a Black woman doctor, Wendy Soyini Powell, caused irreparable damage to my body. her medical advice was limited to “you should eat paleo” and “keep losing weight,” when my weight loss was caused by her malpractice. https://twitter.com/thefathippy_/status/1297923297053638660

she was supposed to remove fibroids from my uterus. I was supposed to experience an improved quality of life. instead she scarred my uterus to such an extent that I eventually had to have a hysterectomy. I suffered for ~18 months before I had relief. I got help 2 doctors later.

I talked about some of my issues in an interview I gave Alan Yu of @WHYYNews. Alan’s segment begins at 39:50. https://whyy.org/episodes/do-less-harm/

Wendy Soyini Powell’s neglect caused my Fallopian tubes to be engorged with uterine lining. they weren’t removed until I switched doctors TWICE and had to beg to be helped. my tubes were the size of full water balloons upon removal. both longer and nearly as wide as my uterus.

the engorged tubes caused bruising to my intestines. what I thought were IBS flares were actually my intestines being crowded. I still have digestive issues. I have a hiatal hernia, the earliest symptoms of which coincide with the first signs of a botched surgery.

the scar tissue in my uterus was so thick that my new doctor couldn’t successfully remove more fibroids that had grown rapidly, in the same places as before. she had to cut away the scar tissue so I could menstruate properly. except I never did.

I lived from November 2018 to June 2019 with an unpredictable uterus. my cycle trackers meant nothing. I was in constant fear of collapsing because of anemia. if it hadn’t been for my new gynecologist I could very likely be dead; my tubes would have eventually ruptured.

between April and November 2018 i went to the ER every time that I should have been having my period. ER staff did their jobs beautifully, including calling gynecologist 2 and telling her “this woman needs more imaging and a consult for a hysterectomy.”

even when I stopped seeing Wendy Powell, no doctor listened until I switched from Sandra Dayaratna to Beau Yun Park, both at Jefferson. Dr. Park took excellent care of me.

I say all this to say, don’t expect great things from providers based on race or gender.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to tell these ppl to record in your chart their refusal to follow your suggestions or address your concerns.

they have to put it in your chart. patient asks for ABC treatment and doc says no, opting to push weight loss or starvation or whatever. TELL THEM TO RECORD IT EXACTLY THAT WAY

please don’t ask me about malpractice suits. I have to prove that the medical neglect cost me enough to warrant a lawyer taking my case. documentation based on mental health *alone* isn’t considered sufficient because I haven’t been a danger to myself. it’s completely fucked.

and every attorney I’ve spoken with has said plain out that my lost income wasn’t enough for them to take me on, as they need their cut.

it’s all completely fucked.