our response-ability

Recently I have listened to two women friends talk about problems they have encountered with their health care systems. One is my friend Lee, who fell and has multiple serious problems from that fall. She returned last week for follow up to clinics at the county hospital where she was hospitalized and treated. In the orthopedic clinic there were approximately 120 chairs for the approximately 200 patients in the waiting room at the clinic. Each of these persons was an orthopedic patient-no family members allowed in that area. My friend, Lee, now also has atrial fibrillation, a serious cardiac complication of her fall. She had rented her own wheel chair. She said if she had not had her own wheel chair, there would have been no way she could have waited for her appointment.What about the others?

Another friend has been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease. For years she has complained to her primary physician of various symptoms which honestly appear in many popular discussions of Lyme disease. Though multiple tests were done, not once was a blood test for Lyme disease run. Many times the friend left the doctor's office feeling they were telling her she was just being neurotic. This friend now has lesions in her brain because of the progression of the disease. Fortunately she recently changed doctors. The new physician tentatively diagnosed the Lyme disease within 10 minutes of listeneing to her symptoms.She's reluctant to tell the first physician that he missed the diagnosis.

My point in sharing both of these scenarios is to restate my firm belief that we, as women, must speak up when these situations occur. By an overwhelming percentage it is women who make the health care decisions for themselves and our families. When we see these situations where a phone call, letter of email might get the attention of a manager, supervisor or the physician themselves, it is mandatory that we be assertive and take the time, and maybe the risk, to bring it to the appropriate person's attention. Lee will make that phone call or write that letter. After all she is a nurse and understands that a good nurse manager or clinic manager could remedy the inadequate number of chairs fairly easily. My friend with the undiagnosed Lyme disease is reluctant to notify the original physician that he totally missed the diagnosis, allowing the disease to progress to a devastating level. We live in a small town and she is reluctant to make waves. But if we, as customers of this health care system, don't bring issues to the attention of appropriate people, how will it ever get fixed!?

What health care issue leaves you underserved? How do you think it might be fixed?
Who should you notify? Does it have to do with your recovery?
You are the expert on yourself! You have an ability to respond--"response-ability."
If you identify an issue, suggest a different remedy, maybe someone else won't have to suffer your frustration. Finding your voice is part of recovery.
Blessings-Penny