Following up on Dr. Mark's inspiration!

Have you read this information from Dr. Mark?    REALLY an important bit to read, so I'll give you a few minutes.....

http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/being-your-own-advocate-particularly-critical-fibro [1]

So what do you think?  I think Dr. Mark has a FANTASTIC point.   We must be our own advocates!  And that can be hard, after all, most of us don't have the training to read the complex studies or to interpret some of the findings.   But, there are places where we can get the information we need, especially someplace like Lumigrate, which brings to our computer monitors some amazing experts and their valuable insight.

One point though I want to really focus on for a minute:   "When a doctor is “dismissive” of a patient’s symptoms, it is understandable that they are sure to feel an enormous amount of frustration. On the other hand, a doctor who paints a picture of “gloom and doom” or scares a patient into unnecessary testing is certainly going to cause fear and make matters worse."    

THIS is why we must educate ourselves and know what our limits are.   I know so many of us have had the doctor say fibro is in our heads and I know how depressed that made so many of us.   We can't allow this to happen anymore.   The point Dr. Mark is making: that the more we know, the better we can manage our care, the more we can assert what we want to have happen, which in turn, gives us more control over our health care.   Sound like an integrative model of care?  

I started educating myself on fibromyalgia and ALL the various treatments out there a long time ago.  But it's just been in the past 5 years that I have had to really get firm in my knowledge and firm in my expectations.   I know people who won't tell a doctor they have fibro, for fear of the doctors response.   I've been there and done that, and who loses?  ME!    Since I've gotten comfortable in my knowledge, since I've taken charge of my health, I tell any specialist my various diagnosis'.   And I haven't had a single snotty remark, a single dismissing of my concerns or a single rolling of the eyes.   I have heard "it's just your fibro", but I knew better and I pushed for the help I needed.   And when I have been proven right, I count it as a win and a moment of education for the doctor.

Part of advocating for ourselves is educating ourselves.   Seek out the knowledge.   Ask questions of the GRATE experts here on Lumigrate.   Keep logs of your symptoms, food, medications, side effects so that you can see patterns as they emerge.   And take charge!

Thank you Dr. Mark for some grate inspiration this afternoon!