Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.

This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, who want to learn to increase the odds of improving their health by learning to live with mastery & wellbeing.

I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below. When I get a certain number of related questions, I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one.

I post to this blog three times per week. Monday posts are relevant published articles. Wednesday posts are interviews—mostly video. Friday posts consist of questions about living better with chronic health challenges, and my answers to them.

Here is today’s question:

QUESTION:  You’ve talked about self-managing your care, but aren’t we all really at the mercy of our doctors.

ANSWER: Many people are, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Any time you are not getting good care, whether you get well or not, it’s important to express your concerns to your doctor. If you are not satisfied with your doctor’s response, find a new doctor. If you are in the hospital and not getting proper care, talk to your nurse. If that goes nowhere, talk to the charge nurse or the nurse administrator. If your complaint is with a resident, ask for the chief resident; if that goes nowhere, talk to the attending in charge of your case and if that goes nowhere, talk to the department head. It may occasionally even be necessary to complain to hospital administration.

Aside from the fact that speaking up will get you better care, just taking action to fight for your rights will help you feel empowered and more vibrant. Taking action will help you feel less like a victim and more like you are in charge of your life.

Even if you don’t have any medical problems, you can improve the quality of your life through cultivation of the practice of taking charge of your life and fighting for what you value.

This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.

What questions do you have about how to live better with chronic health challenges that are related to the relationship between states of mind and health? 

Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box. I will post a reply to your comment, but your question may not appear in this column.