What is self-help?
One of the things we hear over and over again from arthritis sufferers is the need to be self-advocating. There are long waits to see specialists; there are medical tests that we’d like to know more about, there are medications to learn about and often a multitude of symptoms to interpret. Self-help can be simply reading a book on medications or writing down symptoms and/or questions that occur to you for your next doctor’s visit. It is also being aware that you, ‘the patient’, are now part of a treatment team that includes all the doctors, lab technicians, therapists, nurses and pharmacists you see, and you are its focus. A chronic illness with no cure requires a realistic treatment plan that will provide the best quality of life for you. The more you understand about the options available, and the more effectively you communicate with your doctor(s) influences the effectiveness of that treatment plan. A self-help group isn’t compulsory but it is a wonderful resource, like a library o
