ADVOCATE WITH CONFIDENCE

Beyond Information: Next-Level Advocacy

Advocating for Sjogren’s care is often daunting. While Sjogren’s Advocate provides evidence-based resources, doctors are not always receptive. This page offers advanced advocacy tools to help you communicate effectively with providers, especially those who are not up to date or fail to take your symptoms seriously.

You will learn how to respond when doctors:

Downplay the disease as merely a "mild dryness" problem.
Refuse to diagnose you because your blood tests are normal.
Claim that SSA-negative Sjogren’s is not serious.
Insist that no treatments are available.
Misdiagnose physical symptoms as anxiety or functional disorders like fibromyalgia.

This is where Kristina Kelly, Board Certified Patient Advocate, and founder of Little Engine Patient Advocacy, comes in.
Her books, resources, and video course, Streamlining Sjogren’s, provide the tactical skills needed to navigate these high-stakes appointments. You will learn how to stay prepared, manage frustration or anger in the moment, and effectively use credible academic sources to challenge misconceptions.

Little Engine Patient Advocacy Resources

Free Handouts & Worksheets

20-Second Appointment Opener Worksheet
Use this worksheet to create a clear, focused, 20-second opening statement. This will help you communicate your key concerns and what you hope to accomplish during the appointment.

7 Advocacy Phrases Every Sjogren’s Patient Should Know
These simple one-liners help you respond when your symptoms are minimized, your concerns are ignored, or you are told everything is fine simply because your lab results look "normal."

Streamlining Sjogren’s Masterclass

Free Preview Video and Complete Course

In this on-demand video course, I joined creator Kristina Kelly as a guest contributor. As fellow SSA-negative patients, we both navigated the difficult path of getting diagnosed and having our concerns taken seriously. By combining our professional knowledge and hard-won insights, we have created a powerful resource designed to help you advocate for your health with confidence.

Click here for the Free Preview Video and the Complete Course

Streamlining Sjogren’s Mini-Courses

These topic-focused classes are based on core modules from the comprehensive Streamlining Sjogren’s masterclass. Each course is designed to function independently, allowing for a personalized learning experience tailored to your specific needs.

Click on the the links to learn about each mini-course:

• Understanding Sjogren’s disease and the diagnostic challenges

• How to build your Sjogren’s healthcare team

• How to get the most out of your appointments

• Understanding treatment options & living well with the disease

Books

How to be a Badass in a Broken Healthcare System

Kristina draws on her advocacy training, deep understanding of the US health care system, and personal experiences—both positive and negative—to show patients what they can do when they encounter disinterested or misinformed clinicians. Notably, she includes a section on navigating health insurance, a topic I do not address on Sjogren's Advocate.

The prepared questions, statements, and comebacks are my favorite part of this book. These tools help patients communicate effectively and gracefully, even in the most difficult clinical encounters.

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

02-20-2026