While waiting for the physician assistant to the oncologist, I’m pretty confident I heard this happening in the hallway just outside the exam room door. Medical professionals don’t like me. I know this, and I am A-okay with it. It’s not a popularity contest, it’s my life.
Making beeline for the chair, so he can sit facing the computer, the PA says, “Hello Ms. Phillips. Your blood work looks great. Your most recent mammogram was fine. Let’s take a listen to your lungs… deep breath… fine.fine.fine.good.good.good… Okay, so let’s get you on the schedule for 6-months from now.”
Then it was my turn.
“Are you going to ask me how I’m feeling?” And “Can I get a copy of the blood work?”… waiting… printing… printing… waiting… and then… “I notice over the past three months a trend of elevating neutrophils percentage, lymphocyte count, calcium, and LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase). Today’s blood test shows Alkaline Phosphatase is also elevated.”
And then it was his turn.
He wasn’t listening; he was thinking of the next thing to say. “It’s clear you have Fatty Liver Disease. Ms. Phillips, I have other patients waiting. You’ll need to see a general practitioner about your liver.”
What he didn’t say out loud but the message was heard loud and clear: I know you just spent 45- minutes waiting for me, but after our 7-minute visit, I’m done talking at you.
In his medical notes from our “visit”, the PA wrote that “[The] patient expresses a great deal of anxiety and concerns about her labs…” and “She does not report anything specific other than a very unwell feeling…” And in then “…patient became increasingly upset and was not pleased with the care I provided.”
What he didn’t write in his medical notes, what he conveniently ‘forgot’ to include was that all my other liver enzymes were fantastic, that the Murphy’s sign (test for gall bladder inflammation) was negative, and that I had no other physical symptoms of liver disorder. He also chose to omit that he constantly and consistently talked over me, cut me off, and ignored my questions.
MEDICAL GASLIGHTING is when healthcare professionals downplay or blow off symptoms you know you’re feeling. Instead, they insist the symptoms are psychosomatic, such as anxiety, depression, or hormones. There’s still this pervasive belief in the medical community that anytime a woman complains about her health, it’s either related to her hormones or all in her head. As recent as 2023, research shows that women get diagnosed with cancer 2 ½ YEARS later than men. But that’s not all- this same study discovered that women were diagnosed later than men in more than 700 diseases.
Let’s review the facts.
I wrote a letter to the founder of the New Mexico Cancer Center, who happens to be a woman. No, I have not heard back (yet), but the letter was more for me than for her. The final sentence really said it all:
Visiting a medical professional is supposed to offer a sense of relief, a peace of mind. If your patients leave feeling more upset, more scared, more frustrated, disregarded, ignored, and disrespected, then New Mexico Cancer Center- you have failed us. You have failed me.
I will not stop advocating for myself because I am not a hypochondriac and neither are you.
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Saying Goodbye to Lefty 