Are you advocating for yourself enough?

Last week my client was telling me the story of her back pain. The first doctor scared the shit out of her. After that, she told me about how she had to push hard to find a team of professionals to help her. She got rid of her pain and found out there was no reason to be scared and it was not as serious as she was first told.  (Also, if anyone is struggling with chronic pain you need to check out Amy Eicher) 

The problem is many people get caught in this first step because they are experiencing pain and/or panic, which doesn’t make advocating easy.   So, I want to provide some insight that I hope can help. 

The medical world is segmented. It is rare for medical professionals in different specialties to work together as a team. This doesn’t mean they aren’t good professionals; it is just a disjointed system. So, this means that YOU need to be the dot connector and advocate for yourself.  YOU have to create your team because no one else will. 

Start by asking yourself these questions about your past or current care: 

Did the provider….

...rush me? 

...ask me what my movement goals were? 

...make me feel shame for what I have done already? 

...give me a list of dos and donts?

...look at just the area of concern/pain or my whole body? 

...ask me about the whole story leading up to the issue? 

...tell me this is the worse case that he/she has ever seen? 

...seem to think he/she had all the answers? 

...tell me to lose weight? 

...use language that was intimidating or confusing or felt talked down to? 

...push me into surgery (although sometimes, yes, this can be medically necessary & urgent depending on the issue)  

...interrupt me while trying to tell my story or seem disinterested in me as a person?

...make me feel guilty? 

...talk about all the options or just focus on one? 

...dismiss me, my concerns, or my beliefs at any point? 

I want you to know that….

...you don’t have to give up your workouts or lose weight to get help with your pain or symptoms. 

...you don’t have to feel scared or rushed. 

...you can feel understood and feel like your provider understands how this particular issue has/is affects you. 

...you can find someone that defines what “better” is by asking YOU for YOUR definition. 

• There are people out there that can make you feel supported in a way you never thought possible. But you might have to work hard to find those people. 
• When possible, interview professionals before seeing them to make sure it is a good fit.
• Be open to online help and don’t let physical geography limit you. Telehealth is happening. 

• Additionally, be open to cash-based physical therapy, which can often provide better care. A good provider will be able to do more in less appointments, email with you in between sessions, and provide a kind of care you might not ever see in the insurance system. 

• Finally, do not ever feel bad about getting multiple opinions from different professionals. Everyone is trained differently, get out there and see what they all have to say. Additionally, personalities have to match up. 
• Prepare yourself that it might take a lot of work to find the right match. 

Social Media- The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

I will focus on diastasis to make my point, but this can go for anything…

Scenario 1: One woman heals her diastasis, works with one physical therapist, and deems herself an expert on “healing” this condition. 

Scenario 2: One woman looks good; therefore, she gives advice on weight lost, diastasis rehab, and whatever else.

• In both scenarios these people may look qualified, but they are not. This doesn't mean they don’t help some people; they do.  The problem is they also hurt people,  but just never realize it because those women sink back into the shadows to silently suffer.

• Tracy Sher mentions in one of her interviews in the Global Pelvic Health Alliance that it can take 10-20 years for outdated information to change. For example, the way we treat diastasis has changed but the outdated ways are all out there and going strong. 

• It can be so very confusing for someone just trying to figure out what to do and who to listen to. Unfortunately, the same confusion is also occurring with many other women’s health issues. There are tons of mixed messages both online and within the medical world.

The first problem is the algorithm likes 6 pack abs, not educational resources. 

The second problem is during pregnancy and postpartum women crave black and white answers along with lists of dos/don’t because it can make them feel control with an ever changing body. 

• However, in reality, these sets of rules only put up walls that end up holding people back. 

• So you need to do the work to find the free quality information on the interwebs. It’s out there! I see it every single day. If it isn’t popping up on your feed then go out and search for it. Screw the algorithm. I will do a future blog full of tips to help you find the quality information on social media.

• But also know that many women need individualized care in order to get better. You can’t get that by reading free information online; you need to find your team. 

I am here for you, as a coach that gets it. A coach that wants to work on a team with your other health professionals to give you the best experience. 

Please reach out.

And, if you aren’t local, remote coaching is always an option. 

If you need help finding a pelvic floor physical therapist, check out my free download for a step by step guide, along with search engines to help guide you. 

I am here for you,

Lisa Ryan