Matt Kelly explains how to manage complex chronic illness. He emphasizes self-advocacy, bringing research to your doctors, and finding new providers when you need them. Staying empowered prevents discouragement during long-term care.
What's the most powerful thing that you can do as a patient when you have a chronic illness? That is to be persistent and patient with yourself. You want enough patience with yourself because you don't feel good and you're gonna get frustrated. That's natural. But the persistence will take you to a place where you either have to seek out your own information to bring to your healthcare providers, or you have to seek out a different healthcare provider. Or maybe, as happens in many cases, you've got some great healthcare providers, but they need someone else in the team or another group of people in the team. So you have to maintain the persistence to be your own advocate and keep the empowerment moving forward, because that's what's going to help your providers help you the most. And it's what's going to keep you in the game and from getting discouraged while you're working with a complex chronic illness.
