow-up, and what to do when the diet is not enough. Trouble breathing after eating: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, a pharmacist or a restaurant (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults and children: anyone with belly pain and bowel changes that keep coming back, anyone just told it is IBS, and parents of a child with belly pain that keeps returning. NIDDK says irritable bowel syndrome is a group of symptoms, repeated pain in the abdomen with diarrhea, constipation or both, without visible damage to the digestive tract; a disorder of gut-brain interaction that about 12% of people in the US have. The symptoms and the three types; what causes it and who gets it more; how doctors diagnose it in adults and children, and the warning signs that point to something else, such as blood in the stool or weight loss; fiber, gluten and the low FODMAP diet; medicines by kind, probiotics, and therapies for the gut and brain. A lot of blood or sudden severe belly pain: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults and children: anyone who gets gas, bloating or diarrhea after milk, anyone just told they are lactose intolerant, and parents of a child who seems to have trouble with milk. NIDDK says lactose intolerance means digestive symptoms after foods or drinks with lactose, the sugar in milk; that about 36 percent of people in the US have lactose malabsorption; and that most people with lactose intolerance can still have some lactose. The symptoms, and how it differs from a milk allergy; the causes and who gets it more; the diagnosis and the hydrogen breath test; how much lactose many people can have, and where lactose hides in packaged foods and on labels; lactase products, calcium and vitamin D. Trouble breathing or swelling after eating: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults: anyone with pain low on the left side of the belly, anyone told that a scan or a colonoscopy found pouches in the colon, and anyone who has had diverticulitis. NIDDK says diverticulosis means small pouches in the wall of the colon; that more than 70 percent of people over 80 have it; that most people with it never have symptoms; and that less than 5 percent develop diverticulitis, when the pouches become inflamed. The symptoms and when it cannot wait; what may play a role and who gets it; the exam, the tests and the CT scan; treatment at home and in the hospital, pain medicines (acetaminophen instead of NSAIDs), surgery, and keeping it from coming back; fiber, and why most people no longer need to avoid nuts, popcorn and seeds. A lot of blood from the rectum, or blood with dizziness: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For teens and adults with weeks of diarrhea, belly cramps and weight loss, anyone just told they have Crohn’s disease, and anyone living with it. NIDDK says Crohn’s disease is a chronic disease in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation in the digestive tract; that it comes in flares, with periods of remission between; and that about 1 million people in the US have it. The symptoms, the serious complications and when it cannot wait; what may play a role and who gets it; the exam, blood and stool tests, endoscopy and imaging; medicines (they do not cure it but can keep remission), why to avoid NSAIDs, bowel rest, surgery, and colorectal cancer screening; food, a food diary, and supplements; children’s growth; stress and mood (988 for a crisis, ours). A lot of blood from the rectum, or blood with dizziness: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has seen black or tarry stool, blood in the stool or the toilet, or blood in their vomit; anyone told a test found blood in their stool; and anyone home after a GI bleed. NIDDK says GI bleeding is any bleeding that starts in the digestive tract, a symptom or complication of another disease or condition; that severe bleeding can lead to shock, which is life-threatening; and that it leads to more than 1.5 million health care visits a year in the US. The signs of acute and chronic bleeding, shock and anemia; upper, small bowel and lower bleeding and their causes (ulcers, gastritis, varices, diverticular disease, hemorrhoids, polyps, colitis and more); the exam, stool and blood tests, endoscopy and imaging; how doctors stop the bleeding; NSAIDs, blood thinners, fiber, alcohol and smoking. Vomiting blood, a lot of blood from the rectum, or blood with fainting or dizziness: 911 (ours); black stool without those: medical help today (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have fatty liver; anyone whose liver enzymes (ALT, AST) came back high or whose scan showed fat in the liver; anyone with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or extra weight; and anyone told they have NASH or scarring. NIDDK says nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, also called MASLD) is extra fat in the liver that is not caused by heavy alcohol use; that it is one of the most common causes of liver disease in the US, in about 24% of adults; that it usually has few or no symptoms; and that most people have the type (NAFL) that typically does not cause liver damage, while a few have NASH (MASH), which can lead to scarring and cirrhosis. The two types and who is more likely to get them; the blood tests, imaging, elastography and biopsy; the food and drink changes a doctor may suggest, alcohol, medicines and supplements; gradual weight loss and physical activity, the first medicine the FDA approved for NASH with scarring in 2024, and the complications. Vomiting blood, black stool, or sudden confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK and the FDA. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told a blood test shows high liver enzymes; for anyone whose eyes or skin have turned yellow; for anyone just told they have autoimmune hepatitis or taking steroids or azathioprine for it; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the liver; that without treatment it may lead to cirrhosis and liver failure; and that with treatment many people go into remission. The signs and when it cannot wait; the two types and who gets it; the tests; the medicines, remission, relapse and side effects; vaccines, food and bones. Vomiting blood or confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to carry. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told a blood test shows a high alkaline phosphatase or AMA; for anyone tired all the time and itchy; for anyone just told they have primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, once called primary biliary cirrhosis) or taking ursodiol for it; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says the small bile ducts in the liver are slowly destroyed, that many people have no symptoms when it is found, and that ursodiol can slow the damage. The signs and when it cannot wait; who gets it and what can come with it; the tests; the medicines, and the FDA’s 2025 withdrawal of obeticholic acid’s approval for PBC; the itch, cholesterol, bones and vitamins. Vomiting blood or confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to carry. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told a blood test shows abnormal liver enzymes; for anyone with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease whose doctor asked about the liver; for anyone just told they have primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) or facing an ERCP or a stent; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become inflamed, scarred and blocked, that many people have no symptoms when it is found, and that about 7 in 10 also have inflammatory bowel disease. The signs, a bile duct infection, and when it cannot wait; who gets it and what can come with it, including the cancers; MRCP, ERCP and the other tests; opening the bile ducts, the itch and the complications; cancer checks, food, bones and vitamins. Vomiting blood or confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to carry. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with weeks of diarrhea with blood or mucus; for anyone just told they have ulcerative colitis or in the middle of a flare; for anyone whose doctor is talking about a new medicine or surgery; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says the immune system causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine, that it comes in flares with remission between, and that it raises the chance of colorectal cancer. The signs, flares, and when it cannot wait; who gets it and what can come with it; blood and stool tests and colonoscopy; the kinds of medicine, why to avoid NSAIDs, and surgery; food, cancer checks and bones. A lot of blood or fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to carry. General information, not medical advice.
For adults who have had watery diarrhea for weeks, who were just told they have microscopic colitis, who wonder whether a medicine is causing it, or who have a colonoscopy coming up; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which the immune system inflames the inner lining of the colon; doctors can only see it under a microscope, and unlike other kinds of IBD it does not raise the risk of colon cancer. The signs and when to get help; the two types, who is more likely, and the medicines and smoking linked to it; blood and stool tests, colonoscopy and biopsies; the kinds of medicine, and rarely surgery; food and drink, flares and smoking. Fainting, a lot of blood, or severe pain with a hard belly: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card for your medicine changes and flares. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with pain, burning or fullness in the upper belly, bloating, nausea or belching that keeps coming back, who wonders whether a medicine, stress or H. pylori is behind it, or who has been taking something from the drugstore that is not helping; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says indigestion is not a disease but a group of symptoms, that it affects up to 20% of people in the United States each year, and that most chronic indigestion is functional dyspepsia, a disorder of how the gut and brain work together. The signs and when to see a doctor right away; who is more likely, and the medicines and infections that can cause it; the questions, the exam, endoscopy and the H. pylori tests; the kinds of medicine and mental health therapies; food, stress and smoking. Chest, jaw, neck or arm pain, shortness of breath, vomiting blood, or black stool with fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose upper belly hurts and who was told it might be gastritis; for anyone who tested positive for H. pylori, takes pain relievers most days, or has anemia or low vitamin B12; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says gastritis and gastropathy affect the stomach lining, that most people have no symptoms, and that H. pylori infection is the most common cause. The signs, bleeding in the stomach, and when it cannot wait; the kinds and who gets them; endoscopy and the H. pylori tests; treatment by kind; pain relievers, alcohol, iron and vitamin B12. Vomiting blood or black stool with fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has had part of the small intestine removed, who gets nutrition through an IV or a tube, or whose baby or child has short bowel syndrome; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says it develops when the small intestine is shortened or damaged and cannot absorb enough nutrients, and that in most cases the intestines heal and adapt. The signs, dehydration, and when it cannot wait; the causes and what can come with it; the tests; nutrition support in three stages, fluids, kinds of medicine and surgery; food and drinks. Fainting or confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone bothered by burping, bloating, a swollen belly or passing gas. NIDDK says having gas and some gas symptoms is normal, and that some people have symptoms that bother them often or affect their day. The signs, what is normal, and when to see a doctor; where gas comes from and the conditions that can cause it; the questions, the exam and the tests; swallowing less air, changing your diet, and kinds of medicine; foods and habits. Chest pain or shortness of breath: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who gets diarrhea, cramps, a racing heart, sweating or shakiness after meals, especially after weight-loss surgery or surgery on the stomach or esophagus. NIDDK says dumping syndrome is caused by food moving too quickly from the stomach into the small intestine. Early and late dumping and their signs; the surgeries and conditions behind it; your history, your symptoms and the tests; eating changes first, then kinds of medicine; how and what to eat. Fainting without waking up right away, confusion or a seizure: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose iron or ferritin test came back high, who feels tired with aching joints, whose parent, brother, sister or child has hemochromatosis, or who gets regular blood transfusions; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says hemochromatosis is extra iron building up in the body to harmful levels, that it often runs in families, and that taking blood on a schedule can improve symptoms and prevent complications. The signs and when to get help; the three types, who is more likely, and what it can lead to; blood tests, gene tests and a liver biopsy; phlebotomy and chelating agents; food, supplements, alcohol and checking your family. Chest pain, trouble breathing, vomiting blood, confusion or fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and an iron card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose liver tests came back high and who was asked about copper, who has tremors, stiff muscles or trouble speaking, whose parent, brother, sister or child has Wilson disease, or who takes treatment for it every day; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says Wilson disease is an inherited disorder that keeps the body from removing extra copper, so it builds up in the liver, brain, eyes and other organs, and that lifelong treatment can in many cases improve or prevent symptoms and organ damage. The signs and when to get help; the cause, who is more likely, and what it can lead to; the eye exam, blood and urine tests, and a biopsy; chelating agents and zinc, pregnancy, and why stopping treatment is dangerous; food, tap water, supplements and testing your family. Vomiting blood, confusion or fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a copper card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has seen bright red blood on the toilet paper, felt a sore or itchy lump near the anus, or had pain when sitting; for anyone pregnant or just after a birth; for anyone not better after a week of home care; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says hemorrhoids are swollen veins around the anus or in the lower rectum, that they affect about 1 in 20 Americans, and that you can most often treat them at home. The signs of each type, and when to see a doctor or seek care right away; the causes and complications; the exam and anoscopy; fiber, sitz baths and over-the-counter products, office treatments such as rubber band ligation, and surgery; fiber, liquids and toilet habits. A lot of blood or fainting: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a one-week note to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone always tired, weak and losing weight and wondering why; for anyone who has taken steroid pills such as prednisone for a long time; for anyone just told they have Addison’s disease or adrenal insufficiency; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says adrenal insufficiency happens when the adrenal glands do not make enough of certain hormones, among them cortisol, which is essential for life; that adrenal crisis needs emergency treatment; and that with treatment most people can have a normal, active life. The signs and adrenal crisis; the three kinds and the causes; the tests; the medicines and the extra doses under stress; the emergency shot, the card, salt, calcium and vitamin D. Signs of adrenal crisis: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card to carry. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who keeps having bouts of severe nausea and vomiting that come and go, with weeks or months of feeling fine in between; for the parent of a child who does; and for anyone just told “it might be cyclic vomiting syndrome.” NIDDK says cyclic vomiting syndrome causes sudden, repeated episodes of severe nausea and vomiting that can last from a few hours to several days; that each episode tends to start at the same time of day and to be like the ones before; and that treatment depends on the phase. The signs, the four phases and when to get help; who is more likely to get it; how doctors find it; treatment phase by phase; triggers, sleep and food between episodes. Fainting, confusion, trouble breathing or vomiting blood: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card for your plan. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a colonoscopy coming up, anyone told to be screened for colorectal cancer, and the person driving them home. NIDDK says screening usually starts at age 45. Why doctors use it; your medicines, the special diet and clear liquids; the bowel prep and the ride home; what happens during it; recovery, results, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing, chest pain or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with an ERCP coming up, and the person driving them home. NIDDK says ERCP combines upper endoscopy and x-rays to find and treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts, such as a gallstone stuck in a duct. Why; your medicines and pregnancy; nothing to eat or drink for up to 8 hours, and the ride home; the day of; 2 to 6 hours after, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing, chest pain or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a lower GI series (barium enema) coming up. NIDDK says a doctor uses x-rays and a chalky liquid called barium to view your large intestine. Why; your medicines, a recent colonoscopy, pregnancy; clear liquids for 1 to 3 days and the bowel prep; the day of (30 to 60 minutes); light stools after, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with an upper GI series coming up, or whose child has one. NIDDK says a doctor uses x-rays and a chalky liquid called barium to view your upper GI tract. Why; your medicines, pregnancy and children; nothing to eat, drink, smoke or chew for 8 hours; the day of (about 2 hours, up to 5); light stools after, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with an upper endoscopy (EGD) coming up, and the person driving them home. NIDDK says doctors use it to find the cause of ongoing pain, heartburn, vomiting or trouble swallowing. Why; your medicines (blood thinners too); nothing to eat or drink for up to 8 hours, and the ride home; the 10 to 20 minutes it takes; recovery, results, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing, chest pain or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a flexible sigmoidoscopy coming up. NIDDK says doctors use it to find the cause of bleeding from the anus, bowel changes, belly pain or weight loss, and rarely for colorectal cancer screening. Why; your medicines; the special diet and clear liquids; the bowel prep; the 10 to 20 minutes it takes, typically without sedatives; results, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing, chest pain or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a virtual colonoscopy (CT colonography) coming up. NIDDK says doctors mainly use it to screen for colon polyps and colorectal cancer; unlike a colonoscopy it needs no sedatives, but it cannot remove polyps. Why; your medicines, a device or pregnancy; the special diet; the bowel prep and the contrast medium; the 15 minutes it takes; the report, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing, chest pain or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who is 45 or older and has never been checked; anyone who saw blood on the toilet paper or in their stool; anyone with a parent, brother or sister who had polyps or colon cancer; and anyone just told “we found a polyp.” NIDDK says colon polyps are growths on the lining of the colon and rectum; that most are not cancerous, but some may turn into cancer over time, and removing them can help prevent colorectal cancer; that most people with polyps have no symptoms, so you cannot tell you have them because you feel well; and that screening for most people starts at 45, earlier and more often if you are at higher risk. The signs; who is more likely to have polyps; colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, virtual colonoscopy and the other tests; how polyps are removed, almost always without surgery, and the warning signs after; and the food and daily steps that may lower your chances. A lot of blood, or blood with dizziness or fainting: 911 (ours). NIDDK’s older Spanish page still says 50; the guide says so. The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has, or is about to have, a new way for urine to leave the body: a catheter, a nephrostomy tube, a stent, a urostomy, a continent reservoir or a new bladder. NIDDK says what it is and why it may be needed; the types; caring for a stoma, a pouch, a reservoir or a new bladder; the signs of an infection; and activity, sex and food. When to call 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a cystoscopy or ureteroscopy coming up. NIDDK says a urologist uses a thin scope to look inside the bladder, urethra, ureters or kidneys. Why; the urine test, your medicines and allergies; your instructions; numbing or anesthesia (about 15 to 30 minutes); the first day after, a stent, the risks, and when to get care right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone sent for urodynamic tests. NIDDK says they look at how well the bladder, sphincters and urethra store and release urine. Why; getting ready (fluids, medicines, a full bladder); how each test works, from uroflowmetry to video tests; the hours after, the results, the risks, and when to call right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has trouble getting or keeping an erection, and their partners. NIDDK says what erectile dysfunction (ED) is and how common it is; what can cause it (diabetes, heart disease, medicines, stress); the visit and the tests; the treatment (pills, counseling, devices, surgery); and what helps prevent it. An erection that lasts more than 4 hours: call right away. The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone hurt between the legs, the perineum (between the anus and the scrotum): a fall onto a bar, a wound, a burn, surgery, abuse, or long hours on a bike seat. NIDDK says what it is and who is more likely; the signs; what it can lead to (bladder, bowel and erection problems); the tests and treatment; and how riders and workers can protect themselves. When to go in now (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who leaks urine, stool or gas, or was told to try Kegel exercises (pelvic floor muscle training), women and men. NIDDK says what they are and who they can help; four ways to find the right muscles; the easy start (squeeze, hold 3 seconds, relax, work up to 10 to 15); three times a day in three positions; 3 to 6 weeks; and not to overdo them. Check with your health care professional first. The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose penis has started to curve or bend during an erection, or who has found a hard lump in it, and their partners. NIDDK says what Peyronie’s disease is (scar tissue, called plaque, that is not cancer and not contagious); the two phases; the signs; who is more likely to get it; the visit and the exam; the treatment (maybe none, injections, surgery); and what it can do to sex, mood and a relationship. The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For any adult with a fever and pain in the back or side, or a bladder infection that may be spreading, and for anyone looking after them. NIDDK says what a kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is; the signs (and in a baby, or an older adult who is only confused); sepsis, the emergency; who is more likely to get one; the tests; the treatment (antibiotics: finish them all; the hospital; if it comes back); and preventing the next one. The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who cannot pee, or cannot empty their bladder all the way. NIDDK says what urinary retention is, acute (sudden: an emergency) or chronic (over time); the signs; what can cause it (an enlarged prostate, medicines, surgery, nerve problems); the visit and the tests; the treatment (a catheter, medicines, procedures, surgery); and what helps. Suddenly cannot pee at all: emergency care now. The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a prostate who has pelvic pain, burning or trouble urinating, or was told they have prostatitis. NIDDK says what the four types are and who is more likely to get them; the symptoms, and when to seek care right away; the exam and the tests; treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome; and antibiotics for bacterial prostatitis. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a prostate who has prostate tests coming up, or was told a PSA was high. NIDDK says what each test is: the digital rectal exam, the PSA blood test and why it can be hard to read, the prostate health index, and the kinds of biopsy. Getting ready; what is normal after; the results; the risks, and when to call right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone sent for an A1C blood test, or holding a result. NIDDK says what the test measures; the numbers for prediabetes and diabetes, and the second test; pregnancy and the other glucose tests; what can make an A1C wrong (anemia, sickle cell, hemoglobin variants); and goals. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told they have gestational diabetes, or with a glucose test coming up in pregnancy. NIDDK says what it is and what it can do; symptoms, causes and who is more likely; the glucose challenge test and the OGTT; the eating plan, activity, ketones and insulin; daily targets; and the test after the baby. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone pregnant with a thyroid problem, or who had Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease, and anyone changed after a baby. NIDDK says why the thyroid matters for the baby and the signs; an overactive thyroid and the medicines used in pregnancy (PTU, methimazole) and when to stop and call; an underactive thyroid, levothyroxine and a higher dose; after the baby: postpartum thyroiditis, breastfeeding and iodine. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone sent for thyroid blood tests (TSH, T4, T3, antibodies), an ultrasound, a thyroid scan, an uptake test, or a needle biopsy. NIDDK says what the tests look for; what a high or low TSH can mean, and what else changes the numbers; how each test is done; and getting ready (iodine, pregnancy, breastfeeding). 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone sent for an x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, CT or nuclear scan of the kidneys or bladder. NIDDK says why imaging may be needed; what you may be asked and how to get ready (water, an enema, metal in your body, fasting); how each test works; and afterward, the signs of infection or a reaction, dye and your kidneys, and the results. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone, or the parent of any child, with swelling and protein in the urine, or who was told they have nephrotic syndrome, a sign the kidneys are not working properly. NIDDK says what it is and what causes it; the signs in adults and in children, and what it can lead to; the urine and blood tests; the treatment; and steroids, relapses and vaccines in children. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone born with one kidney, who had one removed, who gave one to someone, or who was just told they have only one, and for the parents of a child with one. NIDDK says what a solitary kidney is and the three causes; what it can lead to (rare); the urine, blood and blood pressure checkups; telling every provider, pain relievers and sports; and food, pregnancy and giving a kidney. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have IgA nephropathy (Berger’s disease), waiting on a kidney biopsy, or who saw pink, cola-colored or foamy urine, and for their families. NIDDK says what it is and who is more likely to have it; the signs and what it can lead to; the tests and the biopsy; the kinds of medicine and less salt; and food, family and research. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have glomerular disease (FSGS, lupus nephritis, membranous nephropathy, minimal change disease and others), waiting on a kidney biopsy, or who saw foamy or cola-colored urine or swelling, and for their families. NIDDK says what it is, the causes and who gets it; the signs and what it can lead to; the tests and the biopsy; the kinds of medicine and kidney failure; and food, family and research. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child, or expecting one, told on an ultrasound or after the birth that a baby’s kidney is swollen (hydronephrosis): the bladder, ureters and kidneys. NIDDK says what it is and how common; when it can be a sign of a blockage or reflux; the signs in a newborn; the causes; the tests before and after birth; and the treatment. When to call 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child who was just told they have kidney disease, or whose child has swelling, foamy or pink urine, pees much more or less, or wets the bed again. NIDDK says what it is and which children get it; the causes; the signs and what it can lead to; the tests and the kidney doctor for children; the kinds of medicine, dialysis and transplant; and school (an IEP or a 504 plan), friends and feelings. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told they have polycystic kidney disease (PKD), anyone with PKD in the family, and the parents of a baby who may have it. NIDDK says what PKD is, the two types and the genes; the signs and what it can lead to, including high blood pressure and brain aneurysms; the imaging and genetic tests; pain, blood pressure, kidney failure, and the steps that may slow it; and the rare type found in babies. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told their kidneys are failing or will fail, and the family helping them choose. NIDDK says what kidney failure is, the signs, and when to start; the four choices (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, a transplant, or conservative management) and how to choose, change your mind, and put your wishes in writing; dialysis at a center or at home; food, work, and paying for it. 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a kidney biopsy coming up, including on a transplanted kidney. NIDDK says why it is done and what it can show; getting ready, with your blood pressure and your medicines; how the needle biopsy is done and the other ways; recovery, the results, the risks, and when to seek medical help right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose bladder hurts and gets worse as it fills; anyone who has to go all the time, day and night; anyone told again and again that their urine tests show no infection; and anyone whose bladder pain comes in flares. NIDDK says interstitial cystitis (IC), also called bladder pain syndrome, is a chronic, or long-lasting, condition that causes painful urinary symptoms; that between 4 and 12 million people in the United States may have it, more women than men; that health care professionals find it by ruling out other conditions, such as a urinary tract infection; and that many treatments can help, though you may need to try several. The signs and what sets off flares; who gets it and what can go with it; the history, the exam and the tests (urinalysis, urine culture, cystoscopy); daily changes, bladder training, pelvic floor physical therapy, medicines by kind, and bladder procedures; and food and drink, sleep and sex. Fever, back or side pain or throwing up with bladder pain: a doctor the same day; not able to pee at all: the emergency room (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who leaks stool or does not make it to the toilet in time; anyone too embarrassed to tell a doctor; anyone whose leaking started after giving birth; anyone caring for an older person who has accidents; and the parent of a child older than 4 who soils their underwear. NIDDK says fecal incontinence, also called accidental bowel leakage, is a common problem, affecting about 1 in 3 people who see a primary health care provider; that it is a medical problem, not something to be ashamed of, and usually does not go away on its own; and that simple treatments can improve symptoms by about 60 percent. The two types and when to see a doctor; who gets it and the causes (diarrhea, constipation, muscle or nerve damage, childbirth, hemorrhoids, and diseases such as diabetes, dementia and stroke); the questions, the exam and the tests; what you can do (pads, diet changes, over-the-counter medicines by kind, bowel training, pelvic floor exercises) and what doctors can do; and food, skin care and getting through the day. A sudden loss of control with back pain, numbness between the legs or weak legs: the emergency room or 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with diabetes whose feet burn, tingle or feel numb; anyone who gets light-headed on standing, or no longer feels it when their blood sugar goes low; anyone with a foot sore that is slow to heal; and anyone just told they have nerve damage from diabetes. NIDDK says diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes; that there are four kinds (peripheral, autonomic, focal and proximal), and up to one-half of people with diabetes have the kind that affects the feet and legs; that foot care is very important; and that managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can keep it from getting worse. The signs of each kind and when to get help right away (someone passed out from low blood sugar: glucagon and 911; any foot problem: your doctor right away); who gets it and the causes; checking your feet every day and the yearly foot exam; what it can do to the heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, bladder, sex organs, sweating and sensing low blood sugar; the tests; and medicines for nerve pain (by kind, not by name), physical therapy and other help. Chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting or sudden weakness on one side: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who feels full after a few bites, or has nausea and vomiting that keep coming back; anyone with diabetes whose stomach or blood sugar has been acting up; anyone waiting on a stomach emptying test; and anyone just told they have gastroparesis. NIDDK says gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, slows or stops the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine even though nothing is blocking it; that diabetes is the most common known cause, though in most cases doctors cannot find the cause; and that what you eat can help. When NIDDK says to seek a doctor’s help right away, and the signs of dehydration and malnutrition; the medicines that can make the symptoms worse (by kind, not by name); the causes and who is more likely to get it; the exam, the lab tests and the stomach emptying tests; small, low-fat, low-fiber meals and plenty of liquids; blood sugar and insulin, medicines, tube and IV feeding, and gastric electrical stimulation. Trouble breathing, fainting or vomiting blood: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with pain in the upper belly that spreads to the back; anyone just told they have acute or chronic pancreatitis, or that gallstones or alcohol caused it; anyone whose lipase or amylase came back high; and anyone caring for someone in the hospital with it. NIDDK says pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, which makes insulin and digestive enzymes; that acute pancreatitis comes on suddenly and most people get better, and it goes away in several days with treatment, while chronic pancreatitis lasts and gets worse over time; that the main symptom is pain in the upper belly that may spread to the back; and that the most common causes are gallstones, heavy alcohol use, genetic disorders of the pancreas and some medicines. When NIDDK says to seek care right away; the two kinds, the causes and who is more likely to get it; the blood, stool and imaging tests; stopping alcohol and smoking, and a low-fat eating plan; the hospital stay, gallbladder surgery and ERCP, and the treatment of chronic pancreatitis. Severe belly pain: the emergency room now; trouble breathing, fainting or confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a liver biopsy coming up. NIDDK says why doctors use it and the three kinds; getting ready, with your medicines, blood and imaging tests, a ride home and fasting; how the biopsy through the skin is done, and the one through a vein in the neck; recovery, the results, the risks, and when to seek medical help right away. Trouble breathing or fainting: 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have cirrhosis; anyone whose liver tests came back off; anyone living with fatty liver disease, hepatitis B or C, or years of drinking; and anyone caring for someone with liver disease. NIDDK says cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver is scarred and permanently damaged; that many people have no symptoms until the liver is badly damaged; that about 1 in 400 adults in the US have it; and that treating the causes may slow the damage. The early and later signs (tiredness, itching, swelling, jaundice, confusion, internal bleeding); who is more likely to get it, the causes (alcohol, fatty liver disease, hepatitis B and C, and less common ones) and the complications; the exam, blood tests, imaging, elastography and biopsy; treating the causes and the complications, liver cancer checks and a transplant; no alcohol, asking before any medicine or supplement, the vaccines, and food. Vomiting blood, black stool, or sudden confusion: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with belly pain that is getting worse, a parent with a child in pain, or someone told they need their appendix out: NIDDK says appendicitis is a medical emergency, so see a doctor or go to the emergency room right away; when it is a 911 call (ours); the pain that may start near the belly button and move to the lower right and worsen in hours, the other signs, and why children may not have them; the causes, who gets it, and a burst appendix and peritonitis; what a doctor asks, and the ultrasound, MRI, CT and pregnancy test; surgery and antibiotics; recovery and the days to take it easy. The words to say at the emergency room (built from what you tick), and a card with the answers a doctor will ask for. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults with a burning in the chest after eating, food or a sour taste coming back up, heartburn at night, or antacids taken every day: heartburn and regurgitation, when to see a doctor (NIDDK: chest pain, trouble or pain swallowing, vomiting that won’t stop, vomit like coffee grounds, black or bloody stool, weight loss you can’t explain), and when chest pain is a 911 call because it could be a heart attack (ours); what makes GERD more likely (weight, pregnancy, smoking, some kinds of medicine, a hiatal hernia) and what it can lead to; eating at least 3 hours before lying down, raising your head 6 to 8 inches, and the foods commonly linked to symptoms; antacids, H2 blockers and PPIs; tests and surgery. The words to say to a clinic or a pharmacist (built from what you tick), and a card to track a week. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For adults who have had heartburn or acid reflux (GERD) for years, who were just told they have Barrett’s esophagus, whose biopsy showed dysplasia, or who have an endoscopy coming up; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes to become more like the lining of the intestine; it may raise the risk of cancer of the esophagus, but most people with it do not develop cancer. Why it has no symptoms of its own, the GERD symptoms, and when to see a doctor; who is more likely, and dysplasia; upper endoscopy, biopsy, repeat endoscopy and capsule tests; PPIs, treatment during endoscopy, and surgery; food, heartburn at night, weight and tobacco. Vomiting blood, black stool with fainting, or chest pain: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor, and a card for your endoscopy dates. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone throwing up or with diarrhea after something they ate, a stomach bug going around at home, at work or in a shelter, or someone who can’t keep fluids down: the common signs and the signs of dehydration, when to see a doctor (CDC: bloody diarrhea, diarrhea over 3 days, a fever over 102°F, not keeping liquids down), what to drink and eat and when over-the-counter medicine is not safe (NIDDK), what a doctor may ask, keeping norovirus from spreading (soap and water, not just sanitizer; 48 hours before handling food or caring for others; cleaning up after vomit or diarrhea), and CDC’s clean, separate, cook, chill. The words to say to a clinic (built from what you tick), and a sick-day card. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a cough and fever that is getting worse instead of better, a baby who is breathing hard, an older parent who is suddenly weak or confused, a pneumonia diagnosis and medicine to finish, or a slow recovery: the common signs (CDC), the different signs in older adults and babies (NHLBI), what a provider may ask and the usual tests, finishing your medicine, getting better at home (most people stay tired for about a month), the pneumococcal vaccine (CDC: all children under 5 and all adults 50 or older) and the other vaccines that help, and who is at higher risk, including people in shelters and nursing homes. The words to say to a clinic (built from what you tick), and a recovery card. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC and NHLBI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a cough that will not go away, a positive TB test, a call from the health department, or months of TB medicine to finish, and for anyone who lives or works in a shelter or spent time in a jail or prison: CDC’s signs of active TB disease (a cough of three weeks or longer, chest pain, coughing up blood or phlegm, weight loss, fever, night sweats), inactive TB and active TB disease, who should get tested, the blood test and the skin test and what a positive result means, taking every dose (DOT, missed doses, side effects), protecting family at home, and why what you tell the health department is kept from law enforcement and immigration. The words to say to a clinic or the health department (built from what you tick), and a TB record card. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For any adult with burning when they pee, needing to go often, lower belly pain, or cloudy, bloody or strong-smelling urine: NIDDK says a bladder infection is the most common kind of urinary tract infection (UTI), most often caused by bacteria, and that untreated it can spread to the kidneys; fever and chills, nausea or vomiting, or back, side or groin pain, and why quick treatment matters (get care today, and when it is a 911 call: ours); pregnancy; who gets them; the urine test and the culture; antibiotics and why to finish them; liquids and care at home; repeat infections, prevention, and what cranberry does and does not do. The words to say at a clinic (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For any adult with sharp pain in the back, side, lower belly or groin, pain that comes in waves, or pink, red or brown urine: NIDDK says a kidney stone is a hard, pebble-like piece of material that forms in the kidneys, that a small one may pass on its own, and that one that blocks the urinary tract may need urgent treatment; the signs, and when to see a professional right away (and when it is the emergency room or 911: ours); the four types and who gets them; urine, blood and imaging tests; passing a stone at home and the ways a urologist removes one; and liquids, food by type of stone, and medicines to prevent the next. The words to say at a clinic (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For any adult who leaks urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting, after a sudden, strong urge, at night, or with no warning: NIDDK says bladder control problems are common, especially in women, that leaking is not a routine part of being a woman or getting older, and that proper treatment may improve your quality of life; the signs, and when to seek care right away (and when it is the emergency room or 911: ours); the seven types and what causes them, in women and in men; the exam, the bladder diary and the tests; liquids, habits, bladder training and pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises; and medicines, devices, surgery and products. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a prostate who has trouble starting to pee, a weak or stop-and-start stream, dribbling at the end, or gets up at night to urinate: NIDDK says benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a prostate that has grown larger than normal, not because of cancer, and the most common prostate problem in men older than 50; the symptoms, and when to tell a provider right away (and when it is the emergency room or 911: ours); what causes it, who is more likely to have it, and what it can lead to; the medicines that can make it worse; the exam and the tests; watchful waiting, medicines, procedures and surgery; and what to expect after surgery. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who sees pink, red or brown urine, or was told a urine test found blood: NIDDK says hematuria means blood in the urine, that in most cases blood you can see causes no pain, and that a small amount of blood can change the color; when to get care, and when it is the emergency room or 911 (ours); the reasons people may have blood in the urine, from an infection, a stone or hard exercise to more serious ones such as cancer or kidney disease; who is more likely to have it, blood thinners among them; the urine test and why a period can change it; the other tests; and treatment of the cause. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with an infection that is not getting better, anyone looking after someone who has one, and anyone home after sepsis: CDC’s six signs (clammy or sweaty skin, confusion, extreme pain, fever or shivering or feeling very cold, a high heart rate or weak pulse, shortness of breath), acting fast and the question to ask (“Could this infection be leading to sepsis?”), who is at higher risk (65 and older, babies under one, chronic conditions, cancer, dialysis, pregnancy and after birth, a recent hospital stay, survivors), what happens at the hospital, getting better at home, and preventing infections. The words to say to a nurse line, a doctor’s office or the emergency room (built from what you tick), and a card to bring. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For parents and anyone raising or looking after a young child: who should get a blood lead test (on Medicaid, at 12 and 24 months), finger-prick or vein, what the number means (CDC’s reference value is 3.5 µg/dL, and no level is called safe), what lead does and who is most at risk, old paint and dust in homes built before 1978 (and asking a landlord), lead in water and baby formula, imported candies, spices, remedies like greta and azarcon, makeup, toys and jewelry, and lead brought home from work. The words to say to a doctor’s office, a landlord, a water provider or the health department (built from what you tick), and a card for the results. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has, or may have, COVID-19, or looks after someone who does: CDC’s emergency warning signs (call 911), which test to use and why one negative rapid test is not enough, who is more likely to get very sick, treatment that must start within 5 to 7 days of the first symptoms (no positive test needed) and where to find it, staying home and the 24-hour rule for going back, and the 2026–2027 vaccine. The words to say to a doctor’s office, a pharmacist, 911 or a job (built from what you tick), and a card of the dates to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with a baby, a child or an older adult who has a cold that might be RSV: the signs in very young babies (pauses in breathing, often no fever), when CDC says to call for a child or an adult, who gets very sick, easing symptoms at home (never aspirin for children), how long it spreads and how to keep it from spreading, and the shots that protect: one option in pregnancy or for the baby, and a one-time vaccine for everyone 75 and older and some adults 50 to 74. The words to say to a doctor’s office, a pharmacist or a daycare (built from what you tick), and a card of the dates to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with flu symptoms, or caring for someone who has them: who should call a provider early (antiviral drugs work best when started within 2 days), why antibiotics do not treat flu, the signs and flu or a cold, how long it spreads, CDC’s emergency warning signs for children and for adults, who is at higher risk, how long to stay home and when to go back to work or school, no aspirin for children and teens, protecting the people around you, and the yearly flu vaccine: who, when, where and what to expect, the words to say to a doctor’s office, work, a school or shelter staff (built from what you tick), and a card of the dates to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone worried about whooping cough (pertussis) in themselves, a baby or a child: why early antibiotics matter (before the coughing fits begin), the signs week by week (a cold first, then fits of violent coughing, sometimes with a whoop or vomiting), why babies may not cough at all and may have pauses in breathing instead, what to do after being near it (ask about preventive antibiotics), when to get care now, who gets very sick, caring for it at home, and the DTaP and Tdap vaccines: who, when (including in every pregnancy), and paying for them, the words to say to a doctor’s office, a school or shelter staff (built from what you tick), and a card of the dates to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from CDC. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with an itch that may be scabies, or looking after a child, a parent or a housemate who has it: the signs (intense itching, worse at night, and a pimple-like rash) and how many weeks they can take to show, how it spreads and how it does not, why it takes a prescription and how a cream or lotion goes on, what the pages say about babies, who else at home is treated at the same time and who to tell, what to wash and what to seal in a bag, the itch that goes on after a treatment that worked and when treating again may be needed, going back to school, child care or work, shelters, care homes and jails, pets, when to call a provider, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a household treatment record to print. Each fact is passed on by name from five pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and one of the National Library of Medicine. It names no medicine. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child with chickenpox, or with an itchy, blistering rash that may be it: the signs day by day (fever and tiredness first; a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters, then scabs), how it spreads and for how long, what the pages say about school and child care, what helps at home (never aspirin; what CDC says about fever medicine; calamine lotion and cool baths for the itch), who can get very sick and the complications, what to do after being near chickenpox or shingles, the vaccine (who, when, side effects, and paying for it), the signs that mean a call to the doctor, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small record to print. Each fact is passed on by name from four pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It gives no amount of any medicine and names no brand. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child with eczema (atopic dermatitis), or with an itchy rash that may be it: the signs (itching first; dry patches; a rash that may ooze or bleed when scratched), where the rash shows up at each age, the daily routine (a lukewarm bath once a day, a mild unscented soap, pat dry, then a moisturizer right away), what can set off a flare and what helps prevent one, what a doctor may ask and the kinds of treatment there are, skin infections, lost sleep and what else can come with it, when to talk to a doctor and who treats it, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small skin plan and flare record to print. Each fact is passed on by name from two pages of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). It names no brand, gives no amount, and gives no recipe for a bleach bath. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child who has head lice, or who came home with a note about them: how to check a head (a live, crawling louse is the best sign; nits close to the scalp), the steps of a treatment (follow the label, no conditioner before, who else is treated), the hours and weeks after (combing, when to treat again, when the medicine may not be working), what to wash at home and what is not needed (no fumigant sprays), how lice spread and how they do not, what CDC says about school (no need to go home early; why two national groups want no-nit policies to end), when to ask a provider or a pharmacist, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small treatment record to print. Each fact is passed on by name from three pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one page of the National Library of Medicine. It recommends no product. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child with a fever, sores in the mouth, or a rash on the hands and feet: the signs (fever, painful mouth sores, a rash on the palms and soles), mouth sores and drinking enough, what helps at home (and never aspirin for children), how it spreads and how to keep others from getting it, when a child can go back to child care or school (no fever, well enough to take part, no uncontrolled drooling with mouth sores), the complications that are rare, the six reasons to see a provider, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from three pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each read in English and Spanish. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child who may have a bladder infection: the signs under age 2 (sometimes only a fever, or none) and from age 2 (burning or pain when urinating, cloudy, bloody or strong-smelling urine, new accidents), how the urine is tested and why a baby may need a catheter sample, antibiotics and finishing them, what helps at home (liquids, a heating pad), what cranberry does not do, the signs that it may have reached the kidneys (fever and chills, vomiting, pain in the back or side), why some children get them again, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), whose English (2025) and Spanish (2017) pages differ: the guide says where. The 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child with a pink, red or sticky eye: the signs that suggest a virus (watery discharge, a cold), bacteria (thick pus, eyelids stuck together), an allergy (intense itching in both eyes) or an irritant, what helps at home (cold compresses, artificial tears, a clean wet washcloth), when antibiotics help and when they do not, pink eye in a newborn (a doctor right away), keeping it from spreading, going back to school, contact lenses, the list of when to see a provider, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from six pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child with a sore throat: the signs that suggest a virus (a cough, a runny nose, hoarseness, pink eye) and the common symptoms of strep throat, what helps at home and from what age (no lozenges under 4, honey only from age 1, never aspirin), the rapid strep test and the throat culture and what the results mean, antibiotics and going back to school after strep throat, keeping it from spreading, the list of when to see a provider, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from three pages of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the 911 line is marked as ours. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child with a cough or a cold: what a cold looks like and how long it lasts, what helps at home (liquids, a cool mist humidifier, saline, suctioning a baby’s nose), each page’s own age line for cough and cold medicine (not under 2, not under 4, not recommended under 6), the lines about the youngest babies, the cough, keeping it from spreading and when to go back, the lists of when to call and the emergency line, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the places they differ. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a child who wets the bed: how common it is at each age, why it happens and why it is not on purpose, the habits the pages list, what not to do (punishing, shaming, waking the child every night), how bedwetting alarms and medicine are used, wetting in the daytime, the lists of when to call, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from five pages of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child whose ear hurts: the signs in a child too young to talk, what is different for a baby in the first months, what each page says helps with the pain, why a doctor may wait before giving an antibiotic and what to do if one is not working, fluid and hearing afterwards, ear tubes, the list of when to seek medical care, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, with the places they differ. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child who may be constipated: the signs, why children hold it in, what to give to eat and drink, pausing potty training, why a laxative is not for a child unless a doctor says so, the signs that mean a doctor right away, the little the pages say about babies, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from five pages of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child who is throwing up or has diarrhea, at any hour: the signs of dehydration, giving liquid in small sips, what the pages say to give and where they differ, feeding a baby (breast milk or formula as usual), what to eat, why diarrhea medicine is not for children unless a doctor says so, how to keep it from spreading, the signs that mean a call to the doctor, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the places they differ. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby or child with a fever, at any hour: what a fever is and is not, the numbers that mean a call, why a fever in a baby under 3 months needs a call right away, liquids and the signs of drying out, what the pages say about fever medicine and at what ages (no amounts), what to do during a seizure with a fever, the signs that mean a call to the doctor or an emergency, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a small card for the call or the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CDC and the FDA, with the places they differ. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone starting or already on hemodialysis, anyone told they will need dialysis, anyone choosing between a dialysis center and home, and the family and friends beside them. NIDDK says hemodialysis filters wastes and water from your blood through a filter outside your body; it can help you feel better and live longer, but it is not a cure for kidney failure. What happens during a treatment; a center (usually three times a week for about 4 hours) or home; protecting your veins and the three kinds of vascular access; cramps, low blood pressure and access problems; food and liquids, dry weight, and stopping. Ours: for bleeding that will not stop, chest pain or severe trouble breathing, call 911. The questions to ask, and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has found a bulge in the groin or scrotum, anyone told they have an inguinal hernia, anyone deciding about surgery or just home from it, and parents of a baby or child with a bulge. NIDDK says about 27 percent of men and 3 percent of women will get an inguinal hernia, that most will need surgery, and that a strangulated hernia is life threatening. What it is and who gets one; the signs, and the signs of a stuck hernia that mean seek medical help right away; the causes and the tests; open and laparoscopic surgery, and watchful waiting; and what to expect after surgery and when to call your doctor. Ours: with severe pain or vomiting, call 911. The questions to ask, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with diabetes whose sex life or bladder has changed, and for their partners. NIDDK says diabetes can make sexual and bladder problems worse, that more than half of men with diabetes will get erectile dysfunction, and that these changes may be a sign your diabetes needs managing in a different way. Why diabetes can change sex and the bladder, and what makes it more likely; erection problems, semen going into the bladder, a curved penis, low testosterone and fertility; low desire, dryness and painful sex, yeast and bladder infections, and pregnancy; going too often, trouble going, and leaks; and seeing a doctor, and what helps. Ours: if you suddenly cannot pee at all, go to an emergency room now. The words to say, for a talk that can feel hard to start, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with diabetes who wants to protect their heart, anyone with diabetes told their heart risk is high, and the people who care for them. NIDDK says adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke, and that the steps that manage diabetes also lower those chances. Why diabetes raises the risk, and what adds to it (smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, belly fat, kidney disease, family history); the warning signs of a heart attack and a stroke, and calling 911 right away; how doctors check your heart; aspirin, statins and the diabetes medicines to ask about; and your diabetes ABCs and everyday habits. Ours: never start daily aspirin or stop a heart or diabetes medicine on your own. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with diabetes whose gums bleed, whose mouth is dry, or who has not seen a dentist in a while; for anyone with diabetes facing dental work or unable to afford a dentist; and for the people who care for them. NIDDK says people with diabetes are more likely to have gum disease, cavities and other problems with their teeth and gums, and that some of these can make diabetes worse. How diabetes changes your saliva; gum disease, from gingivitis to periodontitis, and dry mouth, thrush and burning mouth; the signs to check for; what to tell your dentist and ask your doctor before dental work; keeping your mouth healthy, and community health centers and Medicaid when cost is in the way. Ours: a swollen face or neck with trouble breathing or swallowing: call 911. The words to say to a dentist, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told their blood is too acidic, or their potassium too low or too high, because of their kidneys; for anyone told they have renal tubular acidosis; for the parents of a child who has it; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says RTA happens when the kidneys do not remove acids from the blood into the urine as they should; that it is rare and often missed; that there are three main types; and that drinking an alkali solution lowers the acid level. What it is and who gets it; the signs and the complications; the causes type by type; the blood and urine tests; the treatment, prevention and food. Ours: fainting, chest pain, or suddenly so weak you cannot move: call 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who pees a lot, day and night, and is always thirsty while their blood sugar is normal; for anyone told they have diabetes insipidus or sent for a water deprivation test; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says diabetes insipidus is a rare disorder that makes the body make too much urine, up to 20 quarts a day; that it is not the same as diabetes mellitus; that its main complication is dehydration; and that most people can live a normal life. What it is and who gets it; the signs and dehydration; the four types and their causes; the tests; the treatment and food. Ours: a seizure, fainting, or someone very confused or hard to wake: call 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with lupus who wants to protect their kidneys; for anyone told they have lupus nephritis or facing a kidney biopsy; for anyone with foamy urine, swelling or high blood pressure on top of lupus; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says lupus nephritis is kidney disease caused by lupus; that as many as 5 out of 10 adults and 8 of 10 children with lupus will have kidney disease; that it may get worse over time and lead to kidney failure; and that treatment works well to control it. The signs and what it can lead to; the urine and blood tests; the kidney biopsy; the medicines, blood pressure and food. Ours: trouble breathing, chest pain, sudden confusion or fainting: call 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose rings or shoes stopped fitting or whose face has slowly changed; for anyone told they have acromegaly or a pituitary tumor; for anyone facing surgery, medicines or radiation; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says acromegaly happens when the body makes too much growth hormone, mainly in the pituitary gland; that in adults it makes bones and tissues grow larger, slowly, so health problems can begin before it is found; that in more than 9 out of 10 cases the cause is a pituitary tumor, almost always noncancerous; and that it is treatable in most people. The signs and what it can lead to; the causes; the blood tests and the MRI; surgery, medicines and radiation. Ours: a sudden, very bad headache, sudden loss of sight, fainting or a seizure: call 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told their blood calcium is high; for anyone told they have primary hyperparathyroidism or a parathyroid adenoma; for anyone deciding between surgery and watching; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says one or more of the four parathyroid glands in the neck makes too much parathyroid hormone, so blood calcium rises too high; that most people have no symptoms and doctors usually catch it early through routine blood tests; that it most often affects the bones and the kidneys; and that surgery is the only sure cure. The signs; the tests; surgery, watching, medicines and food. Ours: sudden confusion, someone hard to wake, or vomiting with no fluids staying down: the emergency room or 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told they may have too much cortisol; for anyone who has taken steroid medicine such as prednisone for a long time; for anyone sent for cortisol tests; and for the people who love them. NIDDK says Cushing’s syndrome happens when the body makes too much of the hormone cortisol over a long period of time; that the most common cause is long-term, high-dose use of steroid medicines; that tumors of the pituitary, an adrenal gland or elsewhere can cause it; and that it can usually be cured, but can be fatal if not treated. The signs and what it can lead to; the tests; surgery, radiation and medicines. Ours: never stop a steroid medicine on your own; chest pain, signs of a stroke or a swollen painful leg: 911. The words to say to a doctor, and a card to print. General information, not medical advice.
What NIDDK says about binge eating disorder: what it is and how it differs from bulimia, who it affects, the signs, what can cause it, the health problems that can come with it, finding out, the talk therapies and medicines, and weight and dieting; the words to say and a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says about weight-loss (metabolic and bariatric) surgery: who it may be for, the questions to ask yourself, what it can do and what it can’t, the gastric sleeve, bypass, band and duodenal switch, before and after surgery, side effects, and the cost; a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says about staying active at any size: who can be active and when to check first, staying safe and the signs to stop, why move, walking, dancing, biking, water workouts, strength and daily life, roadblocks, and sticking with it; a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says about choosing a weight-loss program: what a real program is, talking with a health care professional, what to look for, online programs and apps, warning signs, and the questions to ask before you join; a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says about prescription medicines for weight, such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound): who they are for, how they work, the seven medicines, side effects, how long, and cost; what to ask; a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says about eight common myths: giving up favorite foods, grains, gluten-free, fats, dairy, going vegetarian, short bursts of activity, and lifting weights; what to say to a health care professional or dietitian; a card to print. Free, in English and Spanish; nothing is saved.
What NIDDK says in its guide for teenagers: what to eat and drink at 14 to 18, the nutrients many teens miss, added sugars, saturated fat and sodium, 60 minutes of activity a day, screens, 8 to 10 hours of sleep, worries about weight and what not to try, and changing a habit; what to say; a goals card.
What NIDDK says about food portions: the difference between a portion and a serving, servings per container, serving sizes that changed, how much is enough for you, reading the Nutrition Facts label (added sugars, sodium 2,300 mg a day), and tips at home, eating out and when money is tight; what to say; a card.
For parents and anyone who cares for a child: what NIDDK says about building healthy habits together, being a role model, what to eat and drink, healthy snacks and foods a small child could choke on, meals together, how much to move (about 3 hours a day at ages 3 to 5, at least 1 hour at 6 to 17), screen time, and loving your child at any weight; what to say; a card.
For anyone pregnant, or thinking about it: what NIDDK says about gaining weight slowly, how much to eat, what to eat and drink each day, folate and a prenatal vitamin, what to avoid (alcohol, caffeine, high-mercury fish, foods that can make you sick), morning sickness, constipation and heartburn, staying active safely, and after the baby; what to say; a card.
For adults who want to eat better and move more: what NIDDK says about the foods to have more and less of, easy snacks, what can affect your weight (the world around you, family, medicines, emotions, sleep), a healthy eating plan and a food diary, the two kinds of physical activity and how much, getting started, moving more in daily life, and being good to yourself; what to say; a card.
For older adults who want to eat well and keep moving: what NIDDK says about the foods to have more and less of, fluids, eating on a fixed income, less salt, the vitamins it names, weight both ways, the five kinds of physical activity, staying safe, when to ask, and being good to yourself; what to say; a card.
For anyone who wants to eat better, move more or change another health habit: what NIDDK says about the four stages of change, the pros and cons, the common roadblocks and their solutions, a plan with small goals, tracking, rewards, setbacks, and keeping it up; what to say; a card.
For anyone with diabetes who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy: what NIDDK says about getting ready, how high blood glucose can affect the baby and you, the targets, the meter, CGM, ketones and A1C, insulin and medicines, and after the baby; what to say; a card.
For a parent or caretaker whose child was told they have fatty liver disease (NAFLD, MASLD or NASH): what NIDDK says about the two types, how common it is, the silent signs and the causes, the blood tests, ultrasound and biopsy, gradual weight change and habits, supplements, and food; what to say; a card.
For anyone who wants to understand their stomach and gut, or was told something is wrong with their digestion: what NIDDK says about the digestive system and its parts, why digestion matters, how food moves (peristalsis), how chewing, stomach acid, bile and enzymes break it down, where the nutrients go, and how hormones and nerves control it; what to say; a card.
For anyone who wants to understand their kidneys, or was told something is wrong with them: what NIDDK says about where the kidneys are, what they do (wastes, balance, hormones), the million nephrons, the glomerulus and the tubule, how blood flows through, the numbers in a day, and the words in plain language; what to say; a card.
For anyone told a scan found a cyst on their kidney: what NIDDK says about simple kidney cysts, how common they are, who gets them, the rare problems (pain, fever, blood in the urine, high blood pressure), the imaging and lab tests, watching with ultrasound, draining, surgery, and how they differ from PKD; what to say; a card.
For anyone with kidney disease told their hemoglobin or iron is low, who is tired, weak or short of breath, or who is on dialysis and given iron or ESA shots: what NIDDK says about anemia in chronic kidney disease, why damaged kidneys cause it, how common, who, the symptoms, when to call 911, the blood tests, iron, vitamins, ESA medicines, transfusions, and food; what to say; a card.
For anyone with kidney disease told their phosphorus, calcium or PTH is off, whose bones or joints hurt, who is on dialysis, or whose child with kidney disease is not growing: what NIDDK says about mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD, renal osteodystrophy), the causes, how common, who, the bones and the heart, children, the tests, phosphorus in food, medicines, dialysis and surgery, and slowing it down; what to say; a card.
For anyone with belly pain after abdominal surgery, told they have adhesions, worried about a blocked intestine, or about to have belly surgery: what NIDDK says about what adhesions are, how common, who gets them, the causes, the symptoms, a blockage and when to get help right away, infertility, the tests, treatment, and what surgeons do to lower the chance; what to say; a card.
For a parent or caregiver of a newborn who has not pooped or has green vomit and a swollen belly, of a baby or child with constipation that laxatives don’t help, or of a child just told it is Hirschsprung disease: what NIDDK says about what it is, the types, who gets it, the signs, enterocolitis and when to go to the hospital, the tests, the pull-through and ostomy surgery, after surgery, and eating; what to say; a card.
For anyone with loose, greasy, bad-smelling stools, bloating, gas or weight loss, anyone with pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis or pancreas surgery, or anyone just told they have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI): what NIDDK says about what it is, who gets it, the symptoms, causes and complications, the tests, enzyme pills (PERT) and everyday changes, and eating; what to say; a card.
For a parent or caregiver of a child or teen (1 to 18) with heartburn, food or a sour taste coming back up, chest or belly pain, a cough or hoarse voice that won’t go away, or who was told it may be GERD: what NIDDK says about GER and GERD in children, who gets it, the complications, when to call a doctor right away, the tests, treatment (everyday changes, medicines, surgery), and food and weight; what to say; a card.
For anyone looking after a baby who spits up a lot, arches, gags or fusses at feeds, or was told it may be reflux (GER) or GERD. NIDDK says what is normal and how common; the signs that mean calling a doctor right away (blood, green or forceful vomit, trouble breathing, no wet diapers); the tests; the treatment, from burping and holding upright to medicines; and changes to feeding. When to call 911 (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone looking after a baby who will not stop crying, at any hour, and for the people beside them: what the crying may mean and what to check (hunger, needing a break, illness), colic and when it ends, things to try, what to do when you reach your limit (put the baby down in a safe place and walk away), why a baby must never be shaken, when to call the doctor, safe sleep when you are exhausted, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Library of Medicine. No medicine names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who is breastfeeding or trying to, in the first days or months in, and for the people beside them: how to tell whether your baby is getting enough (with the first-week diaper chart), sore nipples and the latch, engorgement, plugged ducts and breast infection and when to call, what you can eat, drink and take, pumping and how long milk keeps, your rights to pump at work, formula and stopping, a free helpline, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the Office on Women’s Health, the CDC, WIC, the Department of Labor and the National Library of Medicine. No medicine names, no prices. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who is pregnant and feels sick, some of the day or all of it, and for the people looking after them: what morning sickness is and when it eases, what the sources say about the baby, what to eat and drink, vitamins and other things to try, the severe form called hyperemesis gravidarum, the signs that mean you should call, what a visit and treatment are like, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the Office on Women’s Health, NICHD, the CDC, the National Library of Medicine and three other government sources. No medicine names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who is pregnant or had a baby in the last year and does not feel like themselves, and for the people who love them: how the baby blues differ from postpartum depression, the signs, why it happens and why it is not your fault, postpartum psychosis as an emergency, who to call, what a visit and treatment are like, what to ask if you are breastfeeding, what helps at home, what partners and family can do, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Mental Health, MedlinePlus, the Office on Women’s Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No medicine names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who lies awake for hours, wakes in the night or far too early, drags through the day, or has been told they have insomnia: what insomnia looks like, what can cause it, what a provider asks and checks, the sleep habits to try, the therapy that is usually recommended first, what to know before taking a sleep medicine, melatonin or another supplement, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a small card for one day of a sleep diary. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, MedlinePlus and the Food and Drug Administration. No medicine or brand names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who snores, gasps or stops breathing at night, who is worn out all day and does not know why, or who has been told they have sleep apnea, and the people who sleep beside them: the signs asleep and awake, getting a sleep study, every treatment from a PAP machine to oral devices and surgery, getting used to the machine and keeping it clean, driving and surgery, women, pregnancy and children, what Medicare covers, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to show before surgery. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, MedlinePlus, Medicare and the Food and Drug Administration. No medicine or brand names. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who wants to prevent a pregnancy, now or for years, and the people beside them: every method one by one with how many pregnancies to expect in a year of real use, emergency contraception and how many days you have, what to do after a missed pill or a patch or ring that came off, which methods protect against STIs, what needs a prescription, how to get it free or at low cost, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office on Women’s Health and HealthCare.gov. No brand names or doses. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who had sex and is worried, has a symptom, heard from a partner, or just tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, and the people beside them: why there are often no symptoms, who should be tested and the three ways to do it, where testing is free or low-cost and confidential, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, trichomoniasis and HPV one by one, the three steps after a positive test, telling a partner, pregnancy, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No medicine names or amounts. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who has hepatitis A, B or C, anyone who thinks they were exposed or wonders whether to be tested, and the people who live with them: the symptoms and why there are often none, who should be tested, how each one spreads and how it doesn’t, the vaccines, what to do right after a contact, the medicines that cure hepatitis C, pregnancy and babies, who to call, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone living with Parkinson’s disease, anyone worried about a tremor, stiffness or slowness, and the people beside them: the main signs, what changes besides movement, mood, thinking and memory, how a diagnosis is made, the medicines and the side effects to report, deep brain stimulation, what helps day to day, who to call, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose joints hurt or who has been told they have arthritis, and the people beside them: what arthritis is, the common types, how osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout each show up, how a doctor finds out which type it is, the kinds of treatment, what to do during a gout flare, what helps day to day, who does what on a care team, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose back hurts, whether it started yesterday after lifting something or has gone on for months. NIAMS says back pain is one of the most common medical problems, and that most people find relief within 6 weeks. When it cannot wait, and when it is the emergency room or 911 (ours); how it can feel and the signs that mean see a doctor; the causes, from a sprain, a strain or a disc to arthritis, osteoporosis or the kidneys, and who is more likely to have it; the questions a doctor asks and why most people need no scan; treatment, from cold and hot packs and avoiding bedrest to physical therapy; and how to sit, sleep, lift and carry. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told they have weak bones or low bone density, anyone who broke a bone from a small fall, and anyone wondering about a bone density test. NIAMS calls osteoporosis a silent disease: usually no symptoms until a bone breaks, most often the hip, the spine or the wrist. When it cannot wait after a fall (ours); the signs of a broken bone in the spine; who is more likely to get it, men too; who the test is for and what to tell the doctor; food, calcium and vitamin D (NIAMS’s chart), habits, exercise without high impact and the kinds of medicine; and how to prevent falls at home and outdoors. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who hurts all over and is worn out, anyone just told they have fibromyalgia, and anyone whose tests keep coming back normal. NIAMS says fibromyalgia is a long-lasting disorder that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body, fatigue and trouble sleeping, and that people with it have an increased sensitivity to pain. When a pain may be something else (ours); the symptoms, fibro fog too; who gets it and what causes it; the diagnosis and who treats it; therapy and the three kinds of medicine NIAMS names; and living with it: exercise that starts low, support, sleep and pacing yourself. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose big toe or another joint suddenly hurts, swells and turns red, anyone just told they have gout, and anyone whose flares keep coming back. NIAMS says gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that comes in flares, when urate builds up and forms crystals in a joint, and that it is one of the most controllable forms of arthritis. When a hot, swollen joint may be something else (ours); the symptoms, the stages and tophi; who gets it and what raises the chance; the diagnosis and who treats it; the kinds of medicine for a flare and for lowering urate; and food, drink, weight and a flare at home. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with symptoms that come and go, such as painful joints, fevers, tiredness and rashes, anyone told a test came back positive, anyone just told they have lupus, and the people beside them. NIAMS says lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of the body, that no single test diagnoses it, and that with treatment many people with lupus can manage it. When it cannot wait (ours); the symptoms and the organs it can affect; who gets it and what may set it off; the diagnosis and who treats it; the kinds of medicine; and flares, the sun, work and pregnancy. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with thick, red, scaly patches that itch or burn, anyone just told they have psoriasis, and the people beside them. NIAMS says psoriasis is a chronic disease in which the immune system becomes overactive and skin cells multiply too quickly, that anyone can get it, and that while there is no cure, treatments keep symptoms under control. When it cannot wait (ours); the symptoms and the five kinds; who gets it, the causes, and psoriatic arthritis; the diagnosis and who treats it; the kinds of medicine and light; and skin care, triggers and support. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with painful lumps or boils that keep coming back in the armpits, the groin or other places where skin rubs, anyone just told they have HS, and the people beside them. NIAMS says HS is a chronic, noncontagious condition that starts in the hair follicle, that poor hygiene does not cause it, and that treatment can include medicine, surgery and laser hair removal. When it cannot wait (ours); the symptoms and where they show up; who gets it and the causes; the diagnosis and who treats it; medicine, surgery and laser; and day-to-day care and support. The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For any teen or adult with pimples, blackheads or deep, painful lumps, anyone whose skin has them feeling ashamed or anxious, and the people beside them. NIAMS says acne is a common skin condition that happens when hair follicles under the skin become clogged with oil and dead skin cells; that it is most common in teens and young adults; and that for most people it goes away by their thirties. The types (whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, nodules, severe nodular acne); who gets it and what causes it (hormones, family history, some medicines), and what may make it worse (diet, stress, pressure, picking, scrubbing); the questions, the exam and who treats it; the treatments NIAMS names, on the skin and by mouth, and procedures for severe acne and scars; caring for your skin, dark spots, and how you feel. When to call 988 or 911 (ours), and telling the doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with blisters or sores in the mouth or on the skin that will not go away, anyone just told they have pemphigus, and the people who care for them. NIAMS says pemphigus is a rare autoimmune disease that causes blistering of the skin and the inside of the mouth, nose, throat, eyes and genitals; that early diagnosis is important; and that there is no cure, but treatment can control it in most people. The two main types (pemphigus vulgaris, which often starts in the mouth, and pemphigus foliaceus, which only affects the skin) and rarer forms; who gets it and what causes it (genes, and rarely a medicine or a tumor); the exam, the tissue sample and the blood test; the medicines NIAMS names (corticosteroids, rituximab, medicines against infection, and others), the hospital, and the team, from dermatologist to dentist; caring for your mouth and skin, and how you feel. When to call the doctor the same day, 911 or 988 (ours). The words to say to a doctor or dentist (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For families of a baby whose skin blisters or tears at the slightest rub, anyone just told it is epidermolysis bullosa, and adults whose blisters began later. NIAMS says epidermolysis bullosa is a group of rare diseases that make the skin fragile, so it blisters and tears easily; that most of it is inherited; and that there is no cure, but the symptoms can be treated. The four major types (simplex, junctional, dystrophic and Kindler syndrome) and the rare autoimmune form, acquisita; how it is passed on (dominant and recessive, and the odds NIAMS gives); the exam, the skin biopsy and genetic testing, and a genetic counselor; pain and itch, bandages, preventing infection, the gene therapy NIAMS mentions, other treatments and the team; keeping the skin cool, less friction, food that is easy to eat, moving, and coping. The signs of infection NIAMS says to call about right away; when to call the same day, 911 or 988 (ours). The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told it is ichthyosis, parents of a baby born with thick scales or a tight, shiny covering, and adults whose skin turned dry and scaly later. NIAMS says ichthyosis is a group of skin disorders that lead to dry, itchy skin that appears scaly, rough, and red; that most of it is genetic, though some people get an acquired form from another condition or a medicine; and that there is no cure yet, but treatments help manage the symptoms. The types NIAMS names, from ichthyosis vulgaris, the most common, to the types present at birth (harlequin, epidermolytic, lamellar, congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma) and X-linked; the scales, and the eyes, hearing, sweating and joints; how it is passed on (dominant, recessive, X-linked, spontaneous, with the odds NIAMS gives) and a genetic counselor; the history, the exam, a skin biopsy and a genetic test; creams on damp skin, long baths, retinoids and keratolytics, and the team; baths, a cool home, a humidifier, soft cotton clothes and coping. When to call the same day, 911 or 988 (ours), including someone who sweats little and is overheated. The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told it is pachyonychia congenita, parents of a baby or child with it, and adults who have lived with it for years. NIAMS says pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare genetic disorder that mainly affects the skin and nails, usually from birth or early in life; that what affects people most is severely painful calluses on the soles that make walking hard; and that there is no specific treatment yet, but there are ways to manage the pain. The five types and the signs: thick nails, calluses and blisters, cysts, bumps where the skin rubs, a white film in the mouth, deep itching and first-bite pain; how it is passed on; the exam and the genetic test; callus, nail and cyst care and the team; shoes, gloves, mouth care and support. Trouble breathing: 911 (ours); 988. The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with patches of skin that are losing their color, anyone just told they have vitiligo, and the people beside them. NIAMS says vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the cells that make skin color are destroyed, that there is no cure, and that treatments can be very effective at stopping it from spreading and bringing back color. What it is and the symptoms; who gets it and the causes; the diagnosis and who treats it; medicines, light therapy and other treatments; and the sun, covering patches and support. When an eye problem cannot wait (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose face flushes and stays red, anyone just told they have rosacea, and the people beside them. NIAMS says rosacea is a long-term inflammatory skin condition that causes reddened skin and a rash, usually on the nose and cheeks, and can cause eye problems; there is no cure, but treatment can keep it under control. The symptoms and the eyes; who gets it and the common triggers; the diagnosis and who treats it; medicines, laser and light, and surgery; and gentle skin care, sunscreen and support. When an eye problem cannot wait (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose hair suddenly fell out in a round patch, anyone just told they have alopecia areata, and the people beside them. NIAMS says alopecia areata happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss, usually on the head and face; most people with it are healthy, and in most cases the hair regrows. There is no cure, but treatments can help hair grow back more quickly. The signs and the three types; who gets it; the diagnosis and who treats it; treatment, or choosing none; and support, protecting bare skin, and covering up. When hair loss does not fit the picture (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose fingers or toes turn white, then blue, in the cold, anyone just told they have Raynaud’s phenomenon, and the people beside them. NIAMS says it causes the blood vessels in the extremities to narrow, restricting blood flow, usually in the fingers and toes and usually from cold or emotional stress; in most people, staying warm keeps it under control, but in severe cases repeated attacks can lead to skin sores or gangrene. What happens in an attack (white, blue, then red); the primary and secondary types; who gets it and what sets it off, including medicines NIAMS names; the diagnosis and who treats it; treatment and caring for sores; and keeping warm, ending an attack, and stress. When to get care the same day, and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose skin is getting tight, hard or thick, anyone just told they have scleroderma, and the people beside them. NIAMS says it is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and thickening in the skin and other areas of the body; the localized type affects only the skin, and the systemic type can damage the blood vessels, heart, lungs and kidneys. There is no cure, but treatment can help control the symptoms and limit damage. The types and the symptoms; who gets it and what may cause it; the diagnosis and who treats it; medicines by kind, therapy, and watching the lungs, heart, kidneys and blood pressure; and warmth, skin, teeth, eating and support. When to call your doctor right away (NIAMS) and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose eyes and mouth are dry all the time, anyone with joint pain and tiredness beside the dryness, anyone just told they have Sjögren’s disease, and the people beside them. NIAMS says it is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the glands that make moisture in the eyes, mouth and other parts of the body; many people also report fatigue and joint and muscle pain, and it can damage the lungs, kidneys and nervous system. There is no cure, but there are several ways to treat and manage the symptoms, and most people can expect to live a normal life. The symptoms; who gets it and what causes it; the eye, saliva and blood tests and who treats it; treatments for the eyes, the mouth and the rest, by kind; and caring for your eyes and teeth, dryness, and support. When to get care the same day and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose lower back is stiff and sore, worse after rest and better when they move, anyone young whose back has hurt for months, anyone just told they have ankylosing spondylitis, and the people beside them. NIAMS says it is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine and may also affect the knees, ankles and hips; in severe cases the bones of the spine may fuse. There is no cure, but there are many treatment options, and with treatment most people with it can have productive lives. The symptoms and how it can reach the eyes, ribs, skin and gut; who gets it, and the HLA-B27 gene; the history, exam, x-rays, MRI and blood tests, and who treats it; medicines by kind, physical therapy and surgery; and exercise, posture, a cane or walker, not smoking, and support. When to get care the same day and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with psoriasis whose joints have started to hurt, anyone with a whole finger or toe swollen like a sausage, a sore heel or pitted nails, anyone just told they have psoriatic arthritis, and the people beside them. NIAMS says it is a progressive inflammatory condition of the joints and of the places where tendons and ligaments attach to bones; most people who get it already have psoriasis, but a small group have joint pain before the skin rash. There is no cure, but treatments can slow it, lessen pain and protect the joints, and early treatment is linked to better outcomes. The symptoms in the joints, spine, skin, nails and eyes; who gets it and what may trigger it; the family history, exam, blood tests and imaging, and who treats it; medicines by kind; and a healthy weight, low-impact exercise, protecting your joints, not smoking, and support. When to get care the same day and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For a parent or caregiver whose child limps in the morning or has a swollen, stiff knee or ankle, a child with a fever every day and a rash that comes and goes, anyone just told their child has juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and young people who have it. NIAMS says it is the most common type of long-lasting arthritis in children, and begins when the immune system becomes overactive; with treatment, most children reach remission, and seeing a doctor early matters, because delaying therapy can lead to joint damage. The signs in the joints, eyes, skin and growth, and why eye exams matter even when the eyes seem fine; who gets it, the six types and the cause; the exam, blood tests and imaging, and the care team; medicines by kind, physical therapy and check-ups; and rest and exercise, care for the joints, school, diet and stress. When to get care the same day and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For someone past 50 whose shoulders and hips ache and stiffen every morning, someone with a new headache at the temples, a tender scalp or jaw pain when chewing, anyone just told they have polymyalgia rheumatica or giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis), and anyone taking a steroid for it. NIAMS says these closely linked inflammatory disorders almost always occur after 50 and generally respond well to treatment, and that sight problems from giant cell arteritis need a provider right away, because untreated they can lead to permanent vision loss within hours or days. The symptoms of each; who gets them and how they are linked; the exam, blood tests, biopsy and imaging, and who treats them; corticosteroids and other medicines by kind; steroid side effects, and protecting your bones. When to call 911 and when to get care the same day (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose legs burn, ache or go numb when they stand or walk and ease when they sit or lean forward, anyone whose neck hurts with tingling or weak arms or hands, and anyone just told they have spinal stenosis or shown a scan with narrowing. NIAMS says it happens when the spaces in the spine narrow and press on the spinal cord and nerve roots, usually over time and most often in the lower back and neck, and that the chances increase with age. The symptoms in the lower back and in the neck; the causes; the history, exam and imaging (and that imaging alone does not decide treatment), and who treats it; physical therapy, medicines by kind, and when surgery comes up; self-care tips. When to go to an emergency room now (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For a parent or caregiver who has noticed a child’s uneven shoulders or hips, a shoulder blade that sticks out, or one side of the rib cage higher when the child bends forward; a family with a note from a school screening; and anyone just told their child has scoliosis, needs a brace, or may need surgery. NIAMS says scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine, seen from the back, that in most children the cause is not known, and that with treatment, observation and follow-up most children and teens have normal, active lives. The signs; who gets it and the causes; the history, exam and x-rays, and who treats it; watching it, a brace, surgery and physical therapy; exercise, wearing the brace, and support. When to call 911 and when to get care the same day (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with bone pain that will not go away, anyone whose x-ray or blood test pointed to Paget’s disease, and anyone just told they have it. NIAMS says Paget’s disease of bone is a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that causes bones to grow larger and become weaker than normal, usually in just one or a few bones; that many people with it have no symptoms; that it does not spread to normal bones; and that with treatment many people can manage their symptoms, improve pain and control the effects of the disease. The symptoms and what can follow; who gets it and the causes; the x-ray, blood test and bone scan, and who treats it; medicines by kind, surgery for complications, calcium, vitamin D and exercise; preventing falls. When to go to an emergency room and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with hip, groin or joint pain that is getting worse, anyone who has taken steroid medicine for a long time, and anyone just told they have osteonecrosis. NIAMS says that in osteonecrosis, also called avascular necrosis, blood flow to part of a bone is disrupted, so the bone tissue dies and the joint can collapse; that it most often affects the hip; that it is most common in people in their 30s and 40s; and that early diagnosis increases the chance that treatment will work. The symptoms; the risk factors (an injury, long use of corticosteroids at high doses, alcohol, tobacco, some conditions and treatments); the x-ray, MRI and CT scan, and who treats it; treatment without surgery and the surgeries; living with it. When to go to an emergency room, when to call the provider the same day, and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose hip pain limits what they can do, anyone told they may need a new hip or with a surgery date, and the people who will help them at home. NIAMS says hip replacement surgery removes the diseased parts of the hip joint and replaces them with new, artificial parts, to relieve pain, improve how the hip works and help you move. Why it is done (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteonecrosis, a broken hip) and what to try first (pain medicines, physical therapy, a cane or walker); getting ready weeks before, and setting up your home; anesthesia, the incision and the new parts; the hospital, therapy, a recovery that goes on for a year, and a second surgery; life with a new hip, high-impact activities, and NIAMS’s list for preventing falls. When to call 911 or 988, and whom to ask about the signs that mean call the surgeon (ours). The words to say to the surgeon (built from what you tick), and a card to keep by your chair. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who twisted an ankle, pulled a muscle or took a fall, anyone whose elbow, knee or shoulder hurts from the same motion over and over, at play or at work, and parents of young athletes. NIAMS says sports injuries are not limited to athletes; that acute injuries happen suddenly and chronic ones come from overuse; that many can be treated at home with rest, ice, compression and elevation (R-I-C-E); and which signs mean you should see a provider. Sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, tendinitis and bursitis; the common shoulder, elbow, knee, leg and ankle injuries; the risk factors; the exam and imaging; casts, braces and surgery; rehabilitation and avoiding the next injury. When to go to an emergency room and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose knee, ankle or heel started to hurt and swell a few weeks after a stomach bug, food poisoning, a bladder infection or a sexually transmitted infection, anyone with sore joints and red eyes or burning when they pee, and anyone just told they have reactive arthritis. NIAMS says it is a reaction to a bacterial infection; that the symptoms typically start 1 to 6 weeks later, usually after the infection is gone; that the joints, eyes and urinary tract can all be involved, though not always together; and that it often clears up on its own within weeks or months. The signs, including heel pain and a swollen finger or toe; the bacteria that trigger it, HLA-B27 and who gets it; the exam and the tests; the medicines by kind and physical therapy; living with it. When to get care today and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with long arms, legs and fingers, loose joints, or a chest that caves in or sticks out who wonders whether it is Marfan syndrome, anyone with it in the family or a relative who died young of an unexplained heart problem, and anyone just told that they or their child have it. NIAMS says it is a genetic disorder of connective tissue that can affect the skeleton, eyes, heart and blood vessels, skin and lungs; that a change in the FBN1 gene causes it, passed on with a 1 in 2 chance to each child, though about one-quarter of people have a new change; that no single test can diagnose it; and that advances in treatment let people with it live long, productive lives. The signs and the problems that can develop, including an aortic aneurysm; the history, the exam and the tests; medicines by kind, braces, glasses, therapy and surgery; check-ups, activity, pregnancy and support. When to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose bones break easily, from a small bump or for no clear reason, anyone with OI in the family, and anyone just told that they or their child have osteogenesis imperfecta. NIAMS says it is a genetic disease, also known as brittle bone disease, in which bones break easily, often with no obvious cause; that a change in a gene for type I collagen causes most cases, passed on with a 1 in 2 chance in the dominant form or a 1 in 4 chance per pregnancy in the recessive form; that type I is the mildest and most common and type II the most severe; and that there is no cure, but treatment can prevent or control symptoms. The signs, from the bones to the eyes, teeth, hearing and breathing; the history, x-rays, bone density and genetic tests; therapy, medicines by kind, casts, rodding surgery, mobility aids, dental and hearing care; calcium and vitamin D, exercise such as swimming, and support. What to do if a bone may be broken, and when to call 911 (ours). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told that they or their child have fibrous dysplasia, and anyone whose x-ray, taken for something else, found it by chance. NIAMS says fibrous dysplasia happens when abnormal fibrous (scar-like) tissue replaces healthy bone, which weakens the bone over time and can lead to bone pain, misshapen or bowed bones and fractures; that it can be in one bone or many, alone or as part of McCune-Albright syndrome; that a gene changes early in the pregnancy, so it is not inherited and is not passed on to children; and that there is no cure, but treatments may help relieve pain. The bones it affects most, and what it can do to the legs, face, sinuses, spine, eyes and ears; x-rays, MRI or CT, a bone scan and a biopsy; physical therapy, a cast, splint or brace, surgery, medicines and the team; checkups, the right exercise, asking about calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus, and support groups. What to do if a bone may be broken, and when to call 911 or 988 (ours). The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told that they or their child have osteopetrosis, parents of a baby with the severe infantile form, and teenagers and adults whose x-ray found it. NIAMS says osteopetrosis is a group of rare genetic disorders that make bones grow abnormally and become overly dense, so they are brittle and break easily; that the thick bone can press on nerves, changing sight and hearing, and crowd out the bone marrow, which can lead to anemia, infection and bleeding; and that there are three types: a severe infantile form, a later form with a wide range (Albers-Schönberg disease), and a rare X-linked form. How each type is inherited; x-rays, genetic testing, blood tests, CAT scans and MRI; interferon gamma-1b and corticosteroids (the medicines NIAMS names), physical and occupational therapy, casts, splints and surgery, a bone marrow transplant, and the team; checkups, exercise, food and support groups. What to do for a fever, bleeding that will not stop, or a bone that may be broken, and when to call 911 or 988 (ours). The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For parents of a child or teen just told it is juvenile osteoporosis, for teens themselves, and for families whose child takes a medicine that can weaken bones. NIAMS says osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when the bones get weaker and less dense, and that in a child or teen it is called juvenile osteoporosis; that it is uncommon; and that it comes during the major bone-building years, so it can cause loss of height or delayed growth and a high risk of fractures. It is usually caused by another illness (such as celiac disease, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, eating disorders, juvenile idiopathic arthritis or kidney disease), a medicine for it (such as anticonvulsants, corticosteroids or cyclosporine), or habits around food and exercise; in very rare cases no cause is found, and that form often goes away on its own. The bone density test and the Z-score; treating the cause, the lowest possible dose, calcium, vitamin D and activity. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own, and what to do for a break, 911 or 988 (ours). The words to say to a doctor or nurse (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose fingers go numb or tingle, especially at night, anyone who wakes up shaking out a hand, and anyone who now drops things or finds buttons hard. NIAMS says carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve is pressed or squeezed at the wrist; that it usually starts slowly, with numbness or tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often at night first; that researchers do not know the causes, but a wrist injury, vibrating machinery, thyroid problems, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and fluid retention in pregnancy or menopause can add to it; and that early diagnosis and treatment matter. The exam, lab tests, x-rays, a nerve conduction study, electromyography and ultrasound; a night splint, a steroid injection, and open or endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery, which usually solves the problem for good; ice, rest, short breaks and ergonomic tools. When to call 911 (ours: sudden numbness or weakness on one side may be a stroke). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For any parent or caregiver whose child or teen is still hurting after a fall, a hit or a hard season of one sport, and for any young athlete. NIAMS says growth plates, the areas of tissue near the ends of a child’s long bones, are weak spots in a growing skeleton; that injuries to them often need immediate treatment to prevent problems with bone growth; and that with proper treatment most growth plate fractures heal without any lasting effect. The signs (pain and tenderness that stay, swelling or warmth at the end of a bone, a limb that will not bend or take weight); who gets them (more often boys; competitive sports; overuse in gymnastics, long-distance running and pitching); the exam, x-rays (growth plates do not show up on them), MRI, CT and ultrasound, and the Salter-Harris types; a cast or splint, setting the bone by hand or with surgery; follow-up visits to watch the bone grow, strengthening exercises, and getting back to play. When to call 911 (ours: a bone through the skin, a badly bent limb, a numb, cold or pale hand or foot, a hurt head, neck or back). The words to say to a provider (built from what you tick), and a card for the visit. Each fact is passed on by name from NIAMS. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone living with migraine or headaches that keep coming back, and the people beside them: the signs that mean call or see a doctor right away, how tension-type headache, migraine and cluster headache differ, the phases of a migraine, what can set one off, what to do during an attack, the medicines that treat and prevent them, why taking headache medicine too often can backfire, what helps without medicines, headaches in children and teens, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone going through perimenopause or menopause, and the people beside them: which bleeding to have checked (any bleeding after a full year without a period), what the transition is and how long it lasts, what to try first for hot flashes and night sweats, sleep, mood and memory, vaginal dryness, pain during sex and bladder leaks, early menopause, hormone therapy and the medicines without hormones (with what the FDA announced in November 2025 beside the older advice), staying well afterwards, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card for your dates. Each fact is passed on by name from the National Institute on Aging, the Office on Women’s Health or the Food and Drug Administration. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For people who have sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait, parents whose baby’s newborn screening came back with it, and the people beside them: the symptoms that are emergencies (severe pain, a fever of more than 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit, chest pain or trouble breathing, signs of a stroke), what to do in a pain crisis and how to be heard, what the trait means, newborn screening and blood tests, hydroxyurea and the other treatments including transfusions, transplant and gene therapy, day-to-day care for adults and children, periods, birth control and pregnancy, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to carry. Each fact is passed on from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute by name. No amounts of any medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For people who were told their blood pressure is high (hypertension), people who just got a very high reading, and the people beside them. What the two numbers mean; what to do with a reading of 180/120 and when to call 911; how to get a true reading at home or at a visit; the habits and the kinds of medicine that bring it down; salt, potassium and the DASH eating plan; what raises the risk; and high blood pressure during and after pregnancy. It builds the questions to ask at a visit and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, what the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says. It names no medicine brands and gives no amounts of medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For people who were told they have atrial fibrillation, people whose heart flutters, races or skips and who do not know why, and the people beside them. The signs that are a 911 call; what it feels like and the four types; how it is found; blood clots, stroke and blood thinners; the medicines that slow the heart or steady its rhythm; cardioversion, ablation and other procedures; day-to-day care; and what raises the risk. It builds the questions to ask at a visit and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, what the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says. It names no medicine brands and gives no amounts of medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For people who were told their cholesterol is high, people holding a lab report they cannot read, and the people beside them. What total, LDL, HDL and triglyceride numbers mean; how often to be tested; the habits and the kinds of medicine that bring it down; what is said about statin side effects and staying safe on a statin; food; what raises it; and what to know when it runs in the family. It builds the questions to ask at a visit and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, what the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says. It names no medicine brands and gives no amounts of medicine. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease; anyone tired, cold and wondering about their thyroid; anyone starting or changing thyroid medicine; anyone pregnant with a thyroid problem; and anyone caring for someone with one. NIDDK says hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones to meet the body’s needs; that nearly 5 out of 100 Americans ages 12 and older have it; and that it most likely can be completely controlled with thyroid hormone medicine taken as instructed. The common symptoms (fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold, dry skin and thinning hair, heavy or irregular periods, depression) and the rare emergency, myxedema coma; who is more likely to get it and the causes (Hashimoto’s disease, thyroiditis, surgery, radioactive iodine, some medicines, present at birth); the exam and blood tests (TSH, T4, TPO antibodies); levothyroxine, what affects how it is absorbed and when to take it; seaweed, iodine and cough syrup; pregnancy; and the follow-up blood tests. Very hard to wake, newly confused, or chest pain: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose heart races, whose hands shake, or who is losing weight without trying and wondering about their thyroid; anyone just told they have hyperthyroidism or Graves’ disease; anyone choosing between medicine, radioactive iodine and surgery, or taking antithyroid medicine; anyone pregnant with a thyroid problem; and anyone caring for someone with one. NIDDK says hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than the body needs; that about 1 out of 100 Americans ages 12 and older have it; and that Graves’ disease causes about 4 out of 5 cases. The symptoms (weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, nervousness, shaky hands, trouble with heat) and what it can do untreated (heart, bones, eyes); who is more likely to get it and the causes (Graves’ disease, overactive nodules, thyroiditis, too much iodine or thyroid hormone medicine); the blood tests, iodine uptake test, scan and Doppler ultrasound; beta-blockers, methimazole and propylthiouracil, radioactive iodine and surgery, and the side effects NIDDK says to call about right away; Graves’ eye disease and smoking; seaweed and iodine; pregnancy and breastfeeding. Chest pain, fainting, trouble breathing, or signs of a stroke: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told their prolactin is high or that they have a prolactinoma, anyone with milk from the breasts or periods that changed or stopped, and men with less interest in sex. NIDDK says what a prolactinoma (a benign pituitary tumor) is and the signs; what else raises prolactin, medicines included; the tests (a blood test, an MRI); the treatment (cabergoline, bromocriptine, surgery, radiation); and pregnancy. 911 for a sudden, very bad headache or sudden loss of sight (ours). The questions to ask, and a card. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have prediabetes or insulin resistance; anyone wondering whether to get tested; anyone holding an A1C or fasting glucose result; anyone whose doctor brought up their weight or metformin; and anyone worried about a child or a parent. NIDDK says prediabetes is when blood glucose (blood sugar) is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes; that in 2021 about 97.6 million people in the United States ages 18 and older had it; and that many people can take steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Why there are usually no symptoms, and what it can lead to (type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years for many, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease); who is more likely to get it (35 or older, family history, not active, gestational diabetes, PCOS, sleep apnea, some medicines); who should be tested and when; the A1C, fasting glucose and glucose tolerance tests and the numbers NIDDK gives; healthy food and drinks, activity, sleep, small changes and the National Diabetes Prevention Program; managing weight (5% to 7% in the DPP study) and metformin. Very thirsty, urinating a lot and now vomiting, breathing fast or very confused: 911 (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NIDDK. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone told their blood count, hemoglobin or iron is low; anyone tired, weak, pale or dizzy and wondering why; anyone with heavy periods; anyone pregnant; anyone just handed iron pills or B12 shots; and anyone worried about a baby or young child. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says anemia develops when your blood produces a lower-than-normal amount of healthy red blood cells, so your body does not get enough oxygen-rich blood; that the most common type is iron-deficiency anemia; and that mild anemia is common and treatable. The signs (tiredness, weakness, paleness, shortness of breath, dizziness; tingling and memory problems with low B12); the causes (blood loss, heavy periods, aspirin and NSAIDs, not enough iron or B12, celiac and Crohn’s disease, kidney disease, some heartburn medicines and metformin); the complete blood count and NHLBI’s normal ranges, ferritin and B12 levels, and the tests that look for the cause; foods with iron and B12, and vitamin C; iron pills (three to six months), IV iron, B12 by mouth, nose spray or shot, and transfusions; anemia in pregnancy and in young children. Chest pain, fainting, trouble breathing or heavy bleeding: 911; a child swallowed iron pills: Poison Help (ours). The words to say to a doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NHLBI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have glaucoma or high eye pressure; anyone over 60, African American and over 40, or with glaucoma in the family and wondering when to get checked; anyone using glaucoma eye drops, or offered laser treatment or surgery; anyone losing side vision; and parents of a baby with cloudy eyes. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging the optic nerve; that at first it usually has no symptoms, so half of people with glaucoma do not know they have it; and that there is no cure, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision. The signs (side vision first; in babies, cloudy eyes, light sensitivity, extra tears) and the emergency (sudden intense eye pain, nausea, a red eye, blurry vision: a doctor or an emergency room now); who is at higher risk (over 60, especially Hispanic or Latino; African American and over 40; a family history) and the types; the comprehensive dilated eye exam every 1 to 2 years at higher risk, and eye pressure (above 21 is higher than normal for most people, but normal varies); eye drops every day, the kinds, sticking with them and side effects; laser treatment and surgery (trabeculectomy, implants, MIGS). Ours: 911 if you cannot get there quickly. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone just told they have a cataract; anyone whose vision is getting cloudy, faded or full of glare; anyone 60 or older wondering when to get checked; anyone deciding about surgery or getting ready for it; anyone whose vision is cloudy again after surgery; and parents of a child with a cataract. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says a cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye; that by age 80 most people have cataracts or have had surgery for them; that most people do not need to rush into surgery; and that surgery, the only way to get rid of a cataract, is very safe and helps about 9 out of 10 people see better. The signs (cloudy vision, faded colors, glare, halos, trouble at night) and the warning signs after surgery (vision loss, bad pain, very red eyes, floaters: call your eye doctor right away); who is at higher risk, the types, and protecting your eyes; the dilated eye exam every 1 to 2 years at 60 or older; what helps early on (brighter lights, anti-glare sunglasses, magnifiers, new glasses) and deciding when; surgery: getting ready, the day, healing, and a secondary cataract later. Ours: an emergency room if you cannot reach your eye doctor, 911 if you cannot get there. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone with diabetes (type 1, type 2, or diabetes in pregnancy) who wants to protect their eyesight; anyone just told they have diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema; anyone with blurry vision or dark floating spots; anyone pregnant with diabetes; and anyone facing eye injections, laser treatment or surgery. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss for people with diabetes; that it may have no symptoms at first, so everyone with diabetes should get a dilated eye exam at least once a year; that managing your diabetes is the best way to lower your risk; and that treatment can stop your vision from getting worse. The signs (dark floating spots or streaks like cobwebs: get treatment right away) and pain or worsening vision after an eye injection (call your eye doctor right away); who is at risk (any kind of diabetes, longer with diabetes, pregnancy, high blood pressure or cholesterol), the cause, and macular edema, neovascular glaucoma and retinal detachment; the dilated eye exam and how often; protecting your sight (blood sugar, the A1C test, blood pressure, cholesterol); treatment: anti-VEGF and steroid injections, scatter laser surgery, and vitrectomy. Ours: an emergency room if you cannot reach your eye doctor, 911 if you cannot get there. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone age 55 or older, or with AMD in the family, who wants to protect their eyesight; anyone just told they have age-related macular degeneration, dry or wet; anyone who sees straight lines look wavy or a blurry spot in the middle of their vision; anyone wondering about AREDS 2 vitamins; anyone facing eye injections; and anyone finding reading, faces or cooking harder. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says AMD is a leading cause of vision loss for older adults but does not cause complete blindness; that early AMD has no symptoms, so regular eye exams matter; that straight lines looking wavy is a warning sign to see your eye doctor right away; and that wet AMD has effective treatments. The signs stage by stage (early, intermediate, late) and pain or worsening vision after an eye injection (call your eye doctor right away); dry and wet AMD; who is at risk (age 55 and older, family history, smoking); the dilated eye exam and OCT; healthy choices; AREDS 2 supplements: who they may help, the risks, beta-carotene and smoking; anti-VEGF injections and photodynamic therapy; living with low vision. Ours: an emergency room if vision is suddenly lost or you cannot reach your eye doctor, 911 if you cannot get there. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who suddenly sees a lot of new floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow like a curtain over part of their vision; anyone with a few floaters who wonders whether they are normal; anyone who was hit in the eye; anyone at higher risk because of a past detachment, family history, eye surgery, extreme nearsightedness or diabetes; anyone told they have a tear in the retina; and anyone facing surgery or just home from it. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says retinal detachment, when the retina is pulled away from its normal position at the back of the eye, is a medical emergency that can cause permanent vision loss: with its warning signs, go to your eye doctor or the emergency room right away. The warning signs (a lot of new floaters, flashes of light, a dark shadow or curtain); the 3 types (rhegmatogenous, tractional, exudative) and who is at higher risk; the dilated eye exam, ultrasound and OCT; protective eye gear and floaters that are normal; laser and freeze treatment for a tear; pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckle and vitrectomy, and what recovery asks of you; treatment succeeds for about 9 out of 10 people. Ours: 911 if you cannot get there, and do not drive yourself. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose eyes burn, sting, feel scratchy or look red; anyone who looks at a screen most of the day or wears contact lenses; anyone whose dry eyes started with a new medicine, after laser eye surgery, with age, pregnancy or menopause, or with diabetes, a thyroid problem, lupus or Sjögren syndrome; and anyone for whom drops from the store are not helping. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says dry eye happens when your eyes don’t make enough tears to stay wet, or your tears don’t work correctly; it is common, and if severe dry eye isn’t treated it can sometimes damage the cornea. The signs (a scratchy feeling, stinging or burning, red eyes, sensitivity to light, blurry vision) and when to see an eye doctor; who is more likely to get it and what causes it (age, hormones, contact lenses, medicines, health problems, laser surgery, wind and smoke, screens); the dilated eye exam and the slit lamp, Schirmer’s and tear break up time tests; everyday changes that may help; artificial tears, prescription drops, tear duct plugs and surgery. Ours: a hurt eye, sudden eye pain or a sudden change in sight is not something to wait on. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone whose eye is suddenly red, painful, blurry or bothered by light, or who sees floaters; anyone with lupus, psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis or another disease of the immune system, or with shingles or another infection; anyone who smokes; anyone given steroid eye drops, pills or a shot; anyone whose uveitis went away and came back; and anyone just told they have it. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says uveitis is inflammation inside your eye, and it can cause vision loss if it isn’t treated: see your eye doctor right away if you have symptoms. The signs (blurry vision, floaters, eye pain, red eyes, sensitivity to light, usually starting suddenly); the uvea and the four types (anterior, intermediate, posterior, panuveitis); who gets it (most common at ages 20 to 60, higher risk if you smoke) and what causes it (some autoimmune diseases, infections, cancers); the dilated eye exam and other tests; steroid eye drops, pills, injections and implants, and why they need regular eye exams. Ours: suddenly a lot of new floaters, flashes or a curtain is the warning of a detached retina. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For anyone who squints to see far away, holds a phone or a book farther away to read, gets headaches or tired eyes from reading or screens, sees glare or halos around lights at night, still sees blurry with glasses or contacts, has a child who may need glasses, or cannot afford an eye exam. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says refractive errors are the most common type of vision problem: more than 150 million Americans have one, and many don’t know they could be seeing better. The signs (blurry vision most of all; squinting, headaches, eye strain, glare or halos); the four types (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia); who has them (they run in families, most start in childhood, presbyopia usually after 45) and what causes them (eyeball length, the shape of the cornea, aging of the lens); the eye exam, simple and painless; glasses (the simplest and safest way), contact lenses and surgery. Ours: a sudden change in sight, eye pain, or a lot of new floaters, flashes or a curtain is not something to wait on. The words to say to an eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For a parent or anyone looking after a child who squints, shuts one eye, tilts their head to see, or has an eye that drifts in, out, up or down; for a child aged 3 to 5, or one who has never had their vision checked; for a family just told a child has amblyopia, with a patch or eye drops to manage; and for adults who have had a lazy eye since childhood. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says amblyopia is the most common cause of vision loss in kids, up to 3 out of 100 children have it, and early treatment works well. The signs (hard to notice; squinting, shutting 1 eye, tilting the head; poor depth perception); the vision check all kids need at least once between 3 and 5; which children are more likely to have it (born early or small, a family history, developmental disabilities); the causes (refractive errors, strabismus, cataract); treatment (treat the vision problem first, then a patch or eye drops on the stronger eye; the sooner, the better). Ours: a sudden change in sight, eye pain, an eye that suddenly starts to turn, or new double vision is not something to wait on. The words to say to the doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For someone who mixes up red and green, or blue and yellow; for a parent whose child has trouble learning colors, or who has color blindness in the family; for someone whose color vision changed later in life or with a medicine; and for anyone whose job or school work depends on telling colors apart. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says most people with color vision deficiency are born with it, about 1 in 12 men have it, and most people adjust and have no problems with everyday activities. The signs (often so mild they are hard to notice; children may hide it); when to get a child tested; the types (red-green, the most common; blue-yellow; complete, which is rare); the causes (genes passed down through the X chromosome, which is why it is more common in men; eye diseases like glaucoma and AMD; Alzheimer’s or MS; some medicines; injuries; cataracts with age); the three tests (color plate, anomaloscope, hue); what helps (special glasses and contacts, apps, help at school, accommodations at work). Ours: a sudden change in sight, eye pain, or a lot of new floaters, flashes or a curtain is not something to wait on. The words to say to the eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For someone who sees spots, threads, squiggly lines or little cobwebs drifting across their vision; for someone who suddenly sees a lot of new floaters, flashes of light or a shadow like a curtain; for someone 50 or older told the gel inside the eye is pulling away (vitreous detachment); and for someone whose floaters get in the way of daily life. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says most people have floaters that come and go and often need no treatment, but suddenly a lot of new floaters, sometimes with flashes, or a dark shadow like a curtain can be a retinal tear or detachment, which can be a medical emergency: go to your eye doctor or the emergency room right away. What floaters look like and why they seem to move away; why they happen (strands of the vitreous casting shadows on the retina); more serious causes (infections, injuries, uveitis, bleeding, vitreous detachment, a retinal tear or detachment); who is at higher risk (very nearsighted, diabetes, cataract surgery); vitreous detachment (usually after 50; a sudden increase in floaters and flashes; only a dilated eye exam can tell if it caused a serious problem; a retinal tear, retinal detachment, macular hole or macular pucker); the dilated eye exam and the ride home; treatment (none for most; vitrectomy when floaters get in the way, and the recovery). Ours: 911 in an emergency, and do not drive yourself if your sight is affected. The words to say to the eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For someone whose eyelids are red, itchy, swollen or crusty when they wake up; for someone told they have blepharitis and wondering how to clean their eyelids; for someone with dandruff, rosacea or oily skin; and for someone who keeps getting a stye or a chalazion. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says blepharitis is a common eye condition that makes the eyelids red, swollen, irritated and itchy and can leave crusty, dandruff-like flakes on the eyelashes; it isn’t contagious and usually doesn’t cause lasting damage, and the main treatment is cleaning the eyelids every day and keeping them free of crusts. The common symptoms and the more serious problems (blurry vision, eyelashes that fall out or grow the wrong way, swelling of the cornea); who is at higher risk (dandruff, rosacea, oily skin, allergies); the causes (too much bacteria at the base of the eyelashes, clogged oil glands) and the 2 types; what else it can lead to (a stye, a chalazion, dry eye, damage to the cornea, a red eye that stays red); NEI’s 7 steps for cleaning the eyelids; the eye exam and other treatment (steroid eye drops, artificial tears, medicines that fight infection, treating rosacea or dandruff); and why it is a routine for life. Ours: sudden loss of sight, bad eye pain, or a chemical or a hit to the eye is an emergency room or 911. The words to say to the eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For someone who sees straight lines bent or wavy, or a blurry spot in the middle; for someone told they have a macular hole or a macular pucker and wondering what happens next; for someone facing a vitrectomy or living with a gas bubble in the eye; and for someone wondering whether it is the same as macular degeneration. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says both are rare eye conditions of the macula, the small area at the center of the retina that gives you central vision: a macular hole is an opening that forms in the macula, usually after it is stretched or pulled, and a macular pucker is a membrane that makes wrinkles over it. The signs of each (lines that look bent or wavy, a blurry or blind spot, missing or crowded words); why neither is AMD; who is at risk (age, being very nearsighted, an eye injury or surgery, floaters, a retinal tear, uveitis; about 1 in 10 people with a hole in 1 eye get one in the other) and the causes; the dilated eye exam and the OCT test; for a hole, early surgery (vitrectomy with a gas bubble) can often restore vision, and the bubble means no flying and no laughing gas until it is gone; for a pucker, most people need no treatment, and the 2 surgeries when it makes daily life hard. Ours: sudden loss of sight, a curtain, or a shower of new floaters or flashes is an emergency. The words to say to the eye doctor (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Each fact is passed on by name from NEI. General information, not medical advice.
For people who have heart failure (congestive heart failure), people who get short of breath or have swelling and do not know why, and the people beside them. When to go to the emergency room or call 911 and when to call your provider; the symptoms; the tests and what the ejection fraction number means; the kinds of medicine, devices and surgery; weighing yourself each morning and the other checks to do at home; salt, fluid, activity and sleep; what causes it; your mood, and palliative care. It builds the questions to ask at a visit and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, what the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs patient guide say. It names no medicine brands and gives no amounts. General information, not medical advice.
For people who have COPD (emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or both), who have a cough that won’t go away or get winded easily, or who look after someone who does: the signs that make a flare-up a 911 call, the symptoms and who is at risk, the breathing test (spirometry), the kinds of medicine and getting the inhaler right, pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen and what Medicare says it pays, making the days easier at home, quitting smoking, your heart and your mood, the free Lung HelpLine, the questions to ask at a visit (built from what you tick), and a card to carry. Each fact is passed on from its source by name. No medicine names or amounts. General information, not medical advice.
For people who may have been exposed to HIV, who want a test or are afraid of one, who have just tested positive, who have HIV and have fallen out of care, or whose partner has HIV, and the people beside them: the 72 hours after a possible exposure (PEP), getting tested and the window period, what a result means, the first steps after a positive test, treatment and what “undetectable” means, PrEP and what it costs, who needs to know and who doesn’t, your rights, paying for care, pregnancy, the questions to ask (built from what you tick), and a card to keep that says nothing about you. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For anyone with immigration papers to deal with, and the people beside them. Who is authorized to give immigration advice, and how to check them; where the free and low-cost lists are; how the notario and payment scams work; filing by yourself with free forms; checking a USCIS case; finding an immigration court date at any hour; finding someone who was detained; and where to report being cheated. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card. It passes on, by name and date, the FTC, USCIS, the Department of Justice and USAGov. It does not say what anyone qualifies for, and gives no deadline or fee. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone who left school without a diploma and wants one now, at 17 or at 70, and the people cheering them on. The real ways to finish; how to find out which test your state uses; where the free classes are; what the GED test and the HiSET exam ask of you; testing at home; accommodations for disabilities; the signs of a diploma scam; and who to ask. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep track. It passes on, by name and date, the FTC, CareerOneStop and the two tests’ own sites, and says that those two sell the tests. It prints no price and no state’s rules, because they change. General information, not legal or professional advice.
For anyone who can’t make a student loan payment, is in default, is having pay or a tax refund taken, co-signed a loan, or was offered “forgiveness” for a fee. How to tell federal loans from private ones and find your servicer; asking for a lower payment; what deferment and forbearance cost; what default can bring; the two ways out of default on a federal loan; private loans and co-signers; the forgiveness programs; the signs of a scam; and where to dispute or complain. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep track. It passes on, by name and date, USAGov and the CFPB. Rules change: it names no repayment plan, and says that StudentAid.gov could not be read. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For anyone who has never had a bank account, was turned down for one, lost one with money owing, or is paying to cash checks. What an account does for you; the FDIC’s six steps and the ID for opening one, including if you are not a citizen; eight questions for choosing one; why banks turn people down and the notice they have to give you; how to get your free checking account report and dispute a mistake in it; second chance and no-overdraft accounts; credit unions; and cashing checks and prepaid cards until you have one. It puts the lines you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep track. It passes on, by name, the FDIC, the CFPB and the NCUA. It gives no state’s rules and recommends no bank. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For anyone who has never seen their credit report, was turned down because of one, found a mistake on one, or is being offered credit repair for a fee. What a credit report is and who looks at it; the only authorized place to get yours for free; what to check; how to dispute a mistake with the credit bureau and with the business that reported it; what has to happen in the next 30 days; how long true information stays; and the FTC’s signs of a credit repair scam. It puts the lines you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep track of a dispute. It passes on, by name, the FTC and the CFPB. It gives no state’s rules, names no product and no score to aim for. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For anyone thinking about a payday loan or a car title loan, stuck in one, behind on car payments, or whose car was just repossessed. How these loans work and what they cost, in the FTC’s own examples; other ways to get money first; what to ask a payday lender for; how to stop automatic withdrawals from a bank account; what to do before a repossession and after one (your belongings, getting the car back, the sale, what you may still owe); and the protections for military families. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, the FTC and the CFPB. It gives no state’s rules and does not tell anyone what to do. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For anyone who can no longer pay what they owe. What bankruptcy is and is not, what to try first, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 side by side, the steps in order (the credit counseling course that has to come first, the papers, the meeting with the trustee, the second course), the court fees and how to ask to pay in installments or have them waived, what filing stops, what it usually does not erase, and what happens after a discharge. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Trustee Program, the FTC and the CFPB. It gives no state’s exemptions and does not tell anyone to file. General information, not legal advice.
For people who are being called, written to, threatened or sued over a debt, and the people beside them: what to do with court papers, what to ask on the first call and what not to give, how to tell a real collector from a scam, how to dispute a debt within 30 days, how to make the calls stop, what a collector may not do, old debts, what they can and can’t take, what is protected if you live on Social Security or other benefits, a debt of someone who died, reporting a collector, the words to say (built from what you tick), and a card to keep by the phone. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For people whose card, account, Social Security number, tax refund, medical insurance or child’s information has been used by someone else, who got a data breach notice, and the people beside them: the three steps for today, a fraud alert and a credit freeze and how they differ, closing accounts you never opened, clearing your credit report, the deadlines on a lost card, debts that aren’t yours, the IRS and the IP PIN, medical and child identity theft, IDs, benefits and an arrest in your name, what the paid services do and don’t do, the words to say (built from what you tick), and a card to keep with your papers. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For people who are behind on an electric, gas, heating, water, phone or internet bill, who hold a shutoff notice or whose service is already off, and the people beside them: what to do before the date on the notice, how to ask for a payment plan you can keep, federal energy assistance (LIHEAP) and how to apply, what state shutoff rules do and don’t do, weatherization, Lifeline for phone and internet, what is left for water bills, deposits and denials, the shutoff call that is a scam, the words to say (built from what you tick), and a card to keep with your bills. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For homeowners who have missed a mortgage payment or are about to, who hold a foreclosure notice, a sale date or court papers, and the people beside them: who to call first, the free HUD-approved housing counselor, ways to stay in your home (a repayment plan, forbearance, a loan modification), ways to leave without a foreclosure, how a foreclosure goes, a sale date or court papers, help for FHA and VA loans, reverse mortgages, the “rescue” offer that is a scam, what to do when the servicer won’t work with you, the words to say (built from what you tick), and a card to keep with your mortgage papers. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For renters who are behind on rent or about to be, who hold a demand for payment, an eviction notice, court papers or a move-out date, who were locked out, or who have already lost a home, and the people beside them: what to do today, talking with your landlord, where the help with rent is, a free lawyer and a housing counselor, a notice with no lawsuit yet, what to do with court papers, what to do if the court has ruled, lockouts and what a landlord cannot do, discrimination and violence at home, servicemembers and veterans, where to sleep and how to keep a mailing address if you have lost your home, an eviction on your record and fake rental listings, the words to say to your landlord (built from what you tick), and a card to keep with your lease. General information, not legal or financial advice.
For any teen or young person who ran away, was kicked out, is thinking about leaving home, or has no safe place to sleep, and for the adults who care about one: the National Runaway Safeline (call or text 1-800-786-2929 at any hour) and what it keeps confidential, Safe Place sites and its text line, the free Home Free bus ticket, federally funded youth shelters and longer housing, staying in school without an address, free school meals, and what a worried parent can do. It builds the first words to say from what you tick, and prints a card to keep. Each fact is passed on from its source by name. No state’s law, and it will not tell you to go home or to stay away. General information, not professional advice.
For any parent or guardian who needs child care and can’t find a place, can’t pay for one, or isn’t sure a place is safe: the kinds of care, how to search in your state, what to do about waitlists, help with the cost (state assistance, Head Start, tax credits), what a license and a background check mean, inspection reports, the contract, a child with a disability or one asked to leave, and where to report a problem. It builds the questions to ask a program from what you tick, and prints a card to keep. It passes on ChildCare.gov, the federal government’s child care site, by name. No state’s rules or income limits. General information, not professional advice.
For anyone whose marriage is ending, who was handed court papers, or who is working out where the children will live, married or not: how to get ready, how a divorce goes, how property and debts are divided, how a judge decides custody, what to know before you move or travel with the children, what protects you if you are afraid of the other person (1-800-799-7233), helping children through it, what you can do after a decision, and where to find free legal help. It builds the questions to ask a lawyer from what you tick, and prints a card for your case. It passes on WomensLaw.org, Nemours KidsHealth, the IRS and USAGov by name. No state’s rules, fees or deadlines. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone with a civil or family court case and no lawyer: court papers that arrived, a case to start, a hearing coming up, a hearing by video, or a decision that went the wrong way. The usual steps and the court’s words in plain language: answering papers, filing and serving, evidence and witnesses, the day in court, testifying and objecting, appeals, and staying safe when the other person has hurt you. It builds the questions to ask the court clerk from what you tick, and prints a card to keep. It passes on WomensLaw.org, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and USAGov by name. No state’s rules or deadlines. General information, not legal advice.
For anyone whose health coverage has ended or is about to: a job’s plan, Medicaid or CHIP, a parent’s plan at 26, a spouse’s plan after a divorce or a death, a plan you fell behind on, or the move to Medicare. The 60-day and 90-day windows to pick a Marketplace plan, COBRA and its 60 days, the papers they may ask for, grace periods, how to appeal a no, care while you have nothing in place, the words for the call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. It passes on HealthCare.gov, the Department of Labor, Medicare.gov and Medicaid.gov by name. No prices. General information, not legal or insurance advice.
For young people who are about to leave foster care at 18 or later (aging out), or already have. The transition plan the agency must help you make, the papers you should leave with, Medicaid that can last until you are 26, staying in care longer or coming back, Foster Youth to Independence housing vouchers, Education and Training Vouchers and student aid, the Chafee program, your right to be heard, the words for the call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. It passes on federal publications by name and date. General information, not legal advice.
For grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers and sisters and close family friends raising a child whose parents cannot (kinship care). Who has legal custody and why it decides what you can sign, the three kinds of kinship care, getting a child into school and to a doctor, child-only grants and other money for the child, Medicaid and CHIP (1-877-543-7669), what to expect from a caseworker and a court, guardianship and adoption, what the child may be carrying, respite and support for you, the words for the call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Most of it passes on one federal factsheet from May 2022. General information, not legal advice.
For either side of a child support order: the parent or caregiver raising a child, and the parent who owes and cannot pay. Where to start (your state or tribal office, not Washington), how legal parentage and the amount are set, what an office can do when support is not paid, why the federal child support office says to ask for a review the day your income changes or before jail or prison, programs for past-due support, what happens with passports and tax refunds, what protects you if you are afraid of the other parent (1-800-799-7233), the words for the call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. General information, not legal advice.
For people who were not paid right, whose workplace is not safe, who were hurt on the job, who are harassed or treated differently, who were punished or fired after speaking up, or who are afraid to say anything, and the people beside them: what to write down, minimum wage, overtime, tips and the last paycheck, filing a wage complaint and finding back wages the Department of Labor may be holding, unsafe work and OSHA, workers’ compensation, discrimination and harassment and the EEOC’s time limits, retaliation, what to do if you were fired, talking with coworkers with or without a union, family and medical leave and pumping at work, what the agencies say about immigration status, the words to say about your pay (built from what you tick), and a card for your wallet. General information, not legal advice.
Eating less and less, bingeing, purging, or afraid of food, or watching someone you love do it: who answers at any hour (988, and a free text line), the two free weekday eating disorder helplines, the signs with no weights or numbers, getting through a hard moment, telling someone, seeing a doctor, treatment and the levels of care, finding care you can afford, free support groups, what families can do, what to do if it comes back, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical advice.
Hearing or seeing things other people don’t, feeling watched or in danger, or watching it happen to someone you love (doctors call it psychosis): who answers at any hour, what might be happening and why, getting through a frightening hour, telling someone, seeing a doctor, the early treatment that works, the government’s list of programs, the NAMI HelpLine, people who have been there, what families can do, what to say if you have to call 911, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For LGBTQ+ people of any age, people who are not sure yet, and the parents and friends beside them. Words for who you are, questions to think through before you tell anyone, a back-up plan if home or school isn’t safe, what to do when it goes badly, phone lines answered by LGBTQ+ people with their hours, and what parents can do. It puts the questions you pick on one sheet and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, The Trevor Project, the LGBT National Help Center, Trans Lifeline and a SAMHSA guide for families. No statistics, nothing on medical care or law. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988. General information, not medical or legal advice.
For the days and months after a suicide attempt: for the person who survived, and for the people who love them. What you may be feeling, what to say when people ask, how to make a plan to stay safe, how to find a counselor you can afford, what helps if you don’t go to one, and how family and friends can be there. It puts words on a page for you and prints a card to keep. It passes on, by name, SAMHSA’s handbook written with attempt survivors, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health. No methods, no statistics, no medicine names. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988. General information, not medical advice.
Hurting yourself on purpose, or fighting the urge to, or worried that someone you love is: who answers at any hour by text or phone, what self-harm is and why people do it, getting through an urge, looking after an injury, telling someone, seeing a doctor or therapist, the treatment that helps, finding help, stopping and slips, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No detail of any method. General information, not medical advice.
Flashbacks, nightmares, always on guard, numb, or avoiding everything that reminds you, or watching someone you love live like that: who answers at any hour, what is common after something terrible and what PTSD is, what to do in a flashback or after a nightmare, anger, numbness and avoiding, seeing a doctor or therapist, the treatment that works, finding someone who treats trauma, day-to-day coping, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. It never asks what happened. General information, not medical advice.
Low for weeks, empty, exhausted, or irritable and not yourself, or watching someone you love go flat and far away: who answers at any hour, what depression is and the ways it can look that aren’t sadness, the dark months and a new baby, seeing a doctor, talk therapy and antidepressants, what to do when treatment isn’t working, finding help you can afford, day-to-day steps, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
Moods that swing from very high to very low, depression that keeps coming back, nights with almost no sleep and no tiredness, or loving someone who lives like that: who answers at any hour, what bipolar disorder is and its types, what a high can look like and why the milder kind gets missed, the lows, getting the right diagnosis, treatment and the medicines (and why not to stop them alone), children and teenagers, peer support, day-to-day steadiness, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
Worry you can’t turn off, sudden waves of fear, dread of being judged, places you have started to avoid, or loving someone who lives like that: who answers at any hour, what anxiety disorders are and how stress differs from anxiety, the types, panic attacks and when they become panic disorder, seeing a doctor, the therapy that is best studied, the medicines (and why not to stop them alone), children and teenagers, finding help when the phone call is the hard part, day to day, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
Worried about your own memory, living with dementia, or caring for someone who is: who answers at any hour, how ordinary forgetfulness differs from dementia, what dementia is, seeing a doctor and why sooner helps, the medicines, tips if it is you, anger, suspicion and restlessness, safety at home and driving, money and the papers to get in order, finding help with care and who pays, looking after the person who gives the care, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No memory test and no score. General information, not medical advice.
Thoughts you don’t want that keep coming back, checking, washing, counting or repeating that you can’t stop, thoughts too upsetting to say out loud, or loving someone who lives like that: who answers at any hour, what OCD is and is not, obsessions and compulsions (including the ones nobody can see), seeing a doctor, the therapy made for OCD, the medicines (and why not to stop them alone), children and teenagers, finding someone who knows OCD, day to day, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
You can’t focus, finish things or keep track, you wonder whether it has been ADHD all along, you were just diagnosed, or it is your child or your partner: who answers at any hour, what ADHD is and is not, what it can look like, finding out as an adult, getting evaluated, treatment, the medicines (in general, no names or doses), children and teenagers and the free school evaluation, asking for changes at work, day to day, what partners and families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
You are an adult wondering whether you are autistic, you were just diagnosed, everything is too loud, too bright, too much, you are worried about how a young child is developing, or it is someone you love: who answers at any hour, what autism is and is not, what it can look like, finding out as an adult, getting evaluated, the free evaluation a state gives a young child (no referral needed), supports, therapies and medicines (in general, no names or doses), what to do when it is all too much, work, growing up, what partners and families can do, the words to say when you call or to send in writing (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Your emotions are intense and change within hours, you are terrified of being left, you feel empty or unsure who you are, you were just told you have borderline personality disorder, or it is someone you love: who answers at any hour, what the disorder is and is not, what it can look like, getting a diagnosis, the therapies that help, medicines (in general, no names or doses), what to do when a feeling is too big, hurting yourself and thoughts of suicide, other people who live with it, work, what families can do, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Reading, spelling, writing or math has always taken you more effort than it seems to take other people, you were just told you have a learning disability, dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia, or it is your child who is struggling: what a learning disability is and is not (it is not about being smart), what it can look like, finding out as an adult, getting evaluated, the free school evaluation and the steps after a no, what helps, free talking books and adult classes, extra time on the GED and other tests, work, what years of it do to a person, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
You have tics you can’t stop (blinking, jerking, sniffing, sounds or words), you were just told you have Tourette syndrome or another tic disorder, or it is your child who has tics: what tics and Tourette syndrome are and are not (not on purpose, and not mostly swearing), what tics can be like, getting a diagnosis, what helps, including a therapy that uses no medicine, what often comes with it, school and bullying, work, being out in public and meeting police, families and finding other people, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
You hit your head, or you haven’t felt right since a blow, a fall, a crash or a fight; it is your child; or it happened years ago and nobody ever looked at it: the danger signs that mean call 911, what a concussion and a brain injury are (“mild” does not mean small), what it can feel like, the first days and weeks, when it isn’t getting better, a moderate or severe injury, school and the steps back to sports, protecting your head, work, the old injury from inside, the street, home or the service, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Someone near you is having a seizure, you had one for the first time or think you did, you live with epilepsy, or it is your child: seizure first aid and when to call 911 (stay, time it, nothing in the mouth), what a seizure and epilepsy are, what a seizure can look like, after a first seizure, diagnosis and treatment, day to day, the frightening parts said plainly, mood and shame, school, work and driving, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a first-aid wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
A face that droops, an arm that goes weak or speech that comes out wrong, all of a sudden; signs that came and went; you are home after a stroke; or you are beside someone who is: the signs and calling 911 (note the time, do not drive), signs that went away, what a stroke is, at the hospital, recovery and rehabilitation, when the words won’t come (aphasia), mood and tiredness, lowering the chance of another, for the person beside them, work, driving and money, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card for aphasia to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Pressure or pain in the chest, pain in the arm, jaw or back, short of breath or a cold sweat; you are not sure it is your heart; someone has collapsed and is not responding; you are home after a heart attack; or you are beside someone who is: the signs and calling 911 (even if you are not sure; do not drive), when it doesn’t look the way you expect, what to do if the person collapses (CPR and an AED), what a heart attack is, at the hospital, recovery and cardiac rehabilitation, fear and mood, lowering the chance of another, for the person beside them, work, driving and money, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Someone with diabetes is shaky, sweaty, confused or has passed out; blood sugar is very high, or you are sick and can’t keep anything down; you have just been told you have diabetes; you are worn out by it; you can’t afford the insulin; or you are beside someone who has it: the signs of low blood sugar and what to do (sugar now if they can swallow; glucagon and 911 if they can’t), high blood sugar, sick days and ketoacidosis, what diabetes is, day to day, a program that teaches it, burnout and mood, paying for insulin and supplies, for the person beside them, work, school and driving, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
An asthma attack, yours or someone else’s; an inhaler that isn’t lasting, or that you can’t afford; you or your child have just been told it is asthma; or something at home, in the air or at work sets it off: what to do in an attack (the reliever inhaler now; 911 if it isn’t helping or breathing is still very hard), how to help someone else through one, the asthma action plan (green, yellow, red), what asthma is, the medicines and the inhaler, triggers at home, air, smoke, colds and disasters, children and school, paying for inhalers, work, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
A tight throat, a swollen tongue, hives all over or trouble breathing after a food, a sting or a medicine, yours or someone else’s; a first reaction; epinephrine you are afraid to use, or can’t afford; or a child with a serious allergy: what to do (epinephrine now if there is any, and 911; the emergency room even if it gets better), how to help someone else, the second wave, what anaphylaxis is, carrying epinephrine and a written plan, food labels and the nine major allergens, stings, medicines and latex, babies, children and school, paying for epinephrine, work, finding help, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a wallet card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Sleeping outside or in a car tonight; the heat is off, or a shutoff notice came; or someone very cold is confused or hard to wake: the signs of hypothermia and what to do (911, a warm place, wet clothes off), frostbite and cold, wet feet, carbon monoxide (never the oven, a grill or a generator indoors), finding a warm place tonight, helping a neighbor or a stranger, no heat or no power, heaters and fire, help paying for heat and shutoffs, babies, children and older people, warnings and wind chill, working in the cold, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a card to print. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
A home with no air conditioning, a day outside or in a car, a shift in the heat, a child or a pet in a parked car, or someone very hot who is confused: the signs of heat stroke and what to do while 911 comes (cool them, stay with them), heat exhaustion, cramps, fainting and rash, cooling down without air conditioning, water, children, pets and cars, checking on someone, older people, babies, pregnancy and illness, the power and the bill, heat alerts, working in the heat, the words to say when you call or write (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Someone can’t breathe, cough or speak, a baby is choking, or they are coughing hard but still breathing: is it choking, abdominal thrusts for an adult or a child (and the 2025 change to back blows for children), back blows and chest thrusts for a baby, pregnancy or someone you can’t reach around, when they stop responding, choking when you’re alone, after a scare and when to go to the emergency room, food, toys and small things for young children, older people and trouble swallowing, the words to tell a doctor or a sitter (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice and not first aid training.
A smell of gas at home or in the street, a hissing by a gas line, or the gas has been shut off: what to do right now (get everyone out, then call from somewhere else), what not to touch, who to call and from where, how to tell and how it is not carbon monoxide, before you go back in and getting the gas back on, propane tanks and cylinders, after an earthquake or a storm, 811 before you dig, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not professional advice.
The carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, people at home have headaches and feel sick, or the heat is about to come on: what to do when the alarm sounds (get out, then call), the signs and why they’re easy to miss, someone who has passed out, before you go back in, alarms (where, which, testing), furnaces, stoves, fireplaces and heaters, power outages and generators, cars, garages, snow, boats and tents, who gets sick sooner, what to do if you can’t afford an alarm or a repair or you rent, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
A fire or a sounding smoke alarm right now, a fire that just happened, or getting ready before one: getting out, what to do if you can’t get out, clothes on fire, burns and smoke, a pan fire, an oven fire and when an extinguisher makes sense, after the fire, smoke alarms (where, which, testing, chirping), an escape plan and a drill, apartments, high-rises and renting, children, older people, disability and people who are deaf or hard of hearing, stopping a fire before it starts, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not professional advice.
Someone struggling in the water right now, a person just pulled out, or getting ready before a day at the pool, the beach, the lake or the bath: what to do while they are in the water, CPR after drowning and why it includes breaths, after a rescue, a missing child near water, rip currents, cold water, floodwater and cars, babies and children (baths, pools, fences, watching, lessons), life jackets, alcohol, seizures and other risks, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice or CPR training.
Someone hurt in front of you right now, a swollen ankle or wrist you are wondering about, or living with a cast: when to call 911 and when not to move someone, what to do until help comes and how to splint, a bone through the skin, a joint out of place, sprains and strains (rest, ice, wrap, raise), children and growth plates, an older person who fell and broken hips, casts and splints and their warning signs, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice or first aid training.
Someone getting a shock right now, someone who got one and feels fine, or a downed wire, a flooded basement or a storm coming in: how to help without becoming the next person hurt, why to be seen afterwards, children, cords and outlets, downed power lines and cars, water and electricity, someone struck by lightning (they are safe to touch), staying safe in a thunderstorm, outlets, cords and work, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice, first aid training or electrical advice.
A chemical, a speck, a blow or a cut to an eye, or flashes and new floaters after an injury: what to rinse and what never to rinse, what not to pull out, when a black eye means the emergency room, a scratched eye and contact lenses, the signs that show up afterwards, a child’s eye, eye protection for sports, home, work and fireworks, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ, and names one source it chose not to use. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice or first aid training.
A permanent tooth knocked out, a baby tooth knocked out, or a chipped, cracked or loosened tooth: what to do in the first minutes, what to carry the tooth in and what never to, why a baby tooth is not put back, a bitten lip or tongue and bleeding, where to go when the dentist is closed, where to look for low-cost dental care, mouthguards, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ, and names one source it chose not to use. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical or dental advice or first aid training.
In labor and not going to make it, or beside someone who is: what to do while 911 is on the phone, getting ready in the minutes you have, as the baby is born, a cord around the neck, stuck shoulders or a baby coming bottom first, the baby’s first minutes, the cord and the afterbirth, bleeding and why to be seen afterwards, how to tell labor and labor that is too early, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to print. Reports where the sources differ, and names two sources it chose not to use. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice, not midwifery and not first aid training.
A child got into the pills or the cleaner, a double dose or the wrong medicine, two products mixed, something in an eye, a swallowed button battery, a snake bite, bad food: when it is 911 and when it is Poison Help (1-800-222-1222, free at any hour), the first steps for swallowed (do not induce vomiting), eye, skin and fumes, button batteries, medicine mistakes, children and what they get into, cleaners, pesticides and pets, food poisoning, what to do if it wasn’t an accident, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card for the fridge. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
A knife that slipped, a broken glass, a fall, a crash, a dog bite, a nosebleed that won’t stop, a child’s split lip, blood in vomit: when it is a 911 bleed, pressing hard (the first of the three things the Defense Department’s Stop the Bleed program teaches; packing and tourniquets are learned in a class), cuts and scrapes, nosebleeds, mouth, teeth and fingertips, bites, rabies and tetanus, bleeding you can’t see, the days after, finding a class, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card to keep. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
A hand on the stove, a spilled coffee, a child in a hot bath, a cleaner on the skin, a shock from a cord, clothes that caught fire, a bad sunburn: when it is a 911 burn, cool running water and not ice, what not to put on it (no butter, oil or ice, and leave blisters alone), clothes or a room on fire, chemical burns, electricity and lightning, smoke, sunburn, children and scalds, the days after, preventing the next one, the words to say when you call (built from what you tick), and a card for the kitchen. Reports where the sources differ. No quiz and no score. General information, not medical advice.
Free food pantries, soup kitchens, shelter intake and helplines across the five boroughs, re-checked against each organization’s own site, with each card saying what was confirmed and when.
One button saves these tools on your phone so they open with no signal, no data and no Wi-Fi. Calling or texting 988 and calling 911 never need the internet.
We only put a label on a tool when it is true of that page today.
The tools, this page and the Spanish versions were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). This page runs no analytics. Found a mistake, or is there a tool you wish existed? Email [email protected].
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