aerik appreciates healthcare providers who see their patients as partners in care.
Transcript
I think the best provider experiences I have are providers who are like, “You know a lot, let’s start there. Tell me what you know. Tell me what you think. Tell me what you need and let’s go from there and let’s learn together. Let’s try things.” … It’s constantly changing, so folks who have really encouraged me to track my symptoms, to track when I try a new thing and to only try one new thing at a time, to really slowly like go onto something, so start at a really low dose and work my way up. Really slowly come off and really like – it’s almost like teaching us how to pay attention on that level, to our own bodies and really track what’s helping and what’s not helping. So rather than they’re like, “This is the thing you need and this is going to fix it,” really encouraging us to track that stuff ourselves and kind of become experts of what helps and what doesn’t … There isn’t going to be a one size fits all and the only one who is going to know if something works is us … It’s almost like coaches to help us become empowered to notice what’s working, what’s not working.
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- Support From Family, Friends, Communities – aerikaerik has benefitted from vital practical and material support.
- Support From Family, Friends, Communities – aerikaerik draws on their longstanding connection with the queer and disabled communities.
- Additional Expenses – aerikaerik lives on low income and tells us how it feels to not have access to many treatment options.
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- Advice to Healthcare Providers – aerikaerik appreciates healthcare providers who see their patients as partners in care.