What's care got to do with it?

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 I remember my junior year of high school. At that time my junior year felt extra stressful, there were so many test and state exams we were preparing for; everything felt intense. Before Christmas break, I remember feeling tired more than usual but ignored it. Then I begin feeling weak, extremely thirsty and other symptoms. I went on for weeks feeling unwell but felt I couldn't bring myself to ask to be seen by a doctor thinking it will pass. Eventually things got serious, and I waited until after Christmas to go to the ER.

Unfortunately, the medical system has always been undesirable due to wait time and the inconsistent service of care. You just never know what you are going to get, and this had always played a factor in my delayed response to seeking medical help. Of course, when I went to the ER it was busy, there was a wait, but eventually I was examined and when results came in, they were not good. 

I believe if I didn't grow up seeing the way that our medical system lacks in the practice of care, I would have hesitated less to seek medical care. The same for my mother as a Spanish speaker her experience has been worse. The medical system has always felt like more of a headache than healing. Therefore, it had created a behavior of avoidance towards medical care.



Comments

  1. Victoria RestlerNovember 4, 2024 at 8:10 AM

    Thanks for sharing this post, Steph and your challenges in naviagting the medical system. The space of western medicine so often feels cold, unpredictable and uncaring.

    ReplyDelete

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