A sad but funny situation happened this week. Yesterday, I noticed that my driver was really upset when he picked me up. Whats wrong? I asked.
"Oh...the doctor says my daughter has Cirrhosis...this is very serious....oh what am I going to do??? He fretted.
"Cirrhosis, are you SURE"?? I answered. (Cirrhosis is end stage liver disease found in alchoholics or people have some sort of condition or disease affecting their liver- but who knows how to explain that in Hindi???)
Yes yes, its Cirrhosis...this is bad....
"Ok, well bring her over tomorrow". I told him
This morning, his sweet daugther came bouncing through my door...perfectly healthy. I asked about her symptoms
The doctor says I have the beginning stages of Cirrhosis...she explained to me.
I usually don't talk this directly to people but I said "Look...the doctor is wrong" And then I showed her pictures of people who have Cirrhosis on the Internet.
We talked some more about her symptoms. I found out that the doctor had made a diagnosis before running any kind of tests.
It finally dawned on me...."Oh...could you have PSORIASIS?? I asked. (psoriasis is a common skin disease that causes reddness and irritation) The two disesase do sound very similar to one another
"Uh...I think thats what the doctor meant", I told her
Then she dumps all of her medicine out on the table. The doctor has given her like 20 different creams, lotions, anti- anxiety medication and of course the ever popular antibiotic. She goes onto explain "the doctor says I have a lot of tension in my life because I am not married, thats why I have this disease..."
(this is the sad part)
"Oh, sweet girl...that doctor is WRONG." I told her for the second time. "Just look at MY skin! And I have been single longer than YOU". :)
The stress melted off of her face and the beginning of a smile crept onto her lips.
I knew that there was no way I could undo years of cultural conditioning. But I COULD tell her the truth in that moment. I went on to explain the disease process, how our bodies work...yes stress can cause alot of things but also, it could just be that her body was predisposioned for skin problems- no matter her marital status. Yes, psoriasis is annoying but can be treated with medication and diet.
I went on to tell her the things she should eat and I told her to stop using most of the medicines the doctor had given her. I asked her if she had anxiety attacks. She kinda gave me a blank stare. Again...how to explain anxiety attacks in Hindi?? So...I acted it out for her.
"Uh? Do you mean demon possesion"?? she asked
"Well...no never mind.... "
We ended the visit with coffee and her checking her facebook. She gave me a hug as she walked out the door with a bounce in her step. Even thoughI know I can't win the war...at least I know one battle has been won.
3 comments:
HA! I'm so glad you were there to clear that up for her. Your story reminded me of the time we had a little boy come to us with a scalp fungus and after trying to explain what he had several times, we finally just told him, "You have a mushroom on your head." Wide-eyed, he followed our instructions EXACTLY.
WOW. What a picture for us of what you are up against. The lack of truth is SO sad! So glad you were there and could explain the truth to her.
Oh sweet Cath...From someone who has a skin issue AND has been married for 12 years, thank you for setting her straight. Bless her heart. :)
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