Reflection over this medical journey I’ve faced is laced with pain, questions, questions of why… Why does our medical system continue to fail me? Why am I dismissed because I’m not a text book case? Why are doctors so ready to treat symptoms without proactively trying to find the cause of pain?
Almost 8 years ago I started this journey, with hope, determination, being my own advocate only to end in this place of more questions than answers, surgically botched and left to endure no quality of life, after promises of better quality of life.
Subtotal Colectomy with IRA…. Failed…. Permanent End Ileostomy…. Ending in severe internal rectal pain…. This is not normal. I’ve endured procedures for symptom relief without success, I’ve been given medication upon medication for symptom relief without success. So when does our medical professionals decide to proactively work to find the cause of our pain instead of treating symptoms? Of course I’ve had conservative testing which showed mild causes…. Never has a doctor approached a proactive decision to find the true cause of my pain. I’ve been dismissed, I’ve been failed, I trusted in our medical system and found the US healthcare is worse than a third world country. Europe, the UK, Egypt all have more progressive doctors that treat the patient as an individual, unlike the US treats Americans like a herd of cattle, herd’em in and herd’em out. Never did I dream I would be an American unable to find quality healthcare.
It is my mission until my last breath to make a change, to advocate for better healthcare for all Americans, to fight against our medical neglect to be a voice for all of us that remain unheard. This is not acceptable in America. We deserve better, we pay for better, and yet we receive neglectful healthcare, we receive pills instead of answers, band aids instead of solutions.
As I sit here running out of options, I’m reminded I’ve fought this fight, I will continue to fight and I pray for all of us facing neglect from our healthcare system that we may somehow band together to make changes, to get the healthcare we deserve and pay for.
To say this hasn’t affected me in every way would not be true. Physically I’m botched from surgeons only to happy to pick up a knife, promising a better quality of life. Only for them to go AWOL when complications aris and I’m not their text book success story. Mentally and emotionally I feel rejected, dismissed, failed, unworthy..Due to doctors not taking my condition seriously, being proactive, basically just sent home with more debt and no answers.
But as long as I have breathe I will continue to fight. We all deserve better!