Why You Should Have Patient Representative?
Have you just learned you have Cancer? That is a huge word, isn't it?

According to recent Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report magazine articles, as well as comments made on national news segments about health care in the US, "No one" with a new diagnosis of cancer should attend medical, surgical, or oncology appointments without a medically knowledgeable, non-related, personal healthcare advocate in tow.

From the moment the word "cancer" is uttered, the life of the patient, and the lives of his or her entire family and friends, become turned upside down. This is too important a time to try to navigate all the trends and treatment options available in the ever-changing world of medicine and cancer care.

An analogy can be made to a person becoming, literally, deaf-perhaps even mute. From the moment you hear you have cancer, you become nearly unable to process ANY new information, much less the very important discussions that will take place with all your doctors over the next brief span of time. You have no idea what questions you should be asking, what needs more clarification. Your emotions are too raw.
Your family is afflicted in much the same way because of their love for you. They, too, become unable to be objective and to fully "hear" what is being said by the doctors. Even if a family member or friend is as a medical professional, the emotional tie to you so profoundly alters that persons professional abilities, in spite of his or her medical specialty, that he or she cannot be fully helpful to you. It's not that they want to be unable to help you with the decision-making. It's simply that they, too, become emotionally shut down.

These are times you want to be armed with as much help as possible. You want to be sure someone will advocate for you by asking about options, treatment plans, what the surgery will entail…as well as asking other pertinent questions to help prevent "down the road" complications that are known to occur if certain options are followed, as opposed to others.

Please consider hiring a Healthcare Advocate at these difficult times. The knowledge he or she has can help you avoid physical ailments you will encounter as you go through chemo and/or radiation treatments…perhaps even save your life.