As someone who has been living with chronic illnesses for almost 30 years, I’ve experienced how challenging it can be to feel heard by doctors.
Just trying to navigate scheduling appointments, getting to those appointments, having tests or bloodwork done and medications filled can sometimes feel like a full-time job!

Own Your Care by Jeanne Lee, MD really hit on a lot of those challenges in traversing the healthcare system on your own, as someone with no medical training.

I’ve learned the importance of advocating for yourself and being a proactive participant in your own care— what this means and looks like, and how to go about doing it.

This easy to read, empowering guide outlines practical strategies, putting you- the patient- in the driver’s seat in the complex and often overwhelming journey through our healthcare system.

My thanks to NetGalley, Girl Friday Productions, and Jeanne Lee, MD for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Own Your Care; A Family Guide to Navigating Complex Illness, Changing Health, or Unexpected Prognosis by Jeanne Lee, MD was a book I really needed to read. I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

The last time I picked this up was probably September, and all Fall I couldn't seem to commit to either picking it back up or finally calling it quits. So it's been a minute since I was in this book, but I can at least describe some of the difficulties I had.

The book was too unfocused for me. It's supposed to be for both patients experiences complex illness, and for their family, and/or also their caregivers. Rather than being for all of these audiences simultaneously, it kind of ping-pongs or popcorns among these readers.

The bits that I read also weren't super relevant for me and my long-term illness, at least at this point in my journey. The "complex illness" and "unexpected prognosis" seemed to mean a terminal (or at least likely-terminal) diagnosis. This wasn't explicitly states, as far as I can recall, but examples tended to be things like Alzheimer's, dementia, and long cancer journeys; life-long conditions unlikely to at least significantly reduce lifespan (like yours truly) didn't seem to fit. While some of the advice is probably transferrable, it wasn't info that I hadn't already encountered elsewhere.

eARC from NetGalley.

Reviewing this as a bookseller to give information to those who need the book’s advice, I can recommend this comprehensive and helpful title. The many situations covered in dealing with critical illnesses and palliative care would likely be of use to families or individuals dealing with these issues and decisions.

As a healthcare practitioner, I felt this was a great book to add to my collections. I help people with chronic issues, so it's a helpful additional book to refer back to occasionally.

Ms. lee has written a pretty informative book here.
She explains to the caregiver and the care recipient. Telling stories from patients she has cared for in the past, she enlightens us as to what CPR is, palliative care, hospice care.
She explains the mental health directions a diagnosis can elicit. How to talk to your family and even the potential forms you should consider.
This is a difficult world to navigate in print because dying has been for far too long viewed as something we mustn’t want to do. People often are afraid to die as if it is a preventable thing.
The truth is that people do die. Sometimes in sickness or an accident or just old age. This book gives you at least a basic understanding of how to choose your care as your time approaches. Maybe you want every treatment possible, maybe you don’t.
This is not a book advocating causing your own death but rather a book that helps you decide if you want every treatment available or just some of it. In other words some options to consider.
I hope you read this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

I have been a family member of a stage four cancer patient and if I had had Own Your Care with me, so many things would have been different! From start to finish, Dr. Lee covers everything a person or a family member needs to navigate a life changed by illness.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that Dr. Lee delivers what she promises. Her explanations, questions, scenarios, and stories capture everything needed to make solid decisions about the rest of your or loved ones life.

After reading this book, I can see what we as a family could have done differently with my grandfather's complex health issues and when his health both changed and declined, Even communicating with other family members and medical professionals would have looked so differently. Now that I am equipped with this information, I can anticipate and communicate the wishes and needs of myself and/or a loved one if something unexpected happens.

Thank you NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for sending this electronic book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

“Own Your Care” by Jeanne Lee, MD Is a comprehensive book for both patients and caregivers covering many aspects of life with a chronic illness. The thing I liked most about the book is that the author focuses on helping the reader explore the idea of quality of life vs quantity of life. This is something that I feel like many people don’t consider enough. The author provides concrete examples of how different people have different ideas of what this means. She also highlights the differences between palliative care and hospice care; encouraging families to explore the help of palliative care specialists which are often underutilized. The book’s chapters are organized in a logical order going from receiving a diagnosis to end of life concerns. The chapters can be read in any order though, depending on where you are in the healthcare journey. Within each chapter are subsections and bolded bullet point questions geared towards both the patient and family members. I like that there is also an appendix listing these questions, a glossary of terms, and resources for further information. My only criticism is that the book is very text-heavy; I wish there was a bit more color in the form of photos, illustrations, charts or diagrams. Anything to help break up the long blocks of text and bullet pointed lists. Overall, I’d’ I recommend this book to both patients and family/friends of those living with chronic or complex health issues.

A very useful and thoughtful book concerning managing your health and that of your family. Discussed how to cope with making difficult decisions and also answers many of the questions you may have about managing end of life topics. A comforting book that helped our family a lot.