Aranzazu Calzadu, a multiple sclerosis patient advocate, shares how using clear, fact-based communication may help patients express urgent needs to their care team.
Transcript
When I communicate a critical need to my provider that I need to be seen sooner rather than later, I really try to come to them with facts.
So instead of saying “Something’s really wrong, I need to be seen right away, I really don’t feel good.” While that is true, instead I try to say “I am really struggling to breathe. I can’t get off the couch. My lips are blue.”
You know, very fact-based statements you can use to say that “I am fearful for my life.”
Now they may tell you to go to the emergency room, which is totally fair, but, you know, if you feel that you just need to go to the doctor sooner.
I just try to go to them with very hardcore examples of what I’m experiencing, how long I’ve been experiencing it, and what treatment I have tried and how I have or have not responded well to it.
