A Minnesota woman is now speaking out about the reality of how diligent women need to be about their own health when they’re struggling with it. As she says in her own words, “American healthcare for women is in shambles.”
Andra (@hopeyoufindyourdad) shows a TikTok of a woman struggling to find out what’s wrong with her health but saying that it will cost her $700 just to be seen. Andra says she has her own health struggles and hasn’t had her period in months. She knows that everything is not as it should be with her own health. Unfortunately, she feels that because she’s a woman, doctors don’t listen to her. In her own experience, she’s “racked up I think over $1,000 in medical debt at this point. I don’t know. I stopped keeping track because I’m not paying it.”
Andra says on top of not listening to her growing concerns about her health, they’re always switching her back-and-forth between other birth control methods. She’s in tears as she explains, “If you wanna know how bad the healthcare industry is for women, that’s how bad it is. I have completely given up at this point.” On top of that, she says she can’t keep doing this because “They’re making me feel like I’m going insane.”
Andra thinks that there is so much more that can be done for women like her struggling with their health in America. She’s seen multiple specialists. She has problems with her skin not being clear and her period went away for a short time but she doesn’t know why. As she says, there’s a “history of PCOS” in her family, which can cause some of these symptoms. She says they “should be testing” this for her. However, when she brings up the testing, they tell her she probably couldn’t afford what needs to be done. She questions how that’s more expensive than “seeing five different doctors multiple times for the same symptoms.”
When they sent her to a dermatologist for her problems, the dermatologist instructed her to see a gynecologist. At this point, Andra says she almost “lost it” because she saw approximately twelve gynecologists by then. She said she “stopped going” and “stopped taking everything” they told her to. On top of that, she refused to pay the bills. Why, when they weren’t helping her gain the answers she so desperately needs? This is the pipeline so many women go through in the American healthcare system. Andra helps shines a light on that.
Unfortunately, many other women have experienced the same exact thing. Andra’s video continues to gain popularity from women who can relate to her story. It poses many good questions about how we treat women’s health and how long it can actually take to receive a proper diagnosis. And by then, so many women fear the damage will be done.
Commenters shared their own personal stories as women dealing with the healthcare system. One agreed with Andra, “Yup. Pretty sure I have colon cancer and they just keep saying to ‘keep an eye on my symptoms’ because I’m too young. I’m 35.” Another shared, “During menopause I kept going from appointment to appointment and still felt unheard… symptoms brushed off like it was nothing.” One commenter chimed in and suggested, “Planned parenthood, if you have access, has been one of the most helpful resources for me. Aside from my current gyno + surgeon, I’ve never got better care. They listen. They test.”
Women continue to share their thoughts and feelings on this powerful video.
