I didn't start out to build my healthcare team - it just worked out that way.  And it is only recently that I have begun to look at it that way.  It's all in how you frame it really.  I have had this group of people to turn to around me for a while but now I don't think of them as individual experts I think of them as My Team.  Think about how empowering that sounds!  You probably have your own healthcare team and don't even realize it.  But when you look at it this way, it makes sense and you can start asking yourself questions any team leader would ask.
<ul>
	<li>What kind of experts do I want on my team?</li>
	<li>Who are the specific experts that I want on my team?</li>
	<li>What about other patient advocates? Are they part of your team?  They are part of mine.  I follow other people like ePatient Dave, Hypothyroid Mom, Thyroid Mary and BeePea for example.  They are part of MY team.</li>
	<li></li>
</ul>
Cultivate the relationship.  I called my compounding pharmacist one day and went in and had a chat with her.  Almost every time I go to pick up my prescriptions I speak to the pharmacist.  I ask some really well thought out questions in part to get the answers but in part to create dialogue and cultivate the relationship.

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