Recently, I wrote a blog on a personal experience in the Sick Model of Medicine and how it perpetuates itself in that it never is or will be a Well model of medicine. Western medicine has reframed itself coining phrases like ‘integrative’ and ‘wellness’. Do not be fooled- it just western medicine, in a new wrapper. Surely, there have been advancements, but- to really get you well and have a plan to do so it fails terribly. It is clear- their model hasn’t changed and you still have to have a problem that is obvious and persistent before going into action to do something about its cure- much like the belief that if it isn’t broken, then do not fix it. Generally correct, but not when applied towards anyone’s health and wellness and especially your health. That is a total breech of logic for sure, and not a really smart thing to do if interested in better outcomes. Results count.
Just recently I had a second surgical uterine biopsy performed at my request… because in the western medicine model, they were happy to wait and see. Why- because the first surgical biopsy showed inconclusive evidence of the presence of cancer, which is one of the primary reasons why at my age at the time (56) the uterine lining/wall thickens (8mm and found by an ultrasound exam by accident) is a red flag. The perplexing part for my western medicine counter parts is they could not explain why I had no symptoms such as bleeding which is another big red flag for anyone that is post-menopausal. In both instances the procedure was identically explained ad then, the need to sign off in the event they screwed up during the procedure. In both cases the procedure was to use a guided ultrasound to make sure they didn’t puncture the uterine wall, scraping the wall of the uterus, and then scope to take a look see within to make sure nothing was missed. The first case they used the ultrasound to guide and make sure they did not puncture the wall of the uterus, but in this case, they opted not to use a scope. It appears that they were under pressure because they ran out of time for occupying the operating room. In the second case- they did not use the guided ultrasound because all seemed well until there was suspicion that they punctured the uterus. What to know is that puncturing the wall of the uterus is a big negative, so- from that point on they could not scope because of the possible nightmare complications if there was a puncture. That made scoping a mute point at that time and if it were to be performed, it would have to be done on another date- hindsight is 20/20. They did however do an ultrasound after the procedure was over to make sure there was not a puncture in the uterine wall. That is when they found the polyp which they would have seen in either case if they did the scope… The immediate issue here now became whether they got any tissue sample so they could determine if it was- cancerous. I was very upset to say the least- and amazingly enough they agreed with me that I have every right to be upset. I tried to stay level headed about this and make the following decision with clarity because I was certain I was over sedated and did not listen to my concern that I was very sensitive to anesthesia…. (by the way, you are specifically told not to make any major decisions that day, what an oxymoron). If was offered to me to go to the physician’s office immediately after leaving the hospital to try to get a tissue sample of the polyp since we know knew there was one and where it was located. This was done because the operating rooms were occupied by new tenants. This all occurred within an hour after coming out of the operating room. That tissue sample was a success and thankfully- benign. Luckily, they also got enough tissue samples in the surgical biopsy that indicated a benign polyp too.
In hindsight- if the scope was done on the first biopsy the likelihood of finding the polyp was pretty certain. It would of save me from doing any further painstaking procedures/drugs. It is unfortunate that the Sick Model of Medicine operating in the model of western medicine has not changed. There are too many cases that go unpublished of non-delivery of health and wellness not to mentions being robbed of peace of mind (so, so valuable). It really prints a clear picture of why there are soaring cost of healthcare and perpetuation of such blunders. In this case, the initial logic if not breeched would have delivered the results and made it an end of story in both cases- especially in the first case because it would not have perpetuated the situation. Instead, now- one has to consider what level of negligence (costly breech of logic) if any took place. Is this the norm? What do you think? Email me your comments: drpat@drpatriciab.com
Dr Pat
LifeStyle Health-Wellness Strategist
