You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes

O' Magazine gives this book a nod in the August 2010 issue and online at Oprah.com in the article How to Find a Health Advocate

Does your doctor rush through appointments, leaving you with questions? Have you been told your undiagnosed symptoms are all in your head? Have you suffered from a medical error, like millions do each year? Do you wonder why people get sicker from the drugs they take, or why we see ads on TV for drugs we patients can't purchase without a prescription? Do you wish you could simply get the medical care you need, when you need it, effectively and efficiently? You Bet Your Life! - The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes (How to Fix Them to Get the Healthcare You Deserve) helps you understand the answers to these challenges and more. Trisha Torrey knows the dysfunction well. She was diagnosed with an aggressive, terminal cancer and told she had only a few months to live. She made plenty of mistakes herself at first. But five years later, she has ''recovered'' quite nicely, parlaying her odyssey into advice for others. Today she writes and speaks internationally on patient empowerment topics. Now she has put her advice into this book to help you, too. Part expose and part toolkit, You Bet Your Life! explains why the system is so dysfunctional and how that hurts patients. You'll read true stories shared by people like you who have suffered from substandard care. Then you'll find tactics you can use to get the help you or a loved one needs.

When Trisha Torrey was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive lymphoma in 2004, she was a marketing consultant who knew almost nothing about healthcare. She was also naive to the dysfunction of the American healthcare system that was tasked with treating her. Initially Trisha made every mistake a patient could make. But she got smart, fast. She learned that the possibility of excellent care was too easily and frequently eclipsed by miscommunication and mistakes. She also learned that if she didn't stick up for herself, and insist on the help she needed, she would not get it. Once Trisha put that cancer odyssey behind her, she decided it was up to her to sound the warning bells about the dysfunction, and apply her skills to teaching others how to navigate the dangerous landscape of American healthcare. Today Trisha calls herself ''Every Patient's Advocate.'' She writes a newspaper column, hosts a weekly health-related talk radio show, guides the About.com website for Patient Empowerment, speaks to groups of patients and professionals, and teaches workshops. She has been quoted by CNN, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, NPR, Angie's List Magazine, Bottom Line Publications, and others.