Are you ready to ACE Your Healthcare Journey?

Most of us view our relationship with our clinicians as:

1. We tell them what is wrong

2. They tell us what to do

3. We say yes

4. We keep our thoughts and opinions to ourselves

5. We feel unwell again

6. Refer back to 1.

Upon receiving a diagnosis of aortic disease, it's natural to feel overwhelmed. The old model of communicating can be recipe for disaster.

The first step to success is to learn how to ACE (Advocate, Communicate and Educate) your healthcare journey. 

The healthcare journey is everything that has to do with your healthcare experience, from finding a provider to scheduling appointments and even paying a bill. This is more than just establishing a shared decision-making relationship.  To ACE this journey, you should gather as much information as possible about your specific condition. Understanding the type of aortic disease you have—whether it's an aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, aortic valve disease, or another condition—can help you and your healthcare team develop an appropriate management plan.  

Here are some tips to ACE the journey with your medical team: 

Advocate: When you self-advocate, you feel more in control of your medical health journey.  Advocating encompasses many different things such as: 

• Communicating 

• Keeping Records 

• Including a supporter during your appointments 

• Being prepared for your appointments 

• Taking notes  

  
  

Communicate: Become comfortable with how much communication you will have in the future.

• Establish the best form of communication (patient portal, texts, voice mail, email).   

• Don’t hesitate to ask about your condition, treatment options, and any procedures. Understanding your condition helps in managing it better. Prepare a list of questions before your appointments to ensure you cover all your concerns.

  
  

Educate: Become comfortable teaching your clinicians how you feel both physically and mentally. They are not mind readers.

• Start to gather information about your family medical history. #ThinkAortaThinkFamily

• Educating your physician will help piece together the puzzle of your health. 

~To have a two-way street for success, your healthcare journey should be a power balance NOT power struggle.