Being an advocate for yourself can be very hard, especially in the medical world. And a hard aspect of this is asking questions. Lots of questions.

Questions like:

• “Why this and not that?”
• “What about this?”
• “Could I have that instead of doing this?”
• “Is it possible that I have X disease?”
• “Can you order these tests?”
• and so many more.

Once we have got the answers we seek, and hopefully find some relief, it is easy to forgot to continue to ask questions, but it is important.

True life example: an acquaintance of mine had a debilitating symptom over the past year and a half which turned out to be a side effect of a medication they were taking! None of their doctors even thought to look at their medications side effects and it took for them to finally see a neurologist to find out. They never even thought that this could be because of a side effect and they were never told that this was a potential side effect before starting the medication.

So good information for all of us, always ask the side effects of your medications and it is probably a good idea to talk to your pharmacist annually to go over your prescriptions and symptoms.

Persistence and asking questions will take you a long way in advocating for yourself.

Final Thoughts for Today

For the symptoms that you have, don’t beat yourself up about what you can and cannot do. You are here in this world and that is important! Being you is exactly what you are supposed to be doing, and that is enough. With a smile, a friendly word, and kindness you spread love to those around you, and that is amazing. You are amazing! Keep it up!