Empower yourself
Your voice is so important in this process. Be an active part of your care plan, and educate yourself about your disease. Pay attention to your body and emotions and believe what they tell you. And then be honest with your physician about them. Remember: what you don’t reveal, you can’t heal.
Build a support system
Finding your tribe is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, because that provides the support that you need that you can’t get from your family or friends. These are people who understand chronic illness, who are having some of the same experiences as you, and get it.
Be open with your doctor
Good care comes from building trust. Tell your doctors if you’ve had a traumatic experience with a previous physician. Discuss how that’s affected you so they can understand any resistance or pushback you might have and navigate an honest doctor/patient relationship.
Keep loved ones in the loop
When you say “arthritis,” people automatically think of something their grandmother has. Educate your family and friends about the different types of arthritis, and don’t be afraid to tell people what you need. When I started talking about my RA, I found out others in my family also have it. We weren’t talking about it. But the more you know about your medical history, the better care you can get, so it helps everyone.