Hysterectomy at 29 Part 2…
All health is not met with care…
I am a woman, a woman of color who has suffered for years. There have been numerous healthcare "professionals" in my life; most of them were not bad, but most did not listen. Frequently, they listen to what they want to hear and they also rely upon emotional reasoning and not logical reasoning when making decisions regarding how to deal with a case or a particular individual.
Earlier this year, I had a hysterectomy. I visited the doctor at least once a week during the month of December 2021. Calling, emailing, and expressing my concerns to no one was working. I saw a female physician who was pregnant. I knew that she would be away on maternity leave and would not be responsible for my surgery. Nonetheless, I would call pretty much every day because I was so tired of crying and being in pain.
The doctors had sat around a table, I presume with my chart and all decided that I could not have my hysterectomy. They made this decision due to my age and also because they thought the surgery would be too complex. Whenever I hear that I chuckle because I don't think there is any surgery that isn't complex. All surgeries involve numerous components and individuals who each play a role in making sure that whatever they are doing is done as precisely as possible. The treatment I received left me feeling deeply disappointed and completely disregarded. It is completely absurd that these people, who do not share my life experiences, would sit down and declare that I could not have my hysterectomy. They contended that my pain should not be taken into account. That my pain was insignificant.
Their audacity has shocked me. In a way, I am grateful for the power of my voice, for my ability to speak for myself. Although some may not like it, that is their shit, not mine. Those who disagree with the ways in which I manage my health and the questions I ask healthcare "professionals" have never walked a mile in my shoes, could not even comprehend the immense amount of pain I have felt on a daily basis. There is no possibility of them lasting, and that is a simple fact.
It was made clear to me they are not embodied in my flesh, and therefore do not have a say in how I feel, as how can they determine that the pain I endured was insignificant based on a quick conversation at the table. Additionally, I was interested in knowing who made this decision. What type of doctors were around the table who decided that my uterus was under their control? When I called for a solution to my problem, being kind and persistent got me some results. I was told that a team of physicians made the decision; the unfortunate part about it is that Jefferson chose not to tell me who these specific doctors were. These doctors were responsible for prolonging my suffering. The question remains unanswered. Hopefully one day I will receive some accountability.
It is important to note that I received my hysterectomy on January 26, 2022, performed by my very first doctor who performed the cyst removal in 2017. Dr. Richards is a kind and gentle giant. Nonetheless, I did not consider him since he is a specialist. I take pride in not wasting my or anyone else's time, nor do I wish to be a nuisance. In our first consultation, he was so kind and he listened to me. Even he explained that some physicians would think of their children when deciding whether or not a hysterectomy is right for me. I understand them to a certain extent, but I am not their child. In fact, I belong to someone else and I required assistance. You should look at it professionally, and leave personal feelings out of it. Let me clarify some points.
A variety of medications were proposed to me ranging from Lupron to Orilissa, as well as clinical trials and birth control techniques.
As an adult, I am not naive, nor was I raised by a fool. I believe that my mother contributed to a great deal of generational trauma and curses, but she also influenced my choice of being an avid reader and learner. Never was my inquiring mind treated with contempt. This condition has prompted me to become more knowledgeable of medical knowledge and the different ways in which WOC are treated in certain settings compared to our counterparts, including the drugs and clinical trials they will attempt to convince you to participate in. "They" are the healthcare "professionals" and the "FDA" that so many of you all swear by. To each their own.
My inner wolf has never been like, yea, let me follow the masses and be a sheep. My research was thorough.
Lupron was originally developed for the treatment of puberty in children, but in 1989 it was approved for the treatment of prostate cancer. Though I'm not a doctor, I do know that women's reproductive systems and men's reproductive systems are different. As far as I'm aware, women do not have prostates. If you are unfamiliar with the G spot, it is similar to a man's prostate, but it is not identical.
Check your sources, don't take my word for it. My decision was that Lupron was not for me, yes, the formula had changed, but I decided I was not going to be included in that statistic. Not sorry!
In relation to the situation with Orilissa prior to it hitting the market, I was offered the grand prize of being part of the clinical trial (imagine that) but what about the cost? Imagine a drug that was supposed to help a silent disease like endometriosis that causes excruciating pain that also carries a price tag of $800-$1200 a month. That’s a different talk for a different day.
Despite the information about Lupron's sealed clinical trials and how the company AbbVie got regulated by the FDA despite the excessive side effects it had on women, Orilissa was created following their changes in formula and the company's love of marketing their message, "Speak Endo". Both drugs were supplied by the same company. Think about it.
You could imagine I were taking a drug to help alleviate the problem. However, as soon as you wean yourself off the drug you are 30x worse than when you first began.
People may disapprove and shame my "holistic" approach. Think of it this way, people swearing their allegiance to a political system that was not made to help people truly but to make money off other people's suffering. The FDA has always been a system to put a green stamp on products that are harmful to your health. American healthcare systems as well as the judicial, environmental, psychological, and other systems are the absolute worst in the world. There is a possibility that things can be changed if people wish to see the change. Either you are a part of the solution or you are a part of the problem.
Individuals are screaming "FDA approved" at the top of their lungs, but never researching the origins of FDA and the deaths that followed while they were attempting to get the process right. There is a hierarchy to the approval process and without the participation of the government, nothing gets approved or denied. I will provide some names and you can do your own research because knowledge is power. Ignorance is a choice.