If you have decided you want to be more a part of your healthcare decisions. You have figured out that your full participation in your health is the only way to achieve the best possible health for yourself. You may just have come to this realization or you may be years down the road in taking responsibility for your own health. You may even be a Mom who, as the main cook for the household is the holder of the keys to good health for you and your children. In any case, if you want to feel empowered to work with your Healthcare Provider (HCP) but just are not so sure about how to talk to them in an empowering way, I have a few suggestions for you.
My first suggestion is to pay attention to your own body. Trust your knowledge about how you feel. If this is a foreign thought to you then begin right now to pay close attention to how you feel when you wake up. Check in with yourself several times throughout the day. Make yourself think frequently about how your body is feeling. Eventually it will get to be second nature and when you go see your HCP you will have some really concise information to give them. You will be able to describe more clearly why you are coming to see them. Don't let them skip over all the details you have to give them. They need the whole picture of how you feel physically as well as emotionally. You can not separate the mind from the body. Give them your idea of why you think such and such is happening. They may dismiss it, but quite frankly I have found that when people tune into themselves,body and mind, they can make connections that a HCP would never think of making and not always, but many times the "Patient" guides them in the right direction. So trust yourself, and be prepared to share your thoughts on your health issue.
Actually, did you realize that a HCP gets their "diagnosis" from you, the patient? Yep, that's right, you tell them what is wrong with you and they just have a receipt that they follow. When you participate, you help them individualize that generic receipt. In this way they work in partnership with you.
Second, educate yourself about any and all medications you are taking. Know why you are taking them and know their most common side effects. If you are taking more than one medication, know if they may interact with each other. Yikes, you say! How do I do all that? Use the internet. drugs.com, mayoclinic.com, webmd.com to name a few. The more knowledgeable you are about your medications the better you can communicate with your Care Provider. This is the point at which you will have to watch that the HCP does not intimidate you into thinking your knowledge is less than theirs. You have one person to study in depth, they only have a general picture of many people. Be polite but persistent that you know what you know and that it is worthy of their consideration.
My third suggestion, if you are really serious about your health you will have the goal of being on as few medications as possible. Always ask if there is a lifestyle/herbal/vitamin alternative to taking any suggested drug. If you are an avid health nut like I am, you will have already researched these avenues,picked out something you want to try and will be ready to ask your Care Provider what they think about your research and what you would like to try. Here too, be persistent. If your HCP is negative, ask them to clarify their reasons for their attitude. Again be polite but don't take a simple unqualified reason such as "I just don't think that's a good idea." What that usually means is that they know little to nothing about what you are suggesting and they feel more comfortable prescribing a drug. It does help to go in armed with research about your chosen coarse of action. This is a good time to ask them to read your research and in the meantime, sans any qualified reason to the contrary, you are going to embark on your chosen therapy while they do their due diligence to read your research.
For those people that are afraid they will anger their care provider by letting them know just how much they know about their body, medication and even to suggest an herb,vitamin,lifestyle change, alternative care modality instead of a drug, I'd like to share some valuable insight. As a nurse for 20 years, I have heard the behind closed doors conversations of many a Doctor. Most complain that their patients are so passive. They make statements like "I wish people would care more about their own health", "I don't even suggest a lifestyle/diet remedy because I know they won't do any of that!" "I wish my patients knew just how important they were in their own health care!"
A good caring Care Provider will love the fact that you know you are responsible for your own health. The fact that you ask more questions and even make some suggestions shows them that you will take an active part in your health and healing. This should be good news for any HCP! If it isn't, get an new Care Provider! You must have someone who wants to work with you, not someone who just wants to dictate to you. A knowledgeable patient working in partnership with a caring knowledgeable Care Provider equals a winning team!
To your good health!
Till next time,
Health Nut
