Category Archives: #sickbody

The Work of a Professional Patient

I don’t get paid for this but it’s my job.

Ironically, I pay others for the work I do. You may need to read that twice to let it sink in. I pay health insurance companies, doctors, and pharmacists to do a job that I actually do because they don’t – or can’t. Though it’s not on my resume, I’m a Professional Patient. I make the phone calls when I catch the mistakes because no one else has the time. I make the phone calls when my doctor doesn’t know what my other doctor said, even though they share a computer system. I call to make sure my prescription is filled on time. I call to make sure my insurance company will cover a service because it’s not clearly stated in my plan information. I call to challenge billing errors and then I call to follow up at least three times before it’s settled.   Continue reading The Work of a Professional Patient

World Prematurity Day

Source: World Prematurity Day

Patient Advocacy & Courage; Becoming a Voice For Many

Do you know how much courage it takes to tell 200 strangers it hurts to have sex?  Courage.

Continue reading Patient Advocacy & Courage; Becoming a Voice For Many

I Said “Yes” to Big Pharma

I didn’t want to start this blog.  I knew it would get me in trouble.  The kind of trouble that puts me in front of a crowd of 200 people from around the world to talk about what it’s like to live with Ankylosing Spondylitis.  I’m in trouble. Big time.

I didn’t want to dive into something bigger than I could handle – something that had the potential to amplify my voice into something like…well, like this conference I’m going to in San Francisco the first weekend in November. I’ve really done it now.

Continue reading I Said “Yes” to Big Pharma