Autumn is upon us.
I took this photo as I was pulling into the driveway a couple of days ago. I have now driven a car four times since the end of 2020. I made two short, solo trips this week. I think I may be on the road again. For those who don't know, I started having serious, undiagnosed back pain in 2021, so bad it affected my mobility. I was treated more like a mental patient than a medical patient. I could not walk far, which meant I needed dropping off at the door. To the only place I was going, the medical clinic.
Isn't it sad how women, in general, and older women in particular, are treated this way. I spent three miserable years before changing clinics and actually receiving help. Part of it is our private equity owned medical system, but not all. This is an age-old problem. The more assertive and persistent a woman is the more she is deemed unsteady.
Back to the positive. I still have pain and I won't be running any marathons anytime soon, but I am able to regain independence, which is wonderful.
10 comments:
Yeah for driving again! Sorry you still have pain, I understand pain and it is not easy.
I'm really glad you're driving again. It's taken a while to find real help.
Kudos for driving again.
I can relate to being treated like the good old hysterical woman still in this day and age. It is hard to find doctors who actually listen and hear you and believe you. They are out there, but not easily found. And living with chronic pain certainly does alter your life and change your plans from day to day. You are not alone. :)
Yes, you do understand, Far Side.
It really did, Boud. But now I am doing better. The proper help makes all the difference.
I was worried about it, Rita, but once I got behind the wheel it was not a problem. Of course, there was no traffic! There are so many people who have it worse than I do, so yes, I am not alone.
I saw this discrimination with my own mother. She had become very unsteady on her feet - to the point of not being able to cross a room with out grabbing furniture. I made her go to the doctor who referred her to a neurologist to get rid of her. And the neurologist told her she was getting old.
I made another appointment and went with her. I told him that four months prior she had gone to an outdoor flea market with me and maneuvered tables, goods, strollers, wagons and people over hilly ground for hours. This is more than "getting old".
To humor me he referred us to a large medical center and warned her of tests that would be painful. Well, it turned out she had ALS, Lou Gehigs disease. Incurable but it wasn't her "getting old".
Good for you for advocating for yourself.
So glad you are back on the road! Keep it up!
It's not fair that we have to fight harder and speak louder. I do hope you are heard and helped. Glad to hear that you are getting out there!
On the road again, good for you! I have always been so impressed with the way you advocated for yourself. You are a role model and an inspiration. I am so glad I was able to follow your journey. I am thinking of that song and the lyrics had "I won't back down." They suit you.
Take Care,
Kaye
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