Mighty Well
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Friends in the Fight
    • Friends in the Fight

      Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

      February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      Body Positivity Month

      February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      World Cancer Day: 5 ways to support someone…

      February 3, 2021February 3, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      We Are Mighty Well

      January 22, 2021January 22, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      Making the Invisible Visible

      December 16, 2020December 16, 2020

  • Chronic Illness
    • Chronic Illness

      Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

      April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness…

      March 31, 2021March 31, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Chronic Illness Guide to Getting Organized for Confidence…

      March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Launch of a New Product Line: Secondary Catheter…

      March 19, 2021March 21, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Vaccine Complications With Chronic Illness

      March 10, 2021March 31, 2021

  • General Wellness
    • General Wellness

      Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

      April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

      General Wellness

      How (and Why) to Effectively Apologize

      April 7, 2021April 7, 2021

      General Wellness

      5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness…

      March 31, 2021March 31, 2021

      General Wellness

      Chronic Illness Guide to Getting Organized for Confidence…

      March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

      General Wellness

      Four tips for living it up after vaccination

      March 17, 2021March 17, 2021

  • Shop
  • Home
  • Friends in the Fight
    • Friends in the Fight

      Diagnosed With Diabetes… Now What?

      February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      Body Positivity Month

      February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      World Cancer Day: 5 ways to support someone…

      February 3, 2021February 3, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      We Are Mighty Well

      January 22, 2021January 22, 2021

      Friends in the Fight

      Making the Invisible Visible

      December 16, 2020December 16, 2020

  • Chronic Illness
    • Chronic Illness

      Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

      April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness…

      March 31, 2021March 31, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Chronic Illness Guide to Getting Organized for Confidence…

      March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Launch of a New Product Line: Secondary Catheter…

      March 19, 2021March 21, 2021

      Chronic Illness

      Vaccine Complications With Chronic Illness

      March 10, 2021March 31, 2021

  • General Wellness
    • General Wellness

      Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

      April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

      General Wellness

      How (and Why) to Effectively Apologize

      April 7, 2021April 7, 2021

      General Wellness

      5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness…

      March 31, 2021March 31, 2021

      General Wellness

      Chronic Illness Guide to Getting Organized for Confidence…

      March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

      General Wellness

      Four tips for living it up after vaccination

      March 17, 2021March 17, 2021

Mighty Well

Chronic IllnessPopular Posts

6 Tips to Help You Speak Up to Healthcare Professionals About Your Health

by Emily Levy May 1, 2018July 19, 2019
written by Emily Levy
6 Tips to Help You Speak Up to Healthcare Professionals About Your Health

Do you feel uncomfortable being completely honest with your doctor or any healthcare professional you encounter?

I felt the same way when I was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme. I felt like it was rude to call out a healthcare professional if I thought they did something wrong, or to disagree with my doctor if they said something that didn’t align with what I truly felt.

 

I’m a kind person and my intentions are never to offend anyone, especially people who are taking care of me. However, in my years of dealing with dozens of doctors and healthcare professionals, I’ve learned how important it is to speak up about what I truly think. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that my doctors have all the information that they need in order to treat me.

Here are my top tips on how you can feel more comfortable in speaking up about your health when talking to your doctors and other healthcare professionals:

Get it in your head early on that doctors do not know everything.

They are amazing and save so many lives, but chances are, you know better what’s going on with your body and what your condition is. Don’t try to walk on eggshells when talking to your doctor and withhold information that might contradict what she is saying.

It’s better to overshare information and share everything you think might be relevant instead of not saying anything because you think it might not be important.

More importantly, trust your instincts and listen to your body. That’s what Kelly Osbourne, rockstar and Lyme advocate, did when she was also diagnosed and it has served her well.

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up, bring an advocate who can speak up on your behalf.

If you’re like me who isn’t confrontational by nature, you can bring a friend or a family member who isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions. That’s why whenever it’s possible, I bring my aunt with me. I feel more confident because I can trust her to look out for me and ask anything I may have missed.

Bring your records with you.

Sometimes (well, most of the time) in our American healthcare system, it is difficult for doctors to get in touch and share files if they are on different networks. Come prepared!

I usually bring my folder with me that has all my records, so when needed, I can easily present it to my new doctor. It also makes the process much faster. There’s no need to wait for medical records to be sent back and forth.

If you see a healthcare professional not following sterile techniques, call them on it.

It’s always a dilemma when you find yourself in a situation when you know a healthcare professional isn’t following a standard procedure. You know they are the professional and you should trust them. At the same time, you have a lot of experience in dealing with your condition, and you know when something isn’t up to snuff.

You can be nice about it, and say something like, “Excuse me, would you mind taking 15 seconds to wash your hands before you continue.”

Bring your med list.

Always keep your med list with you because you never know when you might need them.

For me, I pull up the Medisafe app or show them my CVS app since my meds are frequently changing.

Remember that you are the Customer.

We often forget that we are the customers. Just like in any industry, the customer has the right to demand the best possible service. If you feel like your needs are not being met, you have the right to take your business elsewhere.

Do you have tips on how to speak up for your health?

Do you want to join our community and talk more about your tips and experiences in dealing with healthcare professionals? Join us on Friends in the Fight Facebook Group.

0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Emily Levy

previous post
Qualifying for Social Security Disability Benefits When You Have Short Bowel Syndrome
next post
What to Do When Your Insurance Doesn’t Cover Your Treatments

You may also like

Meet the Mighty Well Ambassadors

September 5, 2019

Adaptive Costumes This Halloween

October 6, 2020

2020 Mighty Well Book Club

January 15, 2020

Thriving Through Transition: Conversations with Kirsten Curtis

March 5, 2019

Survival Guide: Managing Dietary Restrictions this Season

December 4, 2019

Sia: Our Friend in the Fight

October 24, 2019

4 Tips For Reducing PICC Line Pain

March 3, 2021

Creating Meaning and Purpose While Living With Chronic...

December 5, 2016

How Body Image Affects Our Self-Esteem and Mental...

August 13, 2019

Packing Lunch: 5 Tips for Easy, On-the-Go, Spoonie-Friendly...

September 11, 2019

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

About Us

Hi, We're Mighty Well.

The mission of Mighty Well is to help patients and their caregivers turn sickness into strength. We are leading the global charge that changes the perception of patients from victims to fighters. We do this by improving the experience of being a patient. We create the products we wish we’d had: functional and stylish apparel and accessories that you can wear with confidence - and content that can help you get through the good times and the bad. It’s wellness you can wear.

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Recent Posts

  • Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

    April 16, 2021
  • How (and Why) to Effectively Apologize

    April 7, 2021
  • 5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness as the World Opens Up

    March 31, 2021
  • Chronic Illness Guide to Getting Organized for Confidence and Safety

    March 24, 2021
  • Launch of a New Product Line: Secondary Catheter Securement Device

    March 19, 2021

Categories

  • Adaptive Wear
  • Chronic Illness
  • Featured
  • Friends in the Fight
  • General Wellness
  • Healthy Work Environments
  • Lyme Disease
  • Medical Devices
  • Mightier Together
  • Mighty Models
  • PICC Line
  • Popular Posts
  • The Undefeated
  • Treatment and Care
  • Uncategorized

Tags Cloud

Active Lifestyle Adulting Best Fit for Your Lifestyle Be Your Own Advocate blm Chronic Illness coronavirus coronoavirus covid-19 Diabetes Disabilities Dysautonomia Family Feeding Tubes Fibromyalgia Gastroparesis holidays invisible illnesses Living Mighty Well Living With a PICC Living with a Port LLMD lyme disease Lyme Into Lemonaid Lyme Literate Doctors MedPlanner mental health Mental Illness mighty mask Mighty Pack mighty well mask Misdiagnosed Mom with Lyme New Years Organization Tips PICC PICC line cover PICC Line Dressing Change PICCPerfect POTS Prevention Self-love Support Systems TPN trans black lives matter

Our Story

Mighty Well - Founder - Emily Levy - Our Story

 

It all started with a cut off sock, a cute hockey player, and an 8 AM finance class. Oh, and a PICC Line. That moment inspired us to launch our first product, the PICCPerfect PICC Line Cover.

 

We know it stinks to feel defined by a diagnosis or feel like just a name on a doctor’s chart. Sounds like you? Read how our founder turned sickness into strength.

Recent Posts

  • Get Ready to Get Vaccinated

    April 16, 2021
  • How (and Why) to Effectively Apologize

    April 7, 2021
  • 5 Tips for Staying Safe With Chronic Illness as the World Opens Up

    March 31, 2021

Join the Fight

Mighty Well's Facebook Page

Find Us on Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Mighty Well © 2018 All Rights Reserved


Back To Top