Let me tell y’all a story about ya girl here, and navigating the health care system in this country as a woman.

A really fucking long thread:

When I was 20 years old, I jumped out of bed one night; only to collapse in pain on my boyfriend’s cold, concrete floor. I had never (and still have never since) experienced immediate and intense pain like that before.

I convinced myself that I was making a big deal out of nothing (FYI to anyone who knows me IRL. The more I downplay something the more it should warn you I’m not even remotely ok) I let my boyfriend go back to sleep. I crawled into a hot bath.

Until I came to in luke warm water and became violently ill. I immediately thought my appendix ruptured and woke up Timm so he could take me to the ER. I have never seen Drs move so fast. But alas, testing ruled out my appendix.

I proceed to bleed internally for TWELVE (yes you read that right) hours while they scrambled to run every test they could think of. It didn’t even occur to any of these male Drs & nurses, that maybe it had something to do with organs they don’t have.

They finally did an ultrasound and found a huge mess. I had a mass the size of a Georgia peach on my right ovary that had started to grow around it, caused torsion, and ruptured. I needed emergency surgery, HOURS ago.

Fast forward a few years, and I end up with multiple ovarian cysts that don’t go away on their own and require medical intervention. There are only a small handful of diseases that lead to these types of ovarian complications: PCOS and endometriosis.

I didn’t fit for PCOS other than persistent/complicated ovarian cysts and periods that make me literally want to kill myself to escape the pain. But, not one Dr was willing to perform the surgery necessary to diagnose endometriosis. I even had insurance at the time.

2 years go by. Nobody will perform surgery still. I’m prescribed a few types of oral birth control. They believed it it would eliminate the cysts. It never did. I eventually had another cyst rupture so badly it required surgery again. I lost the last 10% of my right ovary.

While they were in there, they finally took a sample of the scarring on my ovaries and uterus. I had extremely severe endometriosis for years. I went untreated and undiagnosed because nobody would listen to a woman screaming in pain and genuinely wishing to die to escape it.

They still refused to do procedures I know would help. I’ve never wanted children. So I begged for a hysterectomy. I was met with refusal every time. I mean, what good is a woman to society if she isn’t birthing the next generation?

2yr ago I ended up getting pregnant. Nobody thought this was possible. The only Dr that has ever fought for me at all walked in the room, looked me in the eyes and said “you will not survive this. Your uterus is so scared it will perforate. You will bleed out before it’s viable”

For the sake of full disclosure, we were already leaning that direction. Kids were never in the cards for us. For me. This was just the nail in the coffin, so to speak.

Still. After medical confirmation that I would never survive pregnancy, they still would not perform a hysterectomy that could save me a lifetime of pain, and the potential of getting cancer. Ahh yes, we have come to the present day in this story.

Their lack of willingness to help a woman in a serious medical situation, lead to cancer. I was diagnosed last week with a Low Malignant Tumor on my left ovary. And STILL murmur around me about doing anything to avoid a hysterectomy. Which would save my life & end this nightmare.

TL;DR — women in this country and all over the world have absolutely ZERO autonomy over our own bodies. If we aren’t baby making machines we mean nothing to society.

We’re hysterical and have no idea what’s happening in our bodies, obviously.

So, when you see us worry about the future.. maybe instead of laughing. Maybe instead of “owning the libs” — maybe remember this story. And remember that my story is just one of millions. MILLIONS

(For reference: I am now 32. This story began 12 years ago)