15.
“Not trusting your body. I’m a fourth-year medical student and I see so many people ignoring symptoms due to fear of doctors or financial burden. I have personal experience with this. When I was 15, I suddenly had severe pain in my abdomen that got so bad in the middle of the night that I couldn’t lie comfortably in bed. So I called the ER with my parents and explained my symptoms. They said I was probably having bad period cramps (because I happened to be on my period) and told me to take ibuprofen.”
“The next day, I was vomiting and seeing a weird yellow substance, so I called my doctor’s office, who sent me to the ER. There, they did a blood test to check for infection and took my temperature – I had no fever or signs of infection. Additionally, an ultrasound found no appendix and the doctor said my pain was ‘not severe enough for appendicitis.’ They tried to send me home, but one of the doctors decided to go against protocol and do an MRI, which revealed that my appendicitis was so severe that my appendix had already ruptured, causing peritonitis and potentially life-threatening symptoms. Had I been sent home, there’s a good chance I would not have survived. This incident has taught me to trust my body and my intuition (literally in this case), and I encourage you to do the same. You know what you’re feeling, so trust your instincts – it just might save your life.”
-Anonymous
