How to use a TEAM Approach to take charge of your health.

A serious health diagnosis can leave anyone feeling shattered and powerless, unsure where to turn. How do we ride the wave of uncertainty?

After my brain tumor diagnosis, I realized there would be many roles I would take on. I knew I had to shake the feelings of being helpless. So I tried to apply the same skills I used in my job as a product manager to navigate the uncharted waters of the healthcare system. So I became a

– Tracker: I tracked how I was feeling, what my doctors were saying and kept copies of all my medical reports. I became the holder of all information about my condition in my big red binder. This became my voice.

– Educator: I educated myself on my condition so that I could have informed discussions with my healthcare team.

– Asker: I started to be curious and ask questions like “Why?” “What if?” and “How can we do this together?” This was the most challenging – learning to find the courage to ask questions. But it also opened up a new channel of communication with my doctor.

– Manager: I knew that teams can become effective with good management and maybe the same could be true for my healthcare. I set objectives such as: what do I want for my healthcare, from my medical team and from the doctor’s appointment I was about to attend? This helped remove some of the emotion and helped regain control of uncertain situations. I needed to manage my appointments and medications, just like I managed things at work!

Did you notice Tracker, Educator, Asker and Manager spell the word T.E.A.M?

TEAM APPROACH

Along with my support team at home and my medical team in the healthcare system, I now had another T.E.A.M by my side. This TEAM approach, that I started using during my patient journey, helped me to take more responsibility for my care, manage my condition with my healthcare partners and have a better overall health experience. I was now an active participant in my healthcare in collaboration with my medical team.

Find your T.E.A.M. to support you so can be active in your healthcare. Your health is in your hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This blog was first published here http://www.philly.com/philly/health/the-t-e-a-m-that-helped-this-brain-tumor-survivor-take-charge-20170905.html

Use a TEAM Approach to take charge of your health!