Patient Advocacy

Hello!! Alright, so i am a huge believer in patient advocacy. I think it is completely idiotic for a patient to just listen to everything a doctor tells you without question. Doctors are humans too, and they make mistakes just as much as we do. Also doctors tend to forget that you aren't just there to cure at their leisure. It's always important to ask questions. You should know what is going on whether its to yourself or your child.
As I've grown up i have asked more and more questions. The best part about this is that as i prove myself time and time again as someone who knows what's going on, the doctors have started letting me input. For example, if my stomach was hurting i can suggest that they prescribe me a medicine that I've used before in a similar situation. Worst case scenario, the doctors say that the medicine would not be helpful in that situation. Either way, it shows the doctors that you want to get better and that you are a willing participant in finding the cure.
Another thing i have discovered in my many trips to the hospital is that YOU CAN SAY NO! If a random nurse comes up to you and says, "the doctors want a peripheral iv placed" DO NOT just sit there and let them stick a needle in your arm!! Ask why. Make sure you know the reasoning behind it. I have had this happen so many times and I've learned that half the time if you ask, "why?" they will say "you know, I'm not sure. Let me go ask"and lots of times they will come back and tell you that it is no longer needed.
Of course it does help that i have an awesome doctor that listens to my suggestions. I am completely aware that not everyone has that kind of relationship with their doctor. That is why this type of stuff is even MORE important. My doctors have learned to trust my opinion, but they also have seen my suggestions work. If your doctor doesn't have that to go off of, you need to be even more pushy to let them know that you will not put up with being kept out of the loop. The hospital i was at before i switched to where i am now, had this problem. In a period of three days i was told that i was completely cured, there was nothing wrong with me, i was very sick, and that i was close to dying...?!? It was a very stressful three days because we knew that i had a line infection. No one would tell us what was going on and every time we thought we had the full story someone else would come into our room and tell us something completely different.
Also, this is probably one of the most important things i could say, if you are uncomfortable or in pain, DO NOT go without saying anything. A lot of the time this means that something has gone wrong. Or even if it hasn't, you should not have to suffer. I have had so many faulty lines placed in my arm, or medicine run incorrectly that i know how much it can hurt. Yes, you might seem like you're complaining but wouldn't it be better if they came in and found something was completely wrong early on, then later when you've been putting up with unnecessary pain.
If you are confused, uncomfortable or even scared of something, ASK QUESTIONS!! I am probably one of the most talkative people ever, but i know that asking someone, "why?" in a hospital setting can be a little scary, but trust me, do it! When I'm at the hospital i am constantly asking what things are and why things are being done. It helps so much at putting my mind at rest when i know exactly what's going on.
I will probably talk about this many more times because i think its one of the most important things i can talk about relying being in the hospital and having a medical condition.
Alright, thanks for reading! I hope this gets through to some people because this is super important. Bye!