"I believe there is a new kind of healthcare recipient already emerging. They are refusing to be victimized, are recruiting both personal and high-tech help, and /or have developed communication skill sets that shift the balance between recipient and provider( showing the provider the way without offense and without acknowledging what they are really doing )."
"Patients are becoming self-need focused; asking for what they want, need, feel, and think, using "I" statements. They have begun organizing their medical histories without emphasis on past experiences that do not pertain to the current situation, even when the experiences are responsible for substantial emotional or physical injury. At times they intentionally omit information that may bring bias into the discussion. They are learning to seek clarity from caregivers: "What I heard you say was..."
"Med-line or Internet searches of symptoms, function loss and differential diagnosis from the past give patients new tools for communication and often help them begin to sort out what is not true for them, giving a little better organized history or picture."
[I have included the above quotes in random order to hopefully interest you to begin to take charge of your own medical health concerns.]
[ http://www.obgyn.net/endo/articles/peterson_0699.htm ]