Being Your Own Health Care Advocate
- Amanda Buschelman, 42, was told she had appendicitis by her doctor. But when she went to the ER, her pain was dsmissed as an ovarian cyst despit having had her ovaries removed years prior. Her apendicitis wasn’t treated until several visits later.
- In a viral TikTok, Buschelman shared her story to encourage women to push for answers when they know something is wrong.
- Sadly, we've heard many stories of women's concerns being dismissed by doctors. That's why being your own advocate can be a key to getting a correct diagnosis and obtaining the best treatment possible.
- One cancer survivor told SurvivorNet she recommends asking many questions, so doctors "earn that copay." And one of our cancer experts says everyone should educate themselves and be their own health care advocate.
Buschelman began feeling pain on the right side of her abdomen in January. So much so, in fact, that the 42-year-old mom of three decided to see her doctor about the issue.
Read More"He's like, 'Well, I got the report back from the radiologist, and you have a cyst on your ovary.' My mom looked at me in complete shock and awe because we both know I don't have any ovaries," Buschelman said. "I was like, 'Well, that's not possible because I had a complete hysterectomy 10 years ago.’
“He looked at me like I was a complete moron. He mansplained to me how, 'Well, I'm sure if you had a hysterectomy, they don't take your ovaries.'"
@amandabman #appendix #beleivewomen #notanxious #inpain ♬ original sound – Amanda Buschelman
A hysterectomy is a procedure where the uterus is removed. The cervix, upper part of the vagina, ovaries and fallopian tubes may also be removed at the same time as well, depending on the type of hysterectomy and the reason for it.
Buschelman had her ovaries removed as part of her treatment for endometriosis an often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus. So, she knew the doctor had to be wrong. Still, the doctor was skeptical and proceeded to show her the spot he saw on the imaging.
"He still didn't believe me until he looked it up himself (in my medical records)," she said. "I was so personally offended, I can't even begin to tell you… I (was) scared because I (thought) my treatment (was) completely ineffective.”
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After another consultation with radiology, the doctor sent Buschelman on her way with a prescription for an antibiotic to treat diverticulitis an inflammation and infection of one or more diverticula (bulges in your colon wall). This condition is common and may not always cause symptoms or need treatment.
"In my heart, I (wanted) to trust that they know what they're talking about," she said. "But I didn't have a lot of it."
Sadly, Buschelman’s symptoms only worsened upon returning home, so she called her doctor, again, only to be told to go back to the hospital.
She had another scan and met with a different doctor who could see “a mass or a tumor” very clearly on her scan. Still in “terrible pain,” those doctors sent her home and pushed her to follow up with an OB-GYN.
"I explained the situation. I have this little tumor. I'm very concerned," she says. "(My OB-GYN) said, 'What do you mean they think you have ovaries and a cyst on them?’"
A transvaginal ultrasound showed her OB-GYN that there was something inside her. This doctor thought it was “probably just some leftover endometriosis that [had] been there the whole time” and gave Buschelman the option to watch and wait or to have surgery to remove it.
"I'm like, it hurts. I do not want it. I want my life back," Buschelman said. "I'm like, it hurts. I do not want it. I want my life back.
"She goes, 'I will remove it. We'll sent it to pathology, just to make sure, and then while I'm in there, I'll take a peek around and see what's going on.'"
After surgery two weeks later, Buschelman was shocked to discover the truth. Yes, doctors removed the mass identified in the emergency room scans, which turned out to be endometriosis. However, they also removed her appendix because she really did have appendicitis after all.
Now she’s sharing her story far and wide so that other women know when to speak up.
"It's really important that we not just focus on my story and that we talk about all of these other women in my comments that are just being ignored," she said. "I want these other women's stories to matter. I want them told.
"What if the next woman leaves the doctor and doesn't trust their own body? … Or doesn't follow up because they don't know to?”
Advocating For Your Health As A Woman
Amanda Buschelman’s story is, sadly, not the first of its kind. In fact, we've heard many women talk about how their health concerns were not taken seriously prior to a very serious diagnosis. And so many of them emphasize the importance of advocating for your health.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, April Knowles explained how she became a breast cancer advocate after her doctor dismissed the lump in her breast as a side effect of her menstrual period. Unfortunately, that dismissal was a mistake.
Knowles was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 39. She said the experience taught her the importance of listening to her body and speaking up when something doesn't feel right.
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"I wanted my doctor to like me," she said. "I think women, especially young women, are really used to being dismissed by their doctors."
Jenny Saldana is another woman who's spoken up about advocating for yourself. She says she was told, "you can't keep coming back here taking up resources for women that really need them" when she was trying to get her breast cancer diagnosis.
"The squeaky wheel gets the oil," she said as advice for others.
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Evelyn Reyes-Beato feels similarly. As a Latina like Saldana and a colon cancer survivor, she urges people to "get knowledge" so they won't feel intimated by their doctors. She wants to remind others that they have a right to ask questions and make physicians "earn that copay."
Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet that healthcare guidelines are meant to do the right thing for the largest number of people while using the fewest resources.
"The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic," he said.
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Dr. Murrell says not every patient will "fit into" the mold, so it's important to "educate yourself and be your own health care advocate."
"Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn't work, what the next plan is," Dr. Murrell said. "And I think that that's totally fair. And me as a health professional that's what I do for all of my patients."
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