The term “medical gaslighting” describes the experience of patients being told their symptoms are trivial or labeled as “all in their head” by health care providers.
In this review session, we want to not only learn about medical lighting but also identify examples in our own lives where we have been lit. We hear from Patient Leaders how they have been involved, and we discuss what we can do as a group to stop it.
Key requirements:
- A medical diagnosis is used to describe patients who have had their symptoms labeled as mild or psychological (“all in your head”) by health care providers. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and timely treatment.
- Many patient leaders have experience in clinical evaluation, and it can happen to anyone. It is more common with obscure conditions, conditions that have difficult diagnosis methods, or conditions that are not understood.
- Clinical evaluation may lead to patients having less faith in clinical practice.
- Learning to stand up for yourself strongly is an important part of dealing with medical burnout.
Meet the presenters:
Ashanti Daniel worked as a registered nurse caring for critically ill children and/or newborns. However, for almost 5 years (as of August 2016), her greatest strengths have been living with a terminal illness as a single mother, finding silver linings after her world was turned upside down, and promoting the terminal illness of WARRIORS as her illness. he has allowed.
Shekita Green she is a mother of 2 teenagers, wife of an Army Vet and an entrepreneur with an entrepreneurial spirit. In January 2013, he began to experience severe nerve pain, back pain, numbness in his fingers and toes, and severe headaches. After a month, nausea. After several medical visits and tests, he was diagnosed 2 months later with BBPV and began his journey as an owner in WA state. He underwent surgery but was left with Nystagmus and vertigo symptoms. Moved to Houston, TX to take office. He continued to use it all but was taken back to the ER after a migraine. After a final exam that included a spinal cord scan and MRI, he tested positive for Aquaporin-4, and was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica.
Laura Wheatman Hill is a person, parent, and writer in Oregon. She has two children, both of whom have their own “things” that require more of her. In his own story, he’s been suffering from migraines since he was a teenager but didn’t know how to deal with them, let alone let them “go away on their own.” Being a lawyer really helped her get the help she needed to function properly, as her migraines worsened. In addition, she was diagnosed with Restless Legs Syndrome, a condition she doubted believed existed. Once she received treatment for her bipolar disorder, as well as her mental health, she was able to live a healthy and happy life. He still gets migraines and is finding his best way to help. He still works for RLS. He continues to work on his mental and physical health. But, being a lawyer and part of his team has been a great gift for him.
Bridget Gawinowicz is the Director of Community Development at Health Union, where he has been working with the axial spondyloarthritis group since 2019. He also runs the company’s Patient Leader Council, which helps get feedback on the company’s work from patient leaders to ensure that all efforts are patient-sustainable and accessible. He lives in Philadelphia with his girlfriend and two rescuers, Molly and Cookie.
