Posted on 03/13/2018 6:04:53 PM PDT by EdnaMode
n a new interview, Serena Williams spoke about how her pregnancy complications made her more cognizant of the problems black women encounter within the U.S. health care system.
Speaking to BBC, the tennis superstar said it "may be time for women to be comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations," as "doctors aren't listening to us."
Pointing out that she was "in a really fortunate situation," since she had a "wonderful, wonderful doctor" and knows her body so well, Williams lamented the fact that most black people aren't in the same position. As previously detailed, Williams, who has a history of blood clots, had gone without her usual daily medication during the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia. While recovering from her C-section, Williams began suspecting she had a blood clot in her lungs. The nurses, however, dismissed her initial CT scan request and performed an ultrasound instead. After Williams insisted on sending for a CT scan, it was found that she did, in fact, have clots.
"There are some things we are genetically pre-disposed to that some people aren't. So knowing that going in, or some doctors not caring as much for us, is heartbreaking," she said. "Because of what I went through, it would be really difficult if I didn't have the healthcare that I have—and to imagine all the other women that do go through that without the same healthcare, without the same response, it's upsetting."
Williams also said it may be time for black women to "get feisty," saying, "I think it's important to speak up loud and clear and say: 'No, this isn't right. Treat me the same way that you're treating...' How am I going to explain to my son that he is getting more? How am I going to explain to my daughter that she is getting less than my son? To me it's impossible to explain this."
And she has a point. "The risk of pregnancy-related deaths for black women is 3 to 4 times higher than those of white women," a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated. And per a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, there is indeed an unconscious bias amongst health professionals, as they "were less likely to refer women and black patients for cardiac catheterizations, compared with white male patients."
“I think there’s a lot of pre-judging, absolutely, that definitely goes on,” Williams told the BBC. “And it needs to be spoken about, it needs to be addressed.”
I am a white male, and have decades worth of experience in doctors & nurses ignoring my bel iefs. I have long considered Serena a bore.
“Williams also said it may be time for black women to “get feisty,””
Sounds more like she’s getting uppity! /S
Like many black racists, Serena will only be happy if whites are destroyed to make up for historical transgressions. This is the logical conclusion of their racist worldview.
Typical... When you don’t understand something, cry “racism.” Did she actually TELL the nurses and doctors that she had a history of blood clots, or did she assume that they knew?
Once thing I’ve noticed is that hospitals over the last few years have become far less likely to order expensive tests, due to complaints about “defensive medicine,” where doctors were accused of running tests to protect themselves legally. From my personal experiences, it seems that the pendulum has swung back the other way.
I went to urgent care, then my doctor, then to the ER for severe lower back pain and leg pain, a foot drop, and spreading numbness. I was told it was “sciatica,” and sent home with muscle relaxers. I explained that I had a history of disk issues, but they said they weren’t going to run any tests, but if I lost control of my bowels or bladder, to come back. Well, the OTC ibuprofen gave me a bleeding ulcer, and 2 days later I was admitted to the hospital, needing a transfusion and emergency endoscopic surgery. But I was complaining so loudly that they finally performed an MRI, and yes, I really had 2 ruptured disks that needed to be removed. 16 months later, my feet are still asleep, and I have to walk with a cane.
I’m white. I don’t think it was racism.
Mark
You were your husband’s medical advocate, and EVERYONE needs one in the hospital, especially if the patient isn’t able to be his or her own. And even if they are! Wonderful job you did!
Mark
Nothing says clueless like someone throwing around "racism."
And nothing proves it more than whiny multi-millionaire athletes.
Wow, I hope your husband is alright.
That sounds terrible!
Williams lamented the fact that most black people aren’t in the same position.
Neither are white women who aint millionaires!
Mostly white in my area. I am not being racist, just stating fact.
Good doctors and nurses don’t want to work in a place where they risk getting caught in the crossfire every night.
He is not the kind of guy who says he is in pain when he is not, if anything he is a bit too prone to solder on when he is in major pain.
I was not going to take him home that night with more pain pills when I knew something was seriously wrong. I was ready to grab the ER doctor by the heels, turn him upside down and shake him until answers fell out. So they figured it was easier to give him the CAT then to deal when me anymore.
If they had done it earlier it probably would not have burst.
Doctors know medicine but they do not know you or your loved one. So they go with the most likely scenario. You have to tell them, sometimes forcefully, when they are looking in the wrong direction.
Right, cuz black ladies are always demure
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