Speak Up!

For the past week, my father has been in the hospital as we try to get his delicate health issues balanced. I am blessed and fortunate to have a close-knit, action-oriented, resourceful family, and we’ve all been doing our part to see that he gets the care he needs.

It’s easy to give our power away to the “experts” — in our case, the doctors, nurses, interns, etc. Our fear and conditioning has us believe that they have everything under control. We certainly shouldn’t speak up and question them! But we did. And we do. And it’s a good thing because we have righted a couple courses as a result.

Just this week, I was given some misinformation about my father’s condition. Fortunately one of my sisters spoke up to the doctor when his report differed from what I was told. As a result, we found out the focus of their care was on a completely different organ! 

No matter the environment, our tendency is to default to whomever we deem to be in charge. At the gym, it’s the trainer; at your therapy session, it’s the counselor; at the hospital, it’s the doctor.

But think about all of those examples — essentially, you are the one in charge there. You’ve hired the trainer or therapist. The doctor, as well, is a service provider. Each is paid to perform the duties of his or her job. And you, as the customer, client, or patient, has the most say.

Time for some introspection: What stops you from speaking up in life? Are you afraid of appearing difficult? Bitchy? Bossy? What are the feared consequences? Are those fears truly founded? Until your Little One knows that you’ll speak up for him or her, you’ll find yourself up against the same challenges again and again.

Don’t be afraid to speak up. Keep asking questions until you’re confident in your understanding. If you get grief at all from the service provider, address it or move on.

Health-related or not, speak up. Your voice matters. Allow your infinite wisdom to be heard.

In regards to health, even if you’ve been fortunate enough to not deal with a lot of medical appointments for yourself or a loved one, give some thought to who you would call upon to be your eyes and ears, as well as your voice, if need be. If you find yourself without a good candidate, check out the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants.