The health issues that most concern me are cardiovascular disease and all of the related problems either brought on by this condition or acting as a cause of it. As someone with a strong family history of heart disease and premature death, I am terrified. Three of my four grandparents died before the age of 52 of heart disease related complications. Both my grandmothers were sleeping (one was 52 and the other 49) and never woke up, while my paternal grandfather died from a heart attack at the age of 39. The history is almost unbelievable with my uncles, parents, and brother all suffering from hypertension. One uncle had a heart attack when he was 38 and underwent quadruple bypass. I, too, suffer from hypertension as well as palpitations and obstructive sleep apnea.
The past year, the realization has really hit me. I will follow in my relatives' footsteps if I don't make a change now. The biggest issue I have encountered is a lack of acknowledgement from health care professionals regarding young people, especially women, who have some form of a cardiovascular related condition. I kept going to doctors and the emergency room for my spiking blood pressure but was never put on any type of medication. Practitioners would just write it off as "nervousness" or "being stressed", even after hearing my family history!
Working in the emergency room for a small town hospital, I would see these same attitudes from the staff there. Anyone under 50 years old was almost dismissed and not taken seriously when they came in complaining of heart related ailments including high blood pressure and chest pain.
I questioned a young, Hispanic female what health issues most concerned her and she felt very strongly about diabetes due to her family history. During our conversation, she mentioned that her mother had symptoms of diabetes but hadn't seen a physician for these problems.
My other interviewee was a 54 year old, white female who had hypertension and was most concerned with heart disease and resulting death. She felt that the doctors she had seen did not address her problems thoroughly when mentioned. Yet her husband was sent immediately for various testing at the first complaint of the very same issues. This upset her and she felt that the doctor's office didn't believe or take her complaints as seriously because she was a woman.
Now I can see the correlation between all three of us.......................although we definitely have increased risks, there is some feeling of inadequacy brought on by the very providers responsible for "saving" us. All women I spoke with or about (including myself) felt unsure about bringing their health issues to light. When we have, it has been met with a reluctance to believe we could have a genuine illness; or maybe we feel that response will ensue therefore do not want to look like hypochondriacs or complainers by bringing up the issues. I feel the lack of attention and appropriate testing is complete negligence.
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Hi Cynthia! My name is Rebecca! You and I share alot of the same concerns, although, having read your backround I am astounded that you have not received a better response from medical personnel. I find the lack of responsibility you have encountered, sad and disappointing!! I work as a telemetry tech on a cardiac unit and I am amazed daily because it seems as though our patients are getting younger and younger! We have twenty-one year old females and 30 year old males, just to name a few! It goes to show, more than ever now, how much we need to reach out to the youth of America. ESPECIALLY, the young women, because no one should have to succumb to the disregard that you have experienced. I wish you all of the best in your future. I know there are excellent cardiologists out there who will take you seriously! Have you tried a woman physician?
ReplyDelete"IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN!" This was never more true than in the case of finding the right physician! I have worked in the operating room for more than ten years now, and I can tell you two things with great certainty. One, all physicians are not created equal, and two, YOU are your own best advocate! There is no single more important provider of your own healthcare than yourself. I have family living in other states who call to tell me of frustrating healthcare experiences, and this is what I always tell them: DO NOT take no for an answer. You are wise to be concerned. If you are running into dismissive physicians, try starting with an OB/Gyn. The specialty tends to attract the most nurturing physicians (good listeners), and because they serve as primary care physicians as well, you should have no problems being seen. They are also pretty savvy to hypertension issues and medications, and most likely could recommend an internal medicine physician with a better bedside manner than you have experienced. In medicine, the good doctors refer to other good doctors, and the bad in kind. If you get hooked into the "good" network, you should soon find what you are looking for in a physician. Good luck, and if you need a specific recommendation in the Dallas area, I'd be happy to help!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your feelings and your interviews. I agree completely with Amanda. There are other physicians who will listen to you! I have a great one in Flower Mound, so if you need her name, please email me!
In terms of your interviewees, I just wanted to add that there are many reasons why Latina women do not see physicians--and it is not primarily because they do not have access. (This can apply to non-Latina women, too, but since you mentioned the person's mother was Hispanic, I thought I'd share my thoughts). Since I work with so many Latina women (and have many in my family), I can say that it's really a matter of the patient and the physician not understanding one another. To a Latina woman, it's not just about her. It's about her family. And if telling her that she needs to buy certain foods, take expensive medicine, or spend time exercising on top of what she's already doing--they might as well tell her to betray her family. So, we really have to work as health educators to understand (and to help clinicians understand)perceptions of disease and ecological (not just individual factors) that prevent people from changing health behaviors.
Keep on your quest to find the right physician and keep tabs on your blood pressure. Remember, you know your body better than anyone! I cannot tell you how many women I know with similiar stories--how they found their own breast cancer or thyroid problems--after their doctors minimized their symptoms. So, keep moving forward on this!
To all posts, I love the fact that everyone seemed to have the same response to me. It makes me feel so much better because it can get exhausting and frustrating going through doctor after doctor. Thanks to you all I will not give up though!
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