Broken Record - Here we go, AGAIN

 April is National Minority Health Month. I started this podcast, this year with encouraging people to go to the Damn Doctor. I understand that there is a lot of mistrust in the health care system. And for good reason. As a minority, we do not get viewed well - we are saw as drug seeking, or are not listened to and mistreated. We have options for our community and we need to invest in them 

Transcript

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Hi, Angela Clemens, the host of the Can I Purl Your Skin podcast? Welcome to April. And April is going to celebrate minority health. Now, we did mention on some minority health things in previous topics in January when we were talking about health and wellness, a little bit in March, where I introduced the fact that you know mental health was important and we decided to focus on grief. But here in April, we're gonna jump right in. January, my very first episode, I talked about the importance of having a doctor. And so now we're gonna get into the why. Now, black Americans we face a higher risk of heart disease and death from heart diseases compared to our white American friends. And this disparity is due to social as well as lifestyle factors. This is not new, guys. This is not new, it's not rare. This is something that we have known for a very long time. Um, and black adults, we are 30% more likely to die from heart disease. And it's not because we don't know about heart disease, it's not because people don't know how to treat heart disease. And black men in particular, you guys have a 70% higher risk of developing heart complications, heart failure, than your counterparts. And so that is why we need to have doctors. And there is a stereotype that we have to admit. And one of the reasons why I know that we don't seek health care in general is because there's a stereotype that we are drug seeking, that we are not heated or listened to, and that we are playing out mistreated. And I will not sit here and tell you that that is not the case. And one big big example of that is when I was having a bunch of abnormal bleeding, and I'm gonna be descriptive apologies. I was having um blood clots the size of a chicken cut, like bigger than my hand, seriously. And so I went to see a doctor, a gynecologist. Now, the gynecologist that I uh normally saw, she was retiring, so she wasn't taking anybody, including her established patients. She wanted us all to seek someone else. Well, if you are someone like me who goes to their doctor regularly, you know that when you leave the doctor, you have to make a new appointment or you not get an appointment for a month or two. Well, I finally got in. Um, may have called a few contacts to get in. And um I sat down with the doctor. My husband actually was came with me because at that point I was having um seizures. We didn't know it was seizures at the time, but I was having seizures and I had recently had a seizure while driving. I was unresponsive to everything. Again, we didn't know it was seizures, we didn't know what was going on. So at that point, um, I was no longer driving because it wasn't safe for me or anyone else on the road. So my doctor appointment was coming up. My husband drove me. We get there. And um, at that point, because of family history, because of a bunch of other personal things, and because of the chicken uh cutlets I was passing, I'm like, I'm done. I'm gonna have a total hysterectomy. I don't need it, get it out. So the doctor that I went to see was a very misogynistic um male. Um, he was um of the kind of minority where the man makes all the choices and woman has no say. Well, I went to him and I said to him, um, I need to have hysterectomy. And at the time I was late 30s, early 40s, early 40s. And he goes, Well, what if you want kids? I'm like, I don't want no kids. He goes, Well, what about your husband? And my husband was just like, it's whatever she wants. And he goes, Well, you don't need a hysterectomy. And I was like, Oh, yes, I do. And so to this man, me wanting a hysterectomy wasn't because of the pain and everything else I was having. And what I explained to him, to him, he decided in his mind, I must be cheating on my husband. So he asked me if I needed an STI testing. And I said, and I looked at my husband, I'm like, not unless he wants to die. And um my husband laughed. I was like, no, I don't want to die. So my husband's laughing. I thought it was a joke, and he goes, No, I think you need STI testing. And I'm like, no, I don't. So this man sat and looked at my husband, looked at me, and then decided that it was okay for him without with me telling him no twice, um, without permission to re-enter me and do a vaginal swab to do STI testing. Um, I'm in the state of Michigan, in the state of Michigan, that's actually criminal, criminal sexual assault. Without explicit permission, a doctor cannot enter your vagina without express permission. Um, now, every woman knows this, and men, you get to learn something new. Um, pelvic exams suck. There are so many uh memes and videos and everything all over uh social media now where I think if you didn't know, now you know they suck. And as women, if you're getting a pap smear, if you're getting um a two-finger um exam, if they're taking sales of any sort, oh my gosh, coposcopies, pretty much at any time, um, anyone entering you without you being prepared for it generally sucks. And it doesn't matter what is going inside of you, it sucks. And so for women, we brace ourselves, we prepare ourselves, we put ourselves in the best possible physical position so that it doesn't hurt. And the way I found out, like, keep in mind, I'm having seizures here. Um, and I have the kind of seizures like I would know what was happening to me. Um, but I wasn't having one at the time, and I went, ow, what the fuck? And I looked at him, he said nothing. I looked at my husband. My husband didn't give me any indication that something was amiss. But then in my my chart, I got a negative STI test, to which I realized what happened and why I said ouch and what was painful. And I sent a glaring email, and in said email, I explicitly said you did not have my permission to do this, what is wrong with you, and me being who I am, and I'm like, and I damn sure ain't paying for it. So I end up filing a complaint with the health system who told me maybe I misunderstood, which I damn sure didn't misunderstand, and because it's a criminal sexual assault, um, once, yes, he won, I went and filed a complaint with the police. I have never in my entire life been treated like a criminal after filing this complaint, even when I did something criminal, and I was like, whoa, is this what women talk about when they say not only are they not believed, but they are treated so poorly, and this is why they don't file criminal sexual assault. And I was like, huh, okay, I get it now. On the converse of that, when I found out I was having seizures, I um, this was uh a few months later, I was with my my husband and my mother-in-law, and we were in a suburban city, and I had had a seizure at lunch. I did not know what it was, and at this point, um the doctor we had seen beforehand um after um so so far after the seizure, they told me it might be blood pressure related. I was thinking I may have been having a hypertensive stroke or something. So my husband and my mother-in-law were like, we're taking her to the hospital. Now, my like I said, my seizures are such that I have no idea they're happening, but I'm very mobile, I'm very positionable. I went from having lunch and uh at lunch with my my husband and my mother-in-law to the next thing I know, I'm walking down the street, my mother-in-law in front of me, my husband behind me. And this is not common for us. So I said, Oh, okay. We're about to go put together your furniture. And my mother-in-law turns around and looks at me. She goes, No, we're on our way to the hospital. And I go, why? And I look at her, she looks fine. I turn, look at my husband, he looks fine. And my mother-in-law goes, No, it's for you. And I'm like, For me, I'm fine. My mother-in-law goes, No, you're not. And I'm sitting here like looking at myself, like confused as all hell. And um, so I'm like, all right, confused. So we go to um the health system I normally go to, but we went to their branch in the suburban area where she lives. And we go in, and my husband and my mother-in-law are explaining what I was like and what was going on. I had zero clue, and I'm just sitting here like, oh, wow, really? Oh, okay. So that as they're explaining this to the triage nurse, I'm learning. And I'm like, wow. And so as soon as they start explaining things to me, I know I'm not having a hypertensive stroke. And so my husband tells them, Oh, they thought it was her blood pressure. I'm like, that ain't blood pressure. And so the triage nurse, she immediately takes me back. Um, and they say to me, Well, have you done any drugs? And I'm like, Well, I had a drink at lunch. She goes, No, drugs. And me being the smart ass toxicologist that I am. I'm like, Well, alcohol is a drug, but other than that, no, I just take my prescription medications. And she goes, What kinds of prescriptions? And I'm like, Well, I'm hypertensive, so I take stuff for that. And she goes, Oh, yeah, no, that wouldn't cause what you happened. I'm like, no, it didn't cause what happened. And then she says to me, Well, is there any chance you could be pregnant? And I said, No, I had a total a few months ago, but that should be in my chart, because same health system. And actually, at this point, almost everybody uses Epic, so your chart should be available throughout the country at this part. And she goes, Oh, okay, yeah. Um, but you know, sometimes you could be pregnant still, and she knows I know she's lying. So I'm like, not unless it's the second coming of Jesus. Get your affairs in order. And she goes, Well, you know, the doctor just really wants you to take um this pregnancy test. So she gives me a cup. Now, first of all, toxicologist, second of all, not stupid. It's a drug test. So my mother-in-law is pissed off, my husband's pissed off. They don't understand why I'm not pissed off. And I'm like, this is normal for us, us being black people seeking care. So I do the drug test. I know it's a drug test. And then I write on the on the top of the toxicology test, hi to my, because I could see where they're sending it. So I said hi to my friend, signed my name, and she goes, What is this? I'm like, that's a tox test. It's going to this laboratory. I'm also a toxicologist. I know this person very well. I was just sending a hello note. And so she looks at me pissed off, walks out the room with the drug cup. Obviously, everything's negative, negative to the point where they didn't even send it off to the lab. But I, you know, so I'm I'm I'm sitting here like, eh. So at that point, they end up admitting me, doing some scans. That's how I felt I really I found out I was having a seizure disorder. So I get it. I absolutely get the distrust. I've personally had, those are just two of the examples, but those are some of the two of my most recent life. But I get the distrust that we have as a community. But even with that distrust as a community, I still think that it's important to go to the doctor. My very first episode was about seeing a doctor. So, um, and I kind of mentioned it, I hinted at it before, but I really think that if we need to, then we need to do a green book for doctors, like they just used to do with restaurants back in the 60s and 70s. Maybe we need it for the healthcare system. Like I still go to the same health system, same hospital system. I refuse to go to that location. And actually, my epileptologist is out of that location, but I will never go to that location to see him. He goes to some of the other locations and I see him at those locations and he laughed at me. He's like, Are you ever gonna come to my office? I'm like, Will your office always be at this location? And he laughed. He goes, So you're never coming. I'm like, absolutely not. If you have a good doctor and you want to refer someone to them, refer your friends, tell your family. At the end of the day, we need to encourage our community to go to the doctor. Um, will fucked up things happen? Yeah. I can sit in this chair and tell you absolutely, I've had some fucked up things happen to me in the recent years. Um, do I think that that is a reason not to go to the doctor? I don't. We are dying from preventable fucking diseases. We are dying in orders of magnitude in which we should not be dying. There are things that maybe it's not preventable, but it can absolutely be delayed. It can be controlled, it can be managed. I make the joke around people that I know that I take a medicine cabinet every day, but I'm fucking here and I'm alive. And it is partially due to that medicine cabinet. So go to the fucking doctor, you guys. It makes no sense not to. And so that's how I'm gonna start off Minority Health Month. Just like I started off the year, and just like I started off this podcast, go to the doctor. Are there stereotypes? Yes. Can we do things about it? But the only way to dispel a stereotype is to stare it in the face and prove to it that it is wrong. Come on, guys, let's get healthy, let's take care of ourselves. Also, like, subscribe, follow. I think you can download now. I think that's a thing. Whatever, rate me. Thank you so much. Bye.