Infographic with communication icon showing strategies for sickle cell patients in the ER who feel unheard. Four bullet points: Ask questions about treatment plan with example 'Can you explain your treatment plan for my sickle cell pain?'; Stay calm and factual about what has or hasn't worked with example 'The morphine dose helped some, but I'm still in a lot of pain'; Ask for communication help with example about patient advocates; Tell them about your doctor's plan with examples about calling your doctor and usual protocols. Attribution to HealthEd for Everyone dot org.

Feeling dismissed during acute sickle cell pain? Unfortunately, many people experience this. Here is some support communicating to get the care you need.

#SickleCellDisease #PatientAdvocacy #EmergencyRoom #SickleCellAdvocacy #HealthCommunication #SickleCellAwareness

Infographic with teal background showing "When to get help for sickle cell pain" with emergency calendar icon. Three red arrow bullet points list: "You can't control your pain at home," "The pain feels different," "The pain is in a different part of your body than usual," "You have other concerning symptoms." Below explains "Why: Treating your pain is important. If it's different or in a new part of your body, you may have something else going on." Website URL at bottom.

Going to the ER for sickle cell pain can be a hard decision. But you're doing the right thing if you have concerning symptoms or can't control your pain at home. Even new or different pain than usual can signal serious complications. Trust your instincts.

#SickleCellAdvocacy #PatientSupport

Health education post with white text on teal background asking 'What blood test proves someone has sickle cell pain?' Answer in dark green box states 'No test proves someone has sickle cell pain. Someone can feel like their bones are breaking from sickle cell pain and have normal labs. The only way to know if someone has pain is to ask them.' Attribution to HealthEd for Everyone dot org.

There's no test that tells you if someone has acute sickle cell pain. Someone can feel like their bones are breaking from sickle cell disease with completely normal lab results. The gold standard is to ask the person if they're in pain.

#SickleCellAwareness #SickleCellAdvocacy