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Advocating for your health is important, but it’s not easy. In Speak Up For Your Health, Dr. Archelle Georgiou talks with patients about how they overcame feeling intimidated by today’s complex medical system and used their voice to finally get the care they needed. These personal stories along with Archelle’s practical tips will empower you to have a balanced (non-paternalistic) relationship with your healthcare provider.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Challenging Standard Birth Practices: Georgia’s Story
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Is childbirth a natural event for moms to direct...or a medical situation for doctors to control? Georgia, a labor and delivery nurse, had the experience to know how she wanted to deliver her own children, but it took a few rounds of advocating before she got it.
Links:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
The Twists, Turns & Complexities of Cancer Treatment
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
A new cancer diagnosis often comes with shock, fear, and then dozens of micro-decisions. They range from “Do I need a second opinion?“ to “Is there something less aggressive we can try first?” And, for some, "This isn't the treatment response we expected, now what?" Some patients weigh in on every decision; others defer to their doctors. At age 42, Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer and weighed in every step of the way. How involved would you be?
Key Takeaway: Weigh in.
- Weigh in with information. Know the statistics on your specific cancer. Compare data on the risks and benefits of each treatment option, including the option of doing nothing.
- Weigh in after knowing all the alternatives, including clinical trial alternatives.
- Weigh in with insight and support from a patient care community. An online community is usually the easiest way to connect with people who share your health condition.
Links:
Clinical Trials: https://clinicaltrials.gov/
Rebel Health: https://susannahfox.com/rebel-health/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupforyourhealth
Tuesday Jan 23, 2024
Not Afraid to Ruffle Feathers: Kris' Story (Part 2)
Tuesday Jan 23, 2024
Tuesday Jan 23, 2024
Each year, 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some type of preventable harm – and this does not include the near misses that don't result in a negative event. In Part 2, Kris kept a close eye on Dave's care even though he was stable, and she didn't hesitate to ruffle some feathers when preventable harm made her lose trust.
Key Takeaway:
- Keep advocating throughout the entire hospital stay. While doctors, nurses, and hospital staff try really hard to get things right, oversights and mistakes happen.
- When necessary, escalate. Calmly but persistently ask questions, demand answers and actions. If you ruffle some feathers, it's okay.
- Losing trust in the medical care being delivered is stressful for everyone. Take action to get things back on track. Sometimes the only option is to transfer to another hospital.
Links:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupforyourhealth
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
The Choices I Made Determined My Husbands Survival: Kris’ Story (Part 1)
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
Tuesday Jan 09, 2024
Do health care "miracles" actually exist? Or, are they the result of quick action and persistent advocacy? Kris and Dave, both 53, were enjoying their favorite TV show when Dave had a sudden cardiac arrest. Kris' choices - in that moment and during the next 2 months – determined Dave's fate.
Key Takeaway: Plan, Do, Act
- Get CPR certified. Studies consistently show that people who live in communities with higher rates of CPR certification have higher rates of survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest.
- Complete an Advanced Directive before you ever need one. In fact, everyone over the age of 18 should have one because bad things can unfortunately happen at any age.
- Know your loved one's medical history and the medications they're on. It could save their life.
Links:
HospitalCompare: https://hospitalcompare.io/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupforyourhealth
Monday Dec 25, 2023
Cut the Red Tape: Get X-Ray Results…Now!
Monday Dec 25, 2023
Monday Dec 25, 2023
The complexity of the healthcare system often results in miscommunication, difficulty obtaining medical records, and delays in care. Kelsey shares her frustrating experience when she had a bout of abdominal pain but finally broke through the bureaucracy to get the surgery she needed.
Key Takeaway: Escalate
- You have a right to all your medical records including immediate access to your test results. The 21st Century Cures Act requires that patients have immediate electronic availability to nearly all test results, medication lists, and clinical notes.
- Don't use an urgent care as a substitute for having a primary care physician. While urgent care clinics are great for simple problems like sore throats and urinary tract infections, establishing a relationship with a regular doctor will assure some continuity.
- Contracts between your health insurer and in-network providers often prohibit the provider from requiring up-front payment.
Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Jumping Through Passion & Pain: Amanda’s Choice
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
What would you do if an activity that gives you an incredible amount of joy is also the root cause of your serious injury? How do you explain to your surgeon that you really, REALLY want to get back in the ring and you want him to support you through it? This is the challenge that today's guest was able to navigate. Amanda's story begins with debilitating pain and ends with how she is balancing her health and her passion.
Key Takeaway: Be clear about your priorities
- Select a doctor who is on your team: highly experienced but also be able to hear you and respects your priorities.
- Get a second opinion if your symptoms are getting progressively worse or if your doctor's level of urgency doesn't match yours or if you simply aren't connecting with your physician.
- Be accountable to your part of the treatment plan. Recovery is a shared responsibility between a patient and their providers.
Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
When It Comes To Medical Care, Sometimes Less Is More
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Advocating for the medical care you want doesn't always translate into getting the medical care you need. This is what Lynn learned (the hard way) when she developed a rash and kept asking her doctor to prescribe medications that would "fix it".
Key Takeaway: Sometimes Less Medical Care Is More
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Adverse drug events cause approximately 1.3 million emergency department visits each year. (CDC) Over 1/2 are completely avoidable.
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Think about whether symptoms are due to a lifestyle change: a new detergent, a different pillow, a switch in your exercise routine.
- Ask your doctor how long it'll take for you to start seeing an improvement after starting treatment. Layering on a 2nd treatment before the 1st one has a chance to work can create clinical confusion.
Links:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
1 Patient. 2 Doctors. 2 Different Opinions
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Medicine is a science and an art, and this means that doctors can have vastly different recommendations about how to treat a condition. This is the situation Brigid faced when she was admitted with a wildly abnormal heart rhythm. Whose advice did she follow? How did she decide?
Key Takeaway: Know the WHY
- Record conversations with your doctors, PAs, and nurses practitioners - especially if you are in a situation where you are seeing multiple providers and feeling overwhelmed.
- Articulate your priorities. They can be financial, social, physical, cultural, spiritual. Only YOU can do this because priorities are personal.
- Do your homework when facing a medical decision instead of getting paralyzed by choices. Have your questions ready and demand to know the WHY behind each answer.
Links
10-10-10 Rule for Decision-Making was developed by Suzy Welch. Here is a video of Welch explaining this process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu-Rj2xdhyM
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakupforyourhealth