Strong Women

I've been thinking about what it means to be a strong woman and a good role model for the past week. A dear friend and mentor posted a link to a youtube video last week that really got me started thinking about it in a new light. The video was a 47 minute British documentary following 6 women. Old women, in their 70s/90s. It was very inspirational for me and I wish I could link to it here. Unfortunately shortly after I watched the video youtube re-classed it and now I get an error stating 'You are not allowed to watch this from your country' which... is a post for a whole other day. I believe the video was called "FabulousFashionistas". Edit to add Here is a blog article.

Anyway, that's a whole lot of words to say that I went to sick call this morning, and unlike normal sick call visits where I disliked all of the staff and felt talked-down to or misdiagnosed by the doctor, I was very impressed by the woman I saw today.  Even before she opened her mouth I had formed a strong positive opinion of her. She was tall and thin, while still giving an impression of immense strength. She wore a long dark purple broom skirt and a dark Forrest green tank top under a flowy purple shirt. She had long dark hair in a lose braid, shot through with elegant streaks of gray. She was amazingly beautiful and filled with grace. When she spoke to me it was with compassion and understanding. I felt that not only was she actually listening to what I had to say, (rare), but that she also cared about how I felt.

Ultimately while I did not get a diagnosis on the spot, she was sure that there was something wrong. It's such a relief to have a doctor agree with me and not just tell me that the pain is all in my head - which has generally been my experience since high school. Samples have been sent off for testing and in the meantime I have about 4 different antibiotics that I am taking, plus assorted painkillers. The phrase "A cure worse than the disease" seems appropriate here so far. The pills have such strong side effects that I even have a prescription to nullify them. It's too early to tell if I'll feel better or not but it's nice to have something other than the standard "have you heard of pamprin?" or "get some ibuprofen and a heating pad."

Also, I'm really glad that I have such a great mother who fields all of my medical complaints. I have such a strong dislike/distrust of doctors that I tend to prefer my mother's recommendations over going to sick call, (because why waste 4 hours only to get a prescription for free DayQuil?), and it was through her prompting to seek treatment/testing that I finally was able to over come  personal preference and take some responsibility for my health by seeing a doctor. I know that it can be tempting to ignore problems, especially when they go away eventually or fade in and out, but if there is anything I have learned over the past few years it is that procrastination is NOT a good thing. Sure, sometimes waiting is the correct answer, many things do just get better in time on their own, but the decision to wait should be made after careful consideration of the options, and not as a blanket denial that an issue exists.

Just my two cents for the week.