Welcome to The Own Your Health Podcast,
I'm Cyndi Lynne, and I can't wait to
help you step into your health power.
I've been talking a lot about how to own
your health and why you even want to.
But today I'm going to share a story
that clearly demonstrates what can happen when you
don't choose to own your health.
So let's call it how to become
a victim of the health care system.
And yes, you heard that right.
The common perception is that we are victims of disease
or injuries and the healthcare system is the rescuer.
But often that's far from truth.
Now, I've talked about what it
looks like to own your health.
This is what it looks like when you don't.
I'm going to share the story of a client
of mine, and unfortunately, it's an all too common
story that many of you may recognize.
This client, who I'll call Sarah,
was scheduled for a routine mammogram.
She left work a little early to get to her appointment.
She arrived on time.
She was shown where to change and given a
little locker for her blouse and her bra and
her coat, and directed to a small waiting area.
After a few minutes, the tech called Sarah's name
and took her into the room for a mammogram.
So far, so good.
The clinic was even running on time.
Now, for many of us, the
scenario creates very clear memories.
Being half dressed, I remember having slacks,
boots, the whole works on the bottom.
And then wearing a gown with the opening in front
that you're kind of holding together, you're a little bit
cold and looking for someplace to put your handbag.
It's not exactly what you'd call an empowering
situation, but most women put up with it
because that's just how it is.
So after having her breasts pressed painfully between two
cold plates, and, yes, that's what it feels like.
As an aside, I often wonder what
the compliance rate would be if testicular
cancer screenings were done the same way.
But I digress.
Anyway, after the test was completed, Sarah
was taken to another small waiting room,
still in her gown, really to await
confirmation that the test produced quality images.
Now, this makes sense.
You'd hate to have to make a
trip back just because something came out
blurry or the machine didn't work correctly.
But here's where the ownership and even
the power really shifts for Sarah.
At that point, a different woman, one in a lab
coat who Sarah hadn't seen before, comes out and tells
Sarah that something suspicious has shown up on the images.
And if you're like me.
Your stomach even kind of
clenches just at that thought.
They need to do a biopsy.
And the good news is they can perform it right away.
Wow.
How efficient and how absolutely awful.
Now, in that moment of hospital efficiency, or
some may argue, the hospital's desire to keep
their customer in the system, Sarah became a
victim of the healthcare system she had trusted.
Now, as Sarah described it, with her
eyes welling with tears, even months after
this happened, her mind began to race.
There's only one thing a mammogram
is designed to look for. Cancer.
Oh, my gosh, I have cancer!
I'm supposed to pick up my kids after school.
I wonder how long this is going to take.
Is this going to hurt?
And even a fleeting thought of, how do I get
back to that locker room to get my clothes?
And the kids are supposed to
bring treats to school tomorrow.
When am I going to get those?
And I have cancer.
And that jumble of thoughts may
sound silly from our distant perspective,
unless you've been in that situation.
Now, from this distant perspective, we know that
not everything on a mammogram is cancer.
And we know that someone will make
sure Sarah gets her clothes again.
But in that awful moment,
there isn't any rational thought.
There isn't the reasoning that we normally have.
See, even for an executive woman like Sarah, who
processed loads of information and made huge decisions every
day, sitting in a crappy gown with your purse
on your lap changes the dynamic.
So Sarah was shown to the next room, given
a consent form, which she signed, and she underwent
a breast biopsy, all the while thinking, I can't
believe this is happening to me.
I have to hurry up.
I have to get going.
It's going to be cancer.
Now, here's kind of the really sad thing about the story,
is that Sarah, even when she told me all of these
months later, is embarrassed as she shares the story.
And in fact, she didn't share it until
we had been working together for a while.
See, when she looks back on this
whole situation, she doesn't even recognize herself.
This isn't how she does things.
She's smart, she's prepared.
She asks questions, she analyzes.
Only when you hear those words,
And when you're in that situation, all of
that can just go out the window.
And for a very long time, she
blamed herself for handling things so poorly.
And she even said, why didn't she stop everything
and just say she had to make a phone
call and tell her husband to get the kids?
She knows, looking back on it, that she may
have thought that, but she really didn't think that
she could hold it together when she heard her
husband's voice and she didn't want to tell him
over the phone what was happening.
But why didn't she get a second opinion?
Why didn't she just get her clothes and go home?
Now, it took time working with Sarah to understand
why things happened as they did and to discover
how things could have been handled very differently.
Not so she could blame herself, but so
she would never be in this position again.
See, this is a big part of what I do.
I support strong women so they can stay themselves,
so they can function like they usually do in
the other parts of their lives, even while managing
something as life shattering as breast cancer.
So if you want to know how this scenario could
have unfolded in a very different manner, one in which
Sarah owned her health, be sure and listen
next week. Hit subscribe so that
it gets delivered to your inbox.
And if you know someone who's been through this and
has had these same thoughts, please pass this on so
they can find some comfort and healing as well.
There are so many ways this could have been done differently,
and I can't wait to share them with you so that
you can own your health regardless of the situation.
So until next week, let's own it.
