Be well with Dori: Health advocating for yourself

When my father became sick over a decade ago, I learned the importance of becoming a health care advocate for your loved ones and for yourself.

Navigating the health care system, however, is no easy task. To do so successfully with dignity and grace takes a lot of courage. With the landscape of health care rapidly changing before our eyes, it has become not important, but essential to be your own health care advocate for yourself and the people you love.

Unfortunately, gone are the days of the family physician and the benefits that came along with it. The idea that one person understood everything about you — how you came into the world, your family dynamic, your first broken bone.

Today, urgent care and tele-health have become the easier choices that fit into our busy lifestyles. However, we are missing a key element of whole-body medicine that provides us with a comprehensive road map to make educated health care decisions and increase longevity.

Don’t wait till you are sick

The first mistake most of us make is waiting until we’re sick, then scrambling to develop a health care team. Start a solid foundational relationship with your primary care doctor (PCP) now. Find a doctor who will listen, take the time to understand you and you feel a rapport with.

Develop a portfolio of standard information (blood work, blood pressure, EKG etc.) so that a baseline of information is established. This is a great jumping-off point to start your educational journey with your body and ask necessary questions important for your personal health outcomes.

Do your homework

Don’t rely solely on your PCP and specialists to figure out your health care situation and needs. The best thing you can do to achieve a positive all-around experience and outcome is to simply help them help you. Information is key and I’m not talking about Dr. Google. I’m talking about information about your personal experience with your body.

Create a detailed list of all medications with dosages, times of day you take them and any supplements. Draw a body map. It doesn’t have to be a DaVinci; this is a basic image you can mark up with where you are feeling pain or experiencing other symptoms.

Write down important information so you have it handy at your appointment. An example being: “I get throbbing headaches every 2-3 days midafternoon usually around 2:45 that start at the base of my neck and move toward my eyes … I’ve taken over-the-counter Motrin and Excedrin but they upset my stomach.” 

Descriptive words are great here, time frames and what you’re doing at home that helps or makes the situation worse.

Add any information you might have from devices that track your health such as blood pressure, pulse and blood sugar. There are also many apps available on the market that can help you keep track of this information and have it easily accessible to share with your doctors. (e.g.. Health Tracker Pro).

Make a list of questions and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question. Use a dedicated notebook to hold all this information  so that you have it quickly available.

This is a great resource for both you and your doctors to look at your health patterns and outcomes of any therapies you might have tried or are prescribed. It is normal to forget at the time of your appointment and these suggestions will be your guide to remember details and utilize this precious time with your physician.

Get to know your medical team

Along with your personal health notebook, keep one for your interactions with your medical practices. Write down every date, the person you spoke with, what you called about and the response you received.

Keep a log of all your appointments and later go back and write in your experience, outcome and anyone who helped you.

In a crisis this information will give you insight into the person most able to assist you with your concerns/events regarding your medical condition or the situation involving the person you’re advocating for. It will surprise you who can make what you need happen.

This is Part 1 of a two-part guide to being an effective healthcare advocate for yourself or loved ones.

Among several specialties in the field of health, Dori Fortunato is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with western and eastern herbal studies.