Yes vomit. Out of revulsion.
You see, I was going to write a diary today to officially kick off the Pretty Bird Woman House holiday fundraiser. Now I have to get his off my chest instead.
I won't disclose her name for privacy reasons, but one of the major movers and shakers at the shelter (I'll say this much, it's not Georgia) has come down with a bad case of cancer. A large tumor in her uterus.
Yes, cancer. This triggers me because my mother died of cancer last fall. And I saw how the medical system works. And that was in New York, not the rez.
So, I'm in a lather. And so mad I could vomit.
Here is how a cancer patient is treated on Standing Rock. And this is with the "good" doctor.....
This woman has what turned out to be symptoms of cancer....bleeding, pain, etc. So, she goes to the one "good" clinic on the rez, which happens to be in McLaughlin by the shelter. I actually accompanied her to the clinic this summer for something else, and I can attest that they are polite and attentive there. And they seem to care. If she needs to see them, they will always get her in right away.
Nobody else does. And the people in this clinic do not make waves. Even for a cancer patient.
After an ultrasound and a blood test, my friend was told that she had a large tumor in her uterus and that her lymph nodes were swollen. She has tumor markers in her blood.
Then they make an appointment to see a specialist in Bismarck in TWO weeks. Yes TWO!!!!
In the intervening time, her stomach is getting more and more tender, she is getting really tired, and people are starting to tell her she looks pale....or PREGNANT!!
Yup, it's that big. She tells me it looks like she's about 4 months pregnant.
So, she goes back to the clinic, they draw more blood, and then call Bismarck to see if the appointment can be moved up. The doctor says no, she's booked. SHE'S BOOKED??!! For someone whose tumor is so big you can see if from the outside????? I just guess they're used to not making accommodations for people from Standing Rock or something.
This afternoon, the pain was so bad she spent FOUR HOURS in the IHS emergency room in Ft. Yates. Did the IHS admit her there, or send her to be admitted at the real medical center in Bismarck? NO (she's on Medicaid, not IHS, thank God, so they could have sent her to Bismarck).
What did the IHS emergency room doctors do?
They gave her stronger pain and nausea medicine and told her, "WELL YOU'D BETTER MAKE SURE YOU MAKE IT TO YOUR APPOINTMENT ON FRIDAY."
When my friend told me this I wanted to scream. Or vomit.
Where else in this country would you have someone diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor, and somehow nobody can change their schedule to accommodate her?? All I can think about is how this thing could have metastacized in two weeks.
I can't stop thinking that if she were anywhere in my home state of NY, anywere else in fact, if an internist found a tumor that large, the NEXT day she would have been at an oncologist. NOT IN TWO WEEKS. And in the face of a worsening situation, she would NEVER be sent home from an emergency room.
OK, before I was just wanting to vomit metaphorically or something. Now, I actually feel physically nauseated.
UPDATE (1)
Upon request of PeaceNerd I'm posting a donation link. Basically, I've got two ChipIn widgets up on the blog right now, so if you go there, you'll see them at the top of the page. There is an explanation of what they're for, as well as what material donations are needed, just to the left of them.
UPDATE (2)
I just got off the phone with someone who might be able to help. She's going to try to get her into see a great doctor tomorrow, but she isn't in Bismarck right now, so we're going to have to figure out transportation and who knows if that other doctor can see her right away (together, this means it probably won't happen tomorrow in reality).
The second option was to call Senator Dorgan's office. You may not know this but he's been an outspoken advocate of better healthcare for the Native American population, so his office may be able to call around and find out why the hell a woman this sick can't be seen right away.
In any case, I'm not going to get any sleep until I know she's seen a specialist and/or has been admitted to the hospital.
UPDATE (3)
Just wanted to clarify a few things. The treatment my friend is receiving is pretty typical of how you would be treated if you were a Native American person in this country. She actually has better than IHS primary care, but, still, even with cancer, they are NOT in a rush, even after they themselves have diagnosed her as having cancer and even when faced with worsening symptoms. All they did was call the doctor in Bismarck to see if the appointment could be moved up. When the doctor said no it couldn't, they left it at that. No attempt to find another doctor or to pressure the present one to fit her in. How many times has your doctor "fit you in"? Most people will.
UPDATE (4)
A few people are pointing out, legitimately so, that this kind of thing happens in other areas of the country too. Hideously long waits to see a doctor when you have CANCER! To that extent, this situation is a symptom of what's wrong with our medical system.
However, once she when to the Indian Health Service emergency room, you get an idea of the kind of treatment that people on reservations get - nobody's in a hurry, and they didn't want to admit her. I spent all of last year immersed in the cancer-care medical system in suburban NYC, and the difference in how people with cancer are treated in the two places cannot be more stark.
MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
A mutual friend is driving in from out of town tonight. Tomorrow she's going down to Standing Rock to see our friend. If she needs to, she'll take her back to Bismarck to the emergency room there. Finally. What a gem.