It took over seven years for me to find the correct diagnosis for my issues and through that I tried and met with what felt like everything and everyone.
I stumbled upon a few tips on how to find the right fit for me after a medical professional made a comment that made me stop in my tracks. I realized that fundamentally, we did not agree on the facts of the situation. It was after that encounter that I thought to really dig in and be intentional with who I was spending my time with because not all health care providers are created equal.
Someone could be perfect for you and a disaster for someone else. Health care is personal.
Here are my top tips to get you started to find the right health care team for you.
I’d like to add a caveat before we go over my top three tips. I love health care workers. All of them. I strongly encourage you to look at health care professional as whole humans. They are super smart people who went through a rigorous educational experience, but they are people. I have the upmost endearment for them. I appreciate how much effort they put into their days. That they have entire personal lives outside of the office on top of everything that goes on at a regular job. One day I will write about my love for the profession, until then, this paragraph will have to do.
- Ask around – Ask your family, friends, co-workers, health care providers you trust, and local Facebook groups who they like and trust. Make sure to ask WHY they like them.
- Do Your Research – Research your doctors. Look at their office website, and their online reviews. If you are having surgery, consider looking into if they have any formal complaints against them.
- Ask Questions – Ask them a few questions that you know the answer to as well as some that may be considered a bit controversial in the medical field. I want to be clear, this is not to bair them into some kind of “gotcha” moment. Do they believe in taking a multi-vitamin or not? Do you see a difference when you take vitamin B12, but they think it does nothing? On the flip side, are they telling you only one path is the right way? This is to see how they explain the answers. Are they responding in a manner that works for you? Are they teaching you how to find information yourself if you want to go down that path? I learned a lot about what my providers were struggling with and what they are spending time researching this way.
I will go into depth in another blog post about how to be a good patient. Part of that is to be prepared. I created a medical binder to help you get answers fast and be the best patient you can be. You can find it in the store!
