Welcome to the third installment of our blog series, “Being Your Own Health Advocate.” If you’ve been following along, you’ll recall in the first post we discussed the importance of health advocacy. Then, in the second post, we explored practical strategies for becoming a more proactive health advocate. Now, in Part 3, I’m joined by my sister JoJo again for another Q&A discussion. We’re going to talk about why informed decisions are a vital component of this journey.
The truth is, you can’t begin to stand up for yourself if you’re not educated. And being educated empowers you to be your own health advocate. Ultimately, being your own health advocate is about being informed in your decisions.
Now let’s jump in!
Disclaimer: The information on this blog is based on personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. The information on this blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please ask your doctor if you have any questions.
Question One
How can we contribute to people’s efforts to educate themselves about their health conditions and treatment options? What are ways we can support them strengthening their advocacy skills?
E: I think one of the most important things to understand in any advocacy journey, is each person holds the power over their own health. At the end of the day, the number one person who will fight for or give up on their health is you. You hold the power over you and I hold the power over me.
As much as we can support and cheer on others, we can’t do it for them. We can bring you information and encourage you, but ultimately you need to make the decision that this is important enough for you to stand up for.
So how can you…you can choose to begin somewhere. You can say to yourself, “Enough is enough, I’m going to take control now.” Then you need to actually go and do it.
J: Since I started my own health journey, our mother passed away. Which is a long story for another time, but in short it’s safe to say that the cause of her demise was related to a combination of poor diet and medications that were causing more harm than good. Because of her passing, it has made me take a much more critical look at pharmaceuticals.
All drugs have pros and cons, but you need to be educated and given informed consent on what they could possibly be. She wasn’t and it could have saved her life.
If I knew then what I knew now, I would have educated her on some questions that she could have asked her doctor and it may have had a different effect on her outcome. The primary way I think you can be the most effective advocate for yourself (and others) is by doing your own research and reading a lot about your condition, any medications you’re taking, etc.
Question Two
What advice do you have for patients on preparing for medical appointments to ensure effective communication with their healthcare team?
E: Come prepared. Come prepared to talk. You can totally practice what you’re going to say or write it out. Bring your research. Track your symptoms. Come ready to speak up and share all this information. Coming prepared helps you make informed decisions.
You are there to educate them about what you’re experiencing so you can help them find ways to treat and diagnose you. They cannot read your mind or experience your symptoms for you. They also do not know what you want to get out of the appointment. Bring your expectations to the table. You can tell them, “I want to get my labs done today for X, Y, Z.”
Come prepared.
J: I completely agree with Elisha here.
Come prepared: Definitely write down any questions that you have. I find once you’re in the room with the doctor it’s very easy to get distracted and then never get around to discussing what you wanted to.
Be vocal: About your expectations as well as experiences. I always say “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”. Ask for what you want – a type of treatment, labs, etc.
Question Three
Have you witnessed cases where seeking a second opinion led to a better diagnosis or treatment plan?
E: In my experience, getting a diagnosis on first appearances and first impressions has always given me answers like, “Growing pains,” “It’s all in your head” or, “You’re lying.” Clearly, that’s not a solid or even helpful diagnosis. It’s okay to disagree with your doctor. Because it isn’t all in your head.
J: Yes. I received a diagnosis of “It’s just stress and anxiety from your job, try this antidepressant” to “We’re not sure what it is, so…”. Neither of those was the right or acceptable answer. If the diagnosis doesn’t feel right to you, get a second (or third) opinion.
Question Four
In your experience, what are some effective ways to motivate individuals who may initially be passive about their health to become proactive advocates?
E: I think you really need to focus on doing you and living your best life. Realistically, preaching at people or nagging them to “live better” doesn’t work. Even if you really do have their best interest in mind. Live the life you want to live and others will notice.
If people come over while you’re cooking, let them sample your healthy foods. If they like it, they’ll ask questions about it. Don’t tell them why this is the best, instead, subtly show them through the way you live your lifestyle.
J: At the end of the day, you can only control your actions and decisions. That being said, I think leading by example can positively influence others. If they see your health improving, they may ask you what you’ve been doing. Then you’ll have the opportunity to share what changes you’ve made. My close group of girlfriends knows my whole health and diet change journey. They often ask my opinions on various food items since they know I do a lot of research.
Question Five
Can you share success stories where after becoming your own health advocate you achieved a better health outcome or improved quality of life?
E: In this post, I shared how I used to really struggle with stomach pains. It took me a long time to figure out what I needed to tweak to make things better, but in the last few years, I’ve found great success. I’m now able to go to bed without stomach pain or stomach noises every night. This is something I never would have achieved had I not started exploring and experimenting on my own time.
J: After many visits, it became clear that neither of my doctors was going to be able to solve my painful acid reflux symptoms. That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and I feel so much better now! I don’t want to rehash my whole experience here, but if you’re curious about more details on how I improved my condition read our first post on this topic.
As we wrap up this segment of our blog series, we’ve seen how making informed decisions lies at the heart of becoming a successful health advocate.
Stay tuned for our final installment on this topic, where we’ll dive into the fascinating story of a woman who was able to diagnose herself which inspired this series.
We hope this post helps you make informed decisions as you go into your own personal journey of becoming your own health advocate!
If you liked this post, come check out some of these other ones!
- Pain Relief: 7 Easy In-Bed Stretches For Travel
- How To Look For Joy In Hobbies Despite Chronic Pain
- The Best Way To Improve Conversational Spanish Quickly
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