BMJ Blogs: Ceinwen Giles: Self-management? I need a PA!

 BMJ Blogs

 Patient activation sounds great on paper but what people often forget is that patients can only be activated in a system that enables it.

 To be totally honest, I’m mentally exhausted. I work full-time, I have a small child, and—in between medical appointments—I try to have a life. Should I be worried about my kidney? I don’t know. Should I be “actively” trying to “manage” the situation and find out what’s wrong? Probably. But I’m tired. I’m tired of hospitals, I’m tired of worrying, and I’m tired of not really knowing what’s going on.