When Advocating for Your Health Is Seen as Being Difficult
Introducing: Jo
Being prepared, asking questions and making informed decisions are all things patients are encouraged to do. But what happens when those same behaviours are interpreted as anxiety, difficulty or even a threat?
After Jo Muirhead was diagnosed with breast cancer, she found herself in exactly that position. She talks about bringing her own medical records to appointments, feeling steered towards a breast reconstruction she didn’t want and gradually losing trust in healthcare. She also shares what changed when she found clinicians who listened to what she wanted and treated her as part of the decision-making process.
“I just started to feel like a pile of pathology.”
In this episode:
Why asking questions and keeping your own medical records can sometimes be misread as “difficult” behaviour
What can happen when you don’t feel heard in decisions about your own body and healthcare
How Jo’s breast reconstruction experience affected her trust in clinicians
What changed when she found healthcare professionals who listened to what she wanted
The difference Jo sees between being trauma-aware and actually providing trauma-informed care
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