Gender Disparities In Healthcare By Cedars-Sinai And Patients Poem by Anny Miner

three years

almost a year

seven years

eight months

I went sixteen years before
I was properly diagnosed

I went ten years in pain before I was diagnosed

The first symptom was a sharp stabbing pain
between my shoulder blades that felt
like an ice pick

my abdomen was just getting bigger
and bigger and it was hard

my skin turned yellow my eyes turn yellow

I almost felt this feral level of
fear because I'd never experienced a
pain so mysterious and profound like
this

with every step I took I was just
at level 9 pain my chest was hurting

I'm sweating my jaw was killing me in
the pain

the cramps having to run to the
bathroom all the time oh I was so
discouraged my symptoms just kept
getting worse

I'm not eating anymore like a starved man
you know I can't sleep anymore

The "it's all in your head" diagnosis is a danger to women's health

I was told that I was a female who was
looking for attention and that they see
no sign of anything else wrong with me
except for maybe it was in my head

I was told that I was crazy
sometimes I was told I was lazy
sometimes I was told I was unmotivated
being told there was nothing wrong with me

that I was just gonna have to get used to my
ever-expanding belly that I had IBS and
I was just obese

I was told that I was
experiencing psychosomatic pain stemming
from guilt for sinning with boys so he
said you know maybe this is just anxiety
I think you're just having anxiety and
you know you probably need to see a
psychiatrist

I came for a second
opinion so if I hadn't come I know a hundred percent
that my diagnosis would not have been
found

I was diagnosed with autoimmune
hepatitis about three-quarters of the
way through the appointment she looked
at me and told me we know what you have
we know how to treat you and you're
gonna get better and I looked at my
husband and I just started to cry

I was told the news that which sort of changed
my life forever and they said miss
Garcia you have a mass I had a 25-pound
ovarian tumor so it was not IBS and
that's when I found out I had cancer

I was diagnosed with endometriosis that my
surgeon had said was one of the worst
cases of endometriosis in a young person
she had ever seen in her career

I was diagnosed with micro vascular heart
disease I was diagnosed with a 97
percent blockage and a 94 percent
blockage in left and right coronary
arteries

I was diagnosed with IBS with
SIBO and he says honey it's your
arteries it's just small IBS

like I suspected they are not functioning
properly I feel like finally
someone listening finally I was
somewhere where they cared where they
listened

as a woman you need to listen to your
own body you need to be your own
advocate if you need help don't be
afraid to ask for it it's okay get a
second opinion a third opinion fourth
opinion don't give up don't ever give up
and don't take no for an answer

I was shocked and surprised at the
disparity between how men and women are
treated and I was just so pleased to
find out that they are trying to
bridge the gap in women's health I'm
delighted that there are teams of
brilliant people doing studies doing
research but it's vital it's just very
important very important