Can someone please explain to me why my mother, intelligent woman that she is, seems to have a phobia about doctors? It would probably be easier to get George Bush to admit his duplicity in the Iraq war than to get that woman to voluntarily go to a medical facility.
If she would just get preventative care, her visits wouldn't have to be so serious. For example, she had to get an emergency hysterectomy because she refused to go to the kitty doctor on a regular basis. Maybe I'm stupid, but if I'd NEVER had cramps and I suddenly started having them, I think I'd get it checked out.
Why am I bringing this up, you ask? Well, my mom told me on Sunday that she thinks she had a seizure in her sleep. She said she woke up with a swollen lip, her pillowcase wasn't on her pillow, and the books at the foot of her bed were on the floor. My mom is one of those people who sleeps in one spot the entire night. I, on the other hand, am a thrasher. I'm lucky if I still have sheets after tussling with my bed at night.
Anyway, I told her to go to the doctor immediately. The way I see it, if you've already had two seizures, you don't need to play with it. My suggestion to go to the emergency room was met with the usual, "It's not that serious. I'll just go to the doctor tomorrow." Since I didn't want to fight, I agreed.
Why, then, did she blow it off the next day? Well, that's not quite accurate. When I spoke to her on Monday, she sounded extremely disoriented. She told me she'd been sleeping off and on all day and that she really didn't feel like herself. Those symptoms would probably be enough for a normal person to drop everything and go to the nearest medical facility. Not my crazy mother. This time, she cited her lack of funds for not making an appointment.
I took matters into my own hands. I called my brother, and he agreed to not only give her the money, but to make sure she made it there. The last time I spoke to her today, she was on her way to the office.
When Mom had her seizures in December, I wrote her a note, and I still feel the same way. In fact, now that Granny's gone, it's even more potent to me...
I’m not ready yet. Even though I know that growing up isn't an optional activity, I’m not ready to be grown. I don’t know how to take care of myself and my brother. I don’t know enough to make it on my own. That’s why you have to get better. You have to live. I still need to be cared for…to be loved by someone who knows all of me from the beginning. I want my children to have a grandmother, and I don’t want to raise them without your advice.
Who will fight for me when I don’t know how to fight for myself? Who will encourage me when I can’t come up with a good reason to wake up in the morning? Who else will believe that I can do anything no matter what the situation looks like? Who else will have my back no matter what?
I'm going to check on her now. Please join me in praying for her...
If she would just get preventative care, her visits wouldn't have to be so serious. For example, she had to get an emergency hysterectomy because she refused to go to the kitty doctor on a regular basis. Maybe I'm stupid, but if I'd NEVER had cramps and I suddenly started having them, I think I'd get it checked out.
Why am I bringing this up, you ask? Well, my mom told me on Sunday that she thinks she had a seizure in her sleep. She said she woke up with a swollen lip, her pillowcase wasn't on her pillow, and the books at the foot of her bed were on the floor. My mom is one of those people who sleeps in one spot the entire night. I, on the other hand, am a thrasher. I'm lucky if I still have sheets after tussling with my bed at night.
Anyway, I told her to go to the doctor immediately. The way I see it, if you've already had two seizures, you don't need to play with it. My suggestion to go to the emergency room was met with the usual, "It's not that serious. I'll just go to the doctor tomorrow." Since I didn't want to fight, I agreed.
Why, then, did she blow it off the next day? Well, that's not quite accurate. When I spoke to her on Monday, she sounded extremely disoriented. She told me she'd been sleeping off and on all day and that she really didn't feel like herself. Those symptoms would probably be enough for a normal person to drop everything and go to the nearest medical facility. Not my crazy mother. This time, she cited her lack of funds for not making an appointment.
I took matters into my own hands. I called my brother, and he agreed to not only give her the money, but to make sure she made it there. The last time I spoke to her today, she was on her way to the office.
When Mom had her seizures in December, I wrote her a note, and I still feel the same way. In fact, now that Granny's gone, it's even more potent to me...
I’m not ready yet. Even though I know that growing up isn't an optional activity, I’m not ready to be grown. I don’t know how to take care of myself and my brother. I don’t know enough to make it on my own. That’s why you have to get better. You have to live. I still need to be cared for…to be loved by someone who knows all of me from the beginning. I want my children to have a grandmother, and I don’t want to raise them without your advice.
Who will fight for me when I don’t know how to fight for myself? Who will encourage me when I can’t come up with a good reason to wake up in the morning? Who else will believe that I can do anything no matter what the situation looks like? Who else will have my back no matter what?
I'm going to check on her now. Please join me in praying for her...
Comments
http://www.cwhn.ca/resources/afi/pain.html (women were "more likely [than men] to have their pain reports discounted as 'emotional' or 'psychogenic' and, therefore, 'not real'.")
MD