Anxiety about how doctors see me

[Grace360]

So this doesn't matter much but I am a black person. So even though this should change, the medical world sees me differently. Even some things having to do with my skin color aren't up to date. A bunch of myths that make seeing and trusting doctors that much harder for me. Especially when I really sit and think on it. I was just thinking moments ago about how used to resort to doctor google for my ailments. I was looking in the mirror and was reminded of the one thing I was afraid of. "person may appear pale, flushed". I'm like, black. Obviously that was like written with someone of lighter skin in mind. How do I get "pale"? What does that look like on me? I wondered because I looked in the mirror. It seemed like my skin was lighter. But then again maybe that was just lighting. That's just one thing but there are many others. That just stuck with me. I still wouldn't know what that would look like on my skin, which obviously scares me. Then in medicine in general. That's why my fears are so pronounced I guess. Doctors can honestly not take me and my pain as seriously. That negligence has costed so so many black people their lives. One of my overarching fears is becoming one of those statistics.

 

[iwakami]

It's an issue. The egocentric thought is present in medical writings, so if the doctor is white, there is a tendency, due to education, to write it white.

I would try to be practical about it. If you are being followed by a specific doctor (doesn't matter the ethnicity or skin colour), openly talk about this, if you can. You might be surprised about how well educated your doctor is. You absolutely deserve the best doctor for you in every aspect. And maybe your doctor already knows about diagnostic techniques for any body variation.

 

[Worriedmama]

My best friend is black and we were giving blood once. She stood up after and got lightheaded, and her face lost its color and you could tell she looked pale. The looked a shade of gray of that makes sense. You could tell something was off.