<p>[‘Sex</a>’ actor: Being a bad patient can save your life - CNN.com](<a href=“'Sex' actor: Being a bad patient can save your life - CNN.com”>'Sex' actor: Being a bad patient can save your life - CNN.com)</p>
<p>This guy sounds like LTS’s soulmate in patient advocacy…</p>
<p>I read that the other day and thought of LTS immediately.</p>
<p>Dear LTS. Yes. She would applaud this approach.</p>
<p>I thought the same thing…</p>
<p>LaFalum,
Thanks for bringing this article to our attention and bringing LTS to the forefront of my thoughts today.</p>
<p>Isn’t it amazing how LTS lives on? Thanks for the article, Lafalum!</p>
<p>Great article. Thanks for sharing it. Yes, I believe LTS is well-pleased.</p>
<p>LTS is thought of often by her CC circle of friends…100% certain I would not have the mettle and wit she displayed here, and so pleased to have known her even this limited way</p>
<p>I re-read the last 30 pages or so of her thread last night as a way of keeping in touch.</p>
<p>So true! I saw it while browsing CNN Health a few days ago and thought of LTS right away. </p>
<p>I’m going to show the article to my H who has given up on finding a solution to his health issue but does not want to change his doctor who does not take H’s situation seriously. In the right situation, firing a doctor is the best decision a patient can make. Only a squeaky wheel gets the grease.</p>
<p>Well worth saving. Thank you.</p>
<p>When I was getting chemo I had to tell the phlebotomist repeatedly to use sterile technique when accessing my port. She couldn’t stand me and showed it so I refused to have her draw my blood.
In the hospital I always ask my caregivers to wash their hands if they don’t do it upon entering the room.
When my mom had a hysterectomy I stayed with her to make sure everything was done right. It was amazing how many things I had to ask about.<br>
As a nurse I know it is busy and mistakes happen, but I also know that there are many sloppy careless nurses who don’t see the importance of following procedures. We just started a safety initiative at our hospital to have zero preventable errors.
My friend recently had pain in both arms and across her chest for ONE YEAR. Her father fell over dead at the age of 45, autopsy never done. None of her doctors ever did a cardiac workup. They treated for a neural viral illness, nerve pain, even sent her to a chiropracter. She was on pretty heavy duty nerve drugs for a year. We finally convinced her to get a second opinion and she had triple bypass surgery last week.
People are brought up to be respectful to doctors and to trust them, but I always tell people to question and go to someone else if you aren’t getting good answers.</p>
<p>You absolutely have to advocate for yourself. Don’t worry about being a “bad” patient. It is YOUR life - not the health care professional’s life.</p>
<p>My mother is a retired nurse who has had a chronic illness for nearly 15 years (COPD & Congestive heart failure). She takes a mountain of medicinces and each time she is hospitilized she inspects every pill and notes the time. She keeps the nurses on their toes. If they are 10 minutes late for her meds she will call them. She has caught numerous medication errors. Once when I was sitting in her room with her - I was shocked that this could happen.</p>
<p>As a parent, I have always advocated for my own kids. I would never leave a child in the hospital without staying. Question, question and question again.
When my kids were born they were not <em>allowed</em> to stay in the nursery without a parent. I was a pain.
I have a friend who called her pediatrician from her child’s hospital room in the middle of the night. Problem was solved though.</p>