It’s Time to Self-Advocate
As we move through mastering menopause, one of the greatest lessons to harness no matter where you are along the journey is the importance of being your own health advocate.
I understand it may seem exhausting to think about, especially given everything we may be juggling during this time in our lives. We may be caregiving for our parents, reaching pinnacles in our career through long days and personal sacrifices, or juggling impossible schedules of sports and activities for our kids—and sometimes it’s all those things and so much more, laying heavily upon our shoulders.
It doesn’t need to be difficult, however, and I can help guide you through the process.
Holding the Medical Community Accountable
It seems ridiculous, and it’s absolutely unfortunate and frustrating, but we must dig in and hold our medical community accountable. One of the most powerful statements you should ever hear from your doctor, nutritionist, therapist or other health provider is, “I don’t know that, but I’d be willing to look it up, do a little research, and try to help you or find somebody who can.”
Our medical system has been hijacked by dozens of middlemen, like insurance companies and Big Pharma, who dictate the relationship between provider and patient, from length of our visits to the information with which we’re provided. Because of this, we tend to forget that when we seek counsel, whatever our concern may be, it is happening to us—our bodies, our minds and our emotional state—and no one else’s.
This is your body and you have more than every right to advocate for yourself and make decisions you are comfortable with.
Have Confidence in Yourself Once More
There are expectations you should have of providers—questions to ask yourself—as you navigate what can be a rocky time, medically, in a woman’s life. Over the next few blogs, I’ll take you through those expectations and what you should be thinking about as you search out providers in this next part of your life. I’ll give you the tools you need to regain control of the medical process and have confidence in yourself once again.
It bears repeating: this is your body, and you are in control of what happens to it, including how you choose to treat your illnesses, discomforts and related medical concerns. Here’s to starting a journey toward renewed faith in ourselves to tackle the hard things in an ever-changing medical industry!