One thing that my good friends and family know about me is that I am amazingly stubborn. I like to think that this is a particularly amazing characteristic that I have which has enabled me to remain motivated and tackle obstacles against all odds. And those odds are definitely stacked against me. I am currently 24 weeks pregnant with my second child 😨 I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t I learn my lesson the first time? The short answer is yes...and no. So maybe there is no short answer. But I do know that individuals with sickle cell disease and other chronic illnesses have the same human urges to procreate. I'm not saying everyone desires to be a parent, but generally, we have similar wants, needs, goals and dreams as healthy people. I've accomplished a lot in my short time on this Earth and I am so proud of me for hanging in there through some tough situations. But maybe you don't know about those? Okay, I'll tell you. I wasn't diagnosed with Sickle Cell D...
Dear Providers, You may not know this about me, but I am a fighter. This means I am going to fight you, tooth and nail, for you to do what's best for me as a patient. I am going to challenge you to see me as HUMAN first. I wear many hats. I am a mom , wife , sister , an aunt , a niece , a daughter , a granddaughter , a cousin , a friend , a confidant , and an advocate. I have qualities you may not be aware of yet. I'm educated, passionate, devoted, outspoken, charismatic, funny, sarcastic and sassy. I just happen to have Sickle Cell Disease. But I spend a lot of my time being emotional and fearful that the first thing you see when I walk into your place of work, is a combination of my skin color and my disease. You make judgements about why I am there. You question if I am truly in pain. You may even accuse me of drug seeking. I will go along with all of your tests designed to rule out imminent death, and will ride along as you do the minimum allowed to void yourse...
Just to put this out there in the universe, I had no idea someone with sickle cell disease could suffer from pain in the bone marrow. This makes so much sense to me now because I keep telling my doctors I am in pain in my bones and x-rays show nothing. This is definitely something to take to the bank..um or the doctor.
Comments
Post a Comment