Kathy was an involved patient, doing her own research, asking every question she could think of, including, “Is there anything else I need to know?” Still, she was not informed about the use of a medical device in her surgery, and therefore had not consented to the implant. Soon after surgery, a prickly sensation grew to unbearable pain that left her feeling suicidal. Though Kathy felt abandoned (by the healthcare system), without any support, still she pushed through to reclaim her life. Kathy decided to keep doing what she always had, being proactive so that she wasn't completely dependent on the medical community. Part of that was taking ownership to work as a team with her physicians.
On the advice of a friend, Kathy kept a health diary. At first, she thought it was unnecessary, because she believed she was going to heal quickly, but now she has years worth of full binders related to her health plan, that helped her be engaged in her health. Every time Kathy had a test done, she would ask for a photocopy, asking for medical records to add to her binder. She would also bring a list of symptoms and questions to every appointment, even drawing diagrams in her health diary if necessary. Advocating for herself was important to Kathy because no one cared more about her body than she did, no one knew it better, no one else could feel her pain. It was her body, she had to be involved in it's care.
It is your right to ask questions and to speak up for your safety. Say
something as soon as it seems wrong. It’s your health – be part of the
conversation.
* 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴
𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭
𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧
𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳
𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦
𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺.
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