Happy Cyber Monday everyone! I am going to post about a fairly serious topic today-medical self advocacy, I want to Motivate you all to Speak UP!
But first the important stuff, are you still shopping? What a crazy weekend for sales. I know that many of my blogging friends publish great comprehensive lists of all the sales going on at this time of year, as well as fabulous gift guides–so I am going to stick with motivational monday, the NON shopping edition 
I hope you all have your shopping done by the end of the day today so you can slow down and enjoy this season with your loved ones. I have one gift left to buy but I know what it is so that doesn’t count right? As I mentioned earlier in THIS post, I do NOT however have my gifts wrapped. Anyone else out there need a little wrapping assistance? Maybe these gift wrap hacks from One Crazy House will help us all?? I wish there was a little wrapping fairy that would visit in the night and do that for me. Anyone???
Today I want to use Motivational Monday to talk about being your own healthcare advocate, really most of these things could apply to being an advocate for yourself in ANY area of life, but I particularly have had to deal with self advocacy in healthcare recently. So for this Motivational Monday-Speak UP!! for yourself. For example, have you ever found yourself quietly paying for something which you weren’t satisfied with and then turning around and seeking it elsewhere and hoping for better results? I used to think perhaps this had to do with being “Minnesota Nice”, a regional flaw in my personality, but I have realized it’s more a people pleasing thing and not limited by geographic region. We need to know that we can be polite and respectful while being assertive, and I am STILL working on this so don’t be fooled into thinking I just flipped a switch and became a forceful advocate for myself.
I think it is sad that we are pushed to be such forceful advocates for ourselves in the healthcare arena, but gone are the days of your doctor advocating for you, or really even pretending to care beyond getting you out the door. Maybe you all have had better experiences with this? If so, I would LOVE to hear the more positive side. Before I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease I did NOT spend much time at the doctor’s office/clinic/hospital so I didn’t even really think about having to be my own healthcare advocate. I did a yearly physical (sometimes) and that was about the extent of my healthcare experience. Now I am visiting healthcare professionals many times a month and talking to them via email and phone in addition to those visits. I think that being your own advocate and speaking up when needed is hardest in the medical profession because most of us do not have a medical background and we feel that “the doctor must know best”. I am here to tell you that is NOT always the case. YOU know your body. When things don’t feel right you need to push to get answers. A GOOD physician or caregiver should not be threatened or offended if you seek a second opinion, they shouldn’t want anyone going forward with a treatment plan they don’t fully understand and they should be willing to spend as much time as necessary ensuring that you are comfortable and fully understand you diagnosis and treatment. I know it is horrible to go through many caregivers to try and find one that is of the quality you are seeking, but it is so important!
So, here is what you need to do for yourself:
- You should trust your healthcare provider, unequivocally. You should never feel rushed or brushed off with unanswered questions. If you do, find another provider
- If you have a concern about a health issues, lump, bump, ache, pain or some new symptom (or the return of old ones) find someone who will listen and run to ground any concerns yu may have. Maybe it’s nothing, but maybe it’s not. You only have one life, and there is no reason you shouldn’t be sure about anything regarding your health.
- If a treatment plan is recommended for you and doesn’t’ feel right, say so, or get a second opinion, or both.
- Listen to you gut. If someone or something makes you uncomfortable, seek help elsewhere. Speak up if you have been treated poorly, if for no other reason than to save someone else from having the same thing happen.
- If you continue to have the same problems/symptoms even after following what you and your healthcare provider agreed upon, ask about other options. Keep pushing for this, it should NEVER be treated as one and done.
- It’s always better to have questions/concerns come from the person experiencing them, but if you CAN’T do this for yourself, find a trusted friend or family member to assist you at your medical appointments.
- It is good to stay informed on current developments with your condition/illness, but be aware of where you are getting your information and take advice from well meaning people with a grain of salt.
The bottom line here is ask questions, listen to YOURSELF. When in doubt about anything ask and push until it has been checked out, you are worth it. Wouldn’t you prefer to have asked an awful lot of questions than to find yourself ill or dying and wishing you had spoken up?
Be an advocate for YOU today.
AND, just something I had to add because I know SO many people who struggle with sleeping well at night and have tried everything, this article about plants that you should grown in your bedroom to help you sleep is interesting!
xoxo
Heidi
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