MY DAUGHTER WENT TO URGENT CARE WITH A PAINFUL LUMP NEAR HER GROIN, BUT THE DOCTOR BLAMED HER RECENT PFIZER VACCINE AND SENT HER HOME WITHOUT EVEN EXAMINING IT. ELEVEN DAYS LATER, THE LUMP WAS BIGGER THAN A GOLF BALL, SHE COULD BARELY STAND THROUGH HER SHIFTS AT WORK, AND SHE CALLED ME CRYING BECAUSE IT HAD STARTED TO BLEED. I RUSHED HER TO THE HOSPITAL, TERRIFIED THAT SOMETHING SERIOUS HAD BEEN MISSED. WHEN THE MEDICAL TEAM FINALLY EXAMINED THE AREA, I LEARNED THAT THE LUMP WASN’T EVEN WHERE HER LYMPH NODE WAS LOCATED. I COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT FIRST APPOINTMENT, WHEN ONE CARELESS ASSUMPTION HAD SENT MY DAUGHTER HOME IN PAIN. AS WE WAITED FOR ANSWERS, I REALIZED HOW EASILY A PATIENT’S SUFFERING COULD BE DISMISSED—AND WHY NO PARENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO FIGHT THIS HARD TO GET A LOVED ONE PROPERLY EXAMINED.
The first time my daughter mentioned the lump, I thought it might be something minor. She was an adult, independent, and usually reluctant to make a fuss about her health. …
MY DAUGHTER WENT TO URGENT CARE WITH A PAINFUL LUMP NEAR HER GROIN, BUT THE DOCTOR BLAMED HER RECENT PFIZER VACCINE AND SENT HER HOME WITHOUT EVEN EXAMINING IT. ELEVEN DAYS LATER, THE LUMP WAS BIGGER THAN A GOLF BALL, SHE COULD BARELY STAND THROUGH HER SHIFTS AT WORK, AND SHE CALLED ME CRYING BECAUSE IT HAD STARTED TO BLEED. I RUSHED HER TO THE HOSPITAL, TERRIFIED THAT SOMETHING SERIOUS HAD BEEN MISSED. WHEN THE MEDICAL TEAM FINALLY EXAMINED THE AREA, I LEARNED THAT THE LUMP WASN’T EVEN WHERE HER LYMPH NODE WAS LOCATED. I COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT FIRST APPOINTMENT, WHEN ONE CARELESS ASSUMPTION HAD SENT MY DAUGHTER HOME IN PAIN. AS WE WAITED FOR ANSWERS, I REALIZED HOW EASILY A PATIENT’S SUFFERING COULD BE DISMISSED—AND WHY NO PARENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO FIGHT THIS HARD TO GET A LOVED ONE PROPERLY EXAMINED. Read More