d
-sn)n.1.
a. The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind.
Just in case you were wondering. I think the medical field needs to change its name, because nowhere does it say "treating symptoms because we're too lazy to dig deep enough to find the underlying problem". Plus they're kind of going against the last part - "preventing ... other damage to the body or mind". I dunno, maybe I'm the only one that hears the fast-talking voice at the end of the commercials talking about all the side-effects that sound to me like they're worse than the original problem. Or maybe I'm the only one who can ignore the smiling happy faces of the asthmatics who can now breathe or the insomniacs who can now sleep and hear them mention all the horrible things that could also happen to you while taking this drug... I don't get it :-(.
I'm a little upset right now. Well, maybe a lot upset, but I don't want to make myself sound TOO crazy... I've suppressed quite a bit of emotions about the medical field for many many years (letting out some of my angst to like-minded people, but preaching to the choir never got anyone very far so that's probably why I never feel any better). I'm not asking anyone to agree with me, but I do want to get some gears turning in some minds at least.
I got off the phone with the doctor's office I'm seeing for all my wonderful prenatal stuff. First of all I couldn't talk to my midwife, because according to the OB nurse I talked to they don't take personal phone calls... WTF? I'm seeing her for my personal pregnancy and my personal child and my personal business, so why can't she answer my personal questions? Off to a great start. So I asked her my question. Is the glucose tolerance test mandatory? I was told I'd have to take it at my next visit to screen for gestational diabetes. Now, I'm totally not opposed to being tested for that. I have no reason to believe I have it, but I understand the risks and complications that come along with having it so I'm open to being tested to be on the safe side. What I am opposed to, though, is consuming a 300+ calorie substance consisting of primarily of corn syrup that I KNOW will make me sick, because I know my body and that's how it reacts to mass quantities of sugar. Plus, I like to have control over what I consume. If I CHOOSE to eat a blizzard from Dairy Queen, that's my choice to put that sugar in me, I know what I'm doing, and I understand I will have the jitters for several hours afterward in exchange for a few minutes of guilty pleasure. I'm not choosing to drink this crap they "need" me to drink for the test, and I'm kinda angry that I'm stripped of my right to choose. And on top of that the nurse was not very friendly, saying that if I have gestational diabetes and I don't do anything about it because I don't know I have it, then my baby could DIE. Okay lady, shall I express how angry scare tactics make me too? And she goes on to explain that requiring it of all patients at this stage in their pregnancy is a standard of care, and they refuse to do anything substandard. To which I said good and I appreciate that, but what about honoring my requests as a mother and a patient? What about in the future with something I feel is truly serious, like vaccinations in infancy for example (something I refuse to partake in, let the child's immune system at least have SOME fighting chance and let it grow on its own first, I say), are my requests going to be honored then? Drinking this substance is not going to drastically harm me or my son, or at least I hope it won't, rather it'll just make me sick and possibly make him jittery to, but we're down to principle now. I'm offended that my requests are not going to be honored, and that my feelings are not going to be taken into account. There are other ways to test for diabetes, do a little homework and figure that out!
What annoys me too is that I'm one of very very few people who actually bother to question these things. I might go overboard with some things, but I take comfort in knowing that my health and well-being are completely in my hands. I do research, I do my homework, I learn things. I will not blindly trust a person in a labcoat. I'll take their suggestions as guidance and apply it to my personal situation. How can you completely trust doctors? Their knowledge comes from text books and personal case studies, but you are an individual, not a text book or the person they just saw last week. Your needs and health and body as a whole are different from the rest of the patients they see. And only you can know what's best for your body. Your doctor can suggest things, knowing it worked in the past, but only you can be certain it's the best idea. I wish more people knew how to trust their intuition. And better yet I wish more people would educate themselves before blindly trusting or following.
This is why I got into the field I got into, massage therapy right now but in general it's wellness, as I will be expanding further with and away from massage therapy in the future. Alternative wellness, non-invasive care, completely natural healing techniques. And even in my practice I understand that the tight neck muscles in the person I'm treating now could be caused by things entirely different than the person with tight neck muscles I saw last week. And I encourage my clients to guide me - if the pressure is too much, if pain is caused what kind it is, and how they feel about a technique I may be using. I don't know because I'm not you, only you know these things. I'm just facilitating the healing. It's your body getting better, I'm just encouraging it to get there!
Alright I guess I feel a little better. Again, these are my personal feelings, I don't ask anyone to agree with my choices or do what I do, I just ask that you take the extra time to learn and know what's best for your body as an individual, to trust your intuition, and to educate yourself before jumping right into following a request from your doctor or health care provider.
Wow very well put! People do need to step up and take time to watch out for their own care like you said dont just trust someone with your care just because they wear a "lab coat" so true! Sad thing is when we do express our wishes we get resistance because we don't agree with them. We know our body's best and you explained that perfectly that each patient is different. Unfortunately the medical field fears ridiculous lawsuits anymore. My father has always said " doctors bury their mistakes" and that scares the shit out of me for my family and friends whom I refuse to setback and watch. So kudos to you for standing up for your own personal intuition. You know what's best for you and your baby and should feel comfortable speaking your wishes!
ReplyDeleteRemember that blog I was telling you about in Subway - here it is, http://dearbabyblog.com/
ReplyDeleteYou and Melissa are extremely similiar!
I TOTALLY agree with your thinking.
I want to know why you are putting something into my body or my babies body and how extremely necessary it is.
I truthfully live by the thought of did they have this when my Grandma was pregant?! I doubt it. And look at her kids, perfectly fine.
I'm not anti-doctor or anti-drugs, but you rarely see me there unless I think it's seriosuly. I have googled more home remedies in the past two years then ever before and it's amazing how much you can fix yourself and not with a pill you have to take twice a day.
Hold try to your thoughts and your feelings. It's never to late to change doctor's. You have to feel completley comfortable!! This person is about to do some serious damange to your body, pull a kid out, you need to trust them and know that they are RIGHT ON with your thoughts and feelings.
Best of luck and stick to your guns sister!!
I agree with Cassie when she says stick to your guns. It is very sad that the world has came to this and I wish people would get more and more into home remedies and not pills, doctors and not trusting themselves. Sadly with some bad experiences with doctors over the years and now we are switching family doctors again I am now starting to do more home remedy research for things. I am sick of pill pushers and doctors that do not even listen to you for more then two seconds. Good luck with your situation and do what you feel is best for your child and body no one else.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl! It is scary, the doctors being driven by fears of a lawsuit, and very bad decisions being made because of it... I try to explain, though, that they're more likely to face a lawsuit from me if they do something that's "protocol" that I didn't agree with or agree to. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteAnd Cassie thanks for the link, what a wonderful blog! I read her birth story and some letters, and she seems like a great person, I can't wait to read more! And you're right, did they do this to my grandma? Did they do this to my mother? Mom didn't have to do a lot of the things I "have" to, and my siblings and I are all fine! I'm not anti-anything either, but like you said I will not go to a doctor unless it's a very serious issue. But when my kids get sick with some mild stomach bug or something, I'll be treating them at home and on top of that LETTING them be sick for the day because it's actually good for their immune system to build up a defense against future problems. It really is amazing what you can fix with home remedies - my mother has done that with all four of us.
And Christine I agree, it is sad that we're in the state we're in... and I feel like it's more this country - other parts of the world seem to be on target, like Japan not vaccinating their kids until they're 2 so their immune systems are built up to it rather than at infancy, and I think India's government has accepted homeopathic care as part of their standard health care practices, whereas here homeopathic care is ridiculed by MDs (probably because that kind of care doesn't line their bank accounts...), and here we are in the US with one of the highest infant mortality rates and highest c-section rates, and more c-sections are being performed for unnecessary reasons on top of that. It's sad and frustrating, and nobody seems to do anything about it. I've had lots of bad experiences with doctors, and I'm hoping to find at least a nice pediatrician who will weigh and measure my kid and that's about it, because I'm pretty sure I'll be taking his health care into my own hands otherwise. I've done a lot of research on home remedies for things and I've had lots of success with it (and it helps that I grew up with that kind of care too), plus I've recently taken a homeopathy class that I learned a lot from as well. If you want to bounce ideas back and forth - and this goes for you too Cassie and anyone else who's interested - I'm more than happy to trade ideas and knowledge! I would love for families to become more educated on safer and effective ways to care for their kids' and their own health!