A Sexist-Racist Medical System - Bartholin Cysts
Hi Ladies,
I'm just going to come right out and say what I know all of us have been thinking. If we were men with cysts and abscesses that occur so commonly, would doctors be so quick to ask us to have part of our penises removed? Of course not! Would the only solution to an abscess be an incredibly invasive procedure that is required sometimes 3-5 times and that puts us out of commission sexually for weeks. No, this would be deemed totally unacceptable for men and what more is that I have the research to back it up. We have to protect our own interests! We have to do the research ourselves and not depend on products (physicians) of this fallible system to dictate what medical procedures we recieve or do not receive.
Case in Point: My doctor wanted to simply lance my abscess and have me leave her office. After researching the procedure for treating a Bartholin cyst, I found that this is the WORST possible procedure because it has the highest rate of reocurrence. I went in to my appointment and insisted that a word catheter be used in order to faciliate proper healing and an alternative passage way so that the gland would not be blocked again. She was impressed that I knew what I was talking about and had no problem doing so. Only time will tell how effective it is, but I feel GREAT knowing that I didn't let her do a half job on me. I know there have to have been many women who went in for this procedure got it lanced and were back within months because of a reocurrence.
Be Empowered: Sure, doctors have the medical degrees but we have the power to know our bodies. We have the responsiblity to know what's going on in our own bodies. We have to be proactive and put our health first. It's difficult because of all the expectations that society for us to bear children, take care of family members and essentially be there for everyone and humbly put ourselves last. We can NOT do this. It is not in our best interest to de-prioritize ourselves though society tells us that good women do exactly that.
Engage in Dialogue - Do not simply allow your physician to do whatever he or she wants without recourse. Ask him/her to explain why they have selected a certain technique, if you are in pain tell the physician that you are sensitive and he/she needs to be mindful of that, remind the physician that you need to know what's going on at all times. Ask to hear all alternative treatments.
Doctors - I must say that it would be easy to say that male doctors simply do not understand that the needs of women. But doing so, would totally undermine the true power of this sexist-racist medical system. THe truth is that female doctors are also trained in the same universities that train male doctors. In fact, some of them are more cruel and indifferent than males are. Please do not have preconceived notions about your physician because of their race or gender, all we know for sure is that doctors don't always have our best interests at heart and we have to be our own ADVOCATES.
Bottom line is numerous factors contribute to how we are treated in a medical office: gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, even religion. All I'm asking is that you be aware of the possible ways that these factors may be impacting you and DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING THE BEST TREATMENT FOR YOUR ILLNESS. Do your own research.
I'm just going to come right out and say what I know all of us have been thinking. If we were men with cysts and abscesses that occur so commonly, would doctors be so quick to ask us to have part of our penises removed? Of course not! Would the only solution to an abscess be an incredibly invasive procedure that is required sometimes 3-5 times and that puts us out of commission sexually for weeks. No, this would be deemed totally unacceptable for men and what more is that I have the research to back it up. We have to protect our own interests! We have to do the research ourselves and not depend on products (physicians) of this fallible system to dictate what medical procedures we recieve or do not receive.
Case in Point: My doctor wanted to simply lance my abscess and have me leave her office. After researching the procedure for treating a Bartholin cyst, I found that this is the WORST possible procedure because it has the highest rate of reocurrence. I went in to my appointment and insisted that a word catheter be used in order to faciliate proper healing and an alternative passage way so that the gland would not be blocked again. She was impressed that I knew what I was talking about and had no problem doing so. Only time will tell how effective it is, but I feel GREAT knowing that I didn't let her do a half job on me. I know there have to have been many women who went in for this procedure got it lanced and were back within months because of a reocurrence.
Be Empowered: Sure, doctors have the medical degrees but we have the power to know our bodies. We have the responsiblity to know what's going on in our own bodies. We have to be proactive and put our health first. It's difficult because of all the expectations that society for us to bear children, take care of family members and essentially be there for everyone and humbly put ourselves last. We can NOT do this. It is not in our best interest to de-prioritize ourselves though society tells us that good women do exactly that.
Engage in Dialogue - Do not simply allow your physician to do whatever he or she wants without recourse. Ask him/her to explain why they have selected a certain technique, if you are in pain tell the physician that you are sensitive and he/she needs to be mindful of that, remind the physician that you need to know what's going on at all times. Ask to hear all alternative treatments.
Doctors - I must say that it would be easy to say that male doctors simply do not understand that the needs of women. But doing so, would totally undermine the true power of this sexist-racist medical system. THe truth is that female doctors are also trained in the same universities that train male doctors. In fact, some of them are more cruel and indifferent than males are. Please do not have preconceived notions about your physician because of their race or gender, all we know for sure is that doctors don't always have our best interests at heart and we have to be our own ADVOCATES.
Bottom line is numerous factors contribute to how we are treated in a medical office: gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, even religion. All I'm asking is that you be aware of the possible ways that these factors may be impacting you and DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING THE BEST TREATMENT FOR YOUR ILLNESS. Do your own research.
posted by Social Activist at 5:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home