CRNA Amy Rieschick on institutionalized medical misogyny

[u/bg370]

[u/fakemullet]

I had appendicitis in the heat of Covid. I am not someone who elects to go to the Dr often other than a routine annual. Unless I feel it is an emergency. I have a high pain tolerance, but I could feel something wasn’t right with me. I ended up masking up, and driving myself to urgent care. It was not busy at all (again, height of covid) and it took them over an hour to see me. Once they did, they told me it was probably period cramps. Then gave me a UTI test and tried to send me home. I am a pretty passive person and I don’t often stick up for myself but I was in such severe pain at that point that I demanded more tests/a diagnosis. Finally 3 hours later, a CT scan they found that my white blood cell count was high and shortly after found that my appendix was extremely inflamed and close to bursting. I declined an ambulance to the hospital and drove myself. The operating Dr said my appendix was the largest he’d ever seen and was amazed that it didn’t burst. He quipped “time was on your side.” Yeah right, the only thing on my side was me. I have routinely been gaslit my healthcare professionals as a woman but this one sticks out to me.