Why Proactive Self-Advocacy in Healthcare Matters

Accompanying my partner throughout his 12-year ordeal with a misdiagnosis that was instantly cured with a simple diet change taught me the necessity for self-advocacy for our medical care.

Many years ago, I was sitting in our local hospital’s emergency room. This was unfortunately an experience my partner had to endure every 2–3 months for the 12 years prior. Every so often, my partner’s gastric symptoms and pain were so great there was no choice but to visit the emergency room.

Each time they asked him if he’d been to the doctor to address the problem. Yet again he recounted he’d been to three gastroenterologists and had an upcoming appointment scheduled with a new fourth one. When asked, my partner told the attending ER physician he’d been tested for celiac disease. He’d been tested for that multiple times. They all came up negative.

Every time we’d visit the ER, the same story unfolded. They weren’t sure what was wrong. They gave him pain killers and strong anti-nausea medication. They suggested he only eat the BRAT (bananas, rice, apples, and toast) diet for a few days. At one point they thought maybe it was silent migraines causing the symptoms, a diagnosis that was at best their frustrated guesswork. So, the ER doctors would each time patch him up and send him home.