Being Your Own Advocate
By Kathy Gruver - LMT, RM, NHC, MS in Natural Health &
Doctorate in Traditional Naturopathy

While doctors and nurses intend to do their best, with today's economy, pressure from insurance companies, and short-staffed medical institutions, you are your own best advocate. This article will give you a great outline of questions to ask and tips on how to be your own best health advocate.

We assume that when we go to a hospital or are under a doctor’s care that we are in a safe and trustworthy environment. My experience, especially lately has been that you have to check and double-check the care that you are getting. Incorrect prescriptions can be given to the patient, food might not be delivered and wrong limbs are being removed (Okay, that last one is extreme, but it has happened). Hospitals are understaffed, nurses are overworked and doctors have become a prescription pad. What can you do to make certain that you are getting the best care?

Ask questions.
Medical professionals have a habit of tossing a bunch of Latin at you; hoping parts of it are understood. I’ve also observed them telling things to partially unconscious patients in a hospital bed. During meetings, many patients nod their head and then later realize they have no clue what was just told to them. If a doctor or nurse tells you something that you don’t understand, ask them to clarify.

Questions like, “How long will this last?”, “Are there any side effects with that drug?”, “What will that test show?”, and “Can you explain what those results mean?” are great questions to keep in your mind.

And, make sure you get copies of your blood work and test results and file them. It’s your right to see these results and it can clear up questions later if you develop a condition and need to check for patterns or switch medical professionals. I believe you can’t have too much information about your condition, medication or projected out come.

Some people get very nervous or embarrassed when they see their doctor; this is understandable, especially if you have a serious condition. Prepare your questions in advance, in writing, when you are calm and have time to think. Talk to others who may have had what you do or have some medical knowledge. Often they will know things that you would never think to ask. Capitalize on their expertise and input.

Do your own research.
So, you’ve gotten a Latin name or set of initials for your condition (IBS, PMS, RLS, ALS, PTSD, it goes on ad infinitum…that’s Latin). Well, what the heck does it mean? It’s very important to know everything about what you’ve just been told. Doctors often have handouts or will give you as much time as you need to have it explained to you. A lot are on a limited time constraint though, so you might walk out of the office with a few initials and a prescription. This is where YOUR research comes in. With the advent of the internet we can find information about anything. Now, that’s both good and bad. I’ve had clients thoroughly convinced that they were dying because they saw something on the internet. And others who research their condition so completely they could get a degree in it.

Common ailments are easy to locate online and many have support groups or bulletin boards where you can post questions and comments. Be careful however, from where you get your information. Don’t believe every post on every bulletin board and don’t rely too heavily on blogs and notes from laypeople. Web MD is great and any site affiliated with a university or hospital tends to be pretty accurate. Double check your information by using multiple sites.

Now, what if you prefer to take a more alternative approach to your disease, dysfunction or disorder? There are great resources for that as well. Again, check to see who is sponsoring them and don’t rely on just ONE for your information. www.theholisticoption.com is a great place to start and sites associated with large foundations are also pretty reputable.

Seek out more.
Don’t be afraid to get a second, third, or fourth opinion if something doesn’t sound right to you. Not every medical professional knows everything. Commonly, things are misdiagnosed or over/under diagnosed. You might have to convince your insurance but do it if you feel that it’s needed.

Know thyself.
It’s so important for us to be in touch with our bodies and to know if something feels right or not, and if something is working. Trust yourself, you are living inside your body and know it better than any one else. Track how medication makes you feel also. I had a client taking a pretty heavy duty seizure medication for her headaches. She came to my office with symptoms that I suspected were side effects from this drug. The more she took the drug, the worse these conditions got. Her doctor wanted to give her MORE drugs for these new conditions. (Called iatrogenic disease). I finally asked her if the headache medicine was even working and she confessed that after six months her headaches hadn’t changed at all. She was afraid to tell her doctor, but I encouraged her to. He pulled her off the meds and though her headaches were still there, all the other problems disappeared. Sometimes you have to be your own detective. Owning a PDR, Prescription Drug Reference, is a big help. You can also find common side effects on line.  And sometimes the side effects can be worse than the initial condition.

Get help.
Let’s say you’ve been admitted to the hospital, your family is far away and you’re too sick to do your own research. Try to have someone as an advocate for you. This can be as simple as a friend who can double check things or a paid caregiver. It’s particularly important to have someone there when a doctor is explaining things to you; especially if you’re sick, weak, exhausted or unconscious. It’s also useful to have someone present to make sure you’re eating, wearing your hearing aid or glasses, double-check what meds you are getting, get you to the bathroom, and the like. If you have no one to help, there are volunteer advocates and people that are paid for the service (some hospitals can provide them). Search online for one near you or ask at the facility where you are staying.

A client was recently in the hospital and without a nurse asking if it was needed, a stool softener was prescribed. This patient had their gall bladder removed previously, and was already prone to loose stool. This poor patient found himself trying to rush to the bathroom and releasing his bowels all over himself, the bed, the floor and his booties. The nurse was informed to take the stool softener off the chart. Later that day, another stool softener arrived with the pills. Luckily we caught it before it was given. Two more stool softeners arrived over the next two days because no one ever took it off the chart. These things happen and it can be a lot more serious than just poo!

It’s a shame that we have arrived at a place where we have to be so on top of our medical care. But for now, that’s the way it is. Take control, ask questions and be your own best advocate!

A side note: There are fabulous physicians, hospitals and nurses. I’m definitely not implying that everyone is incompetent, but in the case of your health, I’d rather be safe than sorry.