1/26/08

When Equal Rights Are Unhealthy

How would you define women's health issues? Hummm, they are caused by the men in their lives? Never! uh hummm. Let's cut to the core. For centuries women have fought for their rights to be like men (no, it did not start with Gloria S.) all the way back to Eve. There have been advantages for us as in voting, or just being able to sit on the same side of the church as the men. Now we are welcomed to the stage of being equal with men and their health. Yet not until recently have we been afforded the same rights as men enjoyed with medical attention. For years we were accused of being anxiety prone, worriers, or at best just imagining that we were having some type of pain. We were not treated with the same aggression in the medical field.

Personal example: Just a few years back, my mother had a stroke while in my home. The firemen and paramedics rushed out and instead of looking dead into the face of the symptoms, they chose to question my poor little mother. "Have y0u been worried about something? Did you feel anxious about something that happened last night or this morning?" Days earlier, I had read about a report concerning women not being treated as seriously as men in medical crises. And here it was walking itself right into my living room. Was I being too sensitive? Would you say the fact that she could not speak, her bp was 180/200, and she was disoriented might have been a reason to i.d. a stroke and initiate emergency care? It sure was not time to discuss her latest worry session. At the time I was in so much shock, I just stood there stunned. Thankfully, that event ignited a fire in my spirit to never let her suffer at the hands of ignorance again. I now educate and advocate for her health.

If you have not been there with your own health, or for some special lady in your life, my clarion call is: GET PREPARED NOW as it is around the corner, it's your right to be responsible!