Blog Post 03: Women in Healthcare
Wow. I want to start this post off with the most heartfelt thank you. I have received such an outpouring of love from so many people since publishing this site. Please know that I have read every single comment and message and that they mean the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
In this post, I want to highlight both the heroes and victims of this story. They are one and the same: women in healthcare. You have probably recognized the repetition of “she” throughout my writing. Women are chronically over-diagnosed with mental illnesses, despite presenting with physical symptoms, so I have made a conscious effort to find female providers. I’ve seen two primary care providers, a diagnostician, and two radiologists in the past three months- all women!! Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they’ve all been wonderful. The first primary care provider I saw was terrible. She talked over me, dismissed my concerns, scribbled down the phone number of a therapist, and sent me home. She didn’t order one test, she didn’t lay one finger on me. I left that practice in tears, just so frustrated at her nonchalance. The reality is, being a woman doesn’t necessarily mean that you will give other women the benefit of the doubt. That you’ll hear them out. That you’ll take their symptoms at face value. We are capable of perpetuating internalized biases about our own genders. It’s sad, but true.
Another struggle for women: body image. Two of my primary symptoms have been weight gain and purple striae lining both sides of both legs, as well as my back. I have been so self conscious of how I look and absolutely terrified of the impending warm weather. I don’t want anyone to see these marks in a dress, nevermind in a bathing suit. To add insult to injury, I had a male dermatologist look at me and declare, “you seem very concerned about these marks on your legs. They’re probably just stretch marks from you gaining so much weight so fast.” That was devastating. And unprofessional! There were ways to get that message across without being condescending and unkind.
Here are just some of the many marks that cover my legs and back:
This morning, I saw my new provider. She was fantastic! I truly can’t say enough good things about her. This woman sat and listened to me for a full hour, twice the amount of time she had allotted for my appointment. Here’s why she stood out compared to the two aforementioned providers.
She ordered labs! On Monday morning, I will repeat my CBC, CMP, and thyroid panels. Additionally, she’ll do a blood smear to actually examine the cells themselves. She’ll also repeat my lost cortisol studies.
She recognized that, if this is Cushing’s or another related ailment, it may be out of her depth. However, she had an endocrinologist to refer me to on site and was prepared to do so.
She looked at the marks on my legs and simply said, “I don’t know who told you these were stretch marks, but no. This is not normal.”
Most importantly, she assured me that she would figure this out. Communication goes a long way in situations like these!
For other women who have been deemed a medical mystery, do your research. If a healthcare provider can say you’re depressed and call it a day, they probably will. Know your symptoms inside and out, come with possible diagnoses, ask for them to order tests. If you don’t advocate for yourself, no one will. We’ve reached a point where many practices are “churn and burn.” Just trying to see as many patients as they can each day. Don’t let your well-being be something that slips through the cracks in their effort to bring the next person in and collect the next check.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be a doctor. I plan to apply to medical school this cycle. I don’t mean to say that all physicians are bad or that none of them care. There are plenty of good ones out there! However, we can’t discount the bad ones nor can we ignore the commercial nature of healthcare in the United States. We need to normalize doctor-patient relationships built on mutual trust and confidence, rather than a power dynamic. Don’t be afraid to speak up!
I should have these labs back shortly, and I will be following up with this new doctor in two weeks. Hoping to have more answers to share then!