Take Control of Your Health

This post is pretty general and I plan on getting more specific as I create more posts, but today is both World Cancer Day and National Wear Red Day so I wrote what I felt compelled to write which happens to be my opinion on how to take control of your health. 

What’s the Issue?

It’s no secret that I consider myself a wild feminist. I’m a feminist, but I’m also knowledgeable about the differences in the genetic make-up of males and females and other items out of our control. So, what’s the issue? For a wide range of diseases, including cancer and heart disease, the diagnosis comes later in life for women than it does for men. I acknowledge that more men than women are diagnosed with cancer, and men’s mortality rate is higher. However, women’s health issues are still (yes, even in 2022) often considered “hysteria.” Doctors have nicer ways of saying that in the present day, but it means the same thing. According to the CDC, Yale Medicine, Sleep Education, and many more trustworthy sources, heart disease remains the number one killer of women in the United States, followed by cancer. Still, it sometimes takes years for a woman to be diagnosed with and treated for either of these things. This is because they are obviously hysterical [insert sarcasm here]. But, of course, it’s not hysteria! Male and female doctors tend to have an unconscious bias that they were taught during medical school, and they aren’t even aware that they’re dismissing women as much as they are. It’s how they were trained! It’s not an excuse, but dare I say, “it is what it is,” and I absolutely hate that reality. What can I do about it? What can you do about it? Keep reading.

My Experience in a Nutshell

I haven’t talked about my metastatic melanoma journey publicly in a hot minute, and although I’m currently tumor-free, cancer still affects me every day. My diagnosis and treatment forever altered my mentality and physicality. I will never be the person I was before my diagnosis. I won’t preach about how to prevent cancer because, at the end of the day, people will make their own choices regardless. All I can tell you is all cancer, even melanoma, sucks a lot, and I don’t wish that journey on anyone. Check on those currently struggling with a cancer diagnosis and those in remission because the fight is never truly over. Moving on…

Societal Norms Suck

I’m sure cancer is a horrifying experience for men and women, but my expertise is in being a female, so that’s the perspective I speak from. If you are a woman who must go through any kind of cancer treatment, you’ll likely either gain or lose weight, enough of it to be noticeable. If you lose too much, you’ll get a round of prednisone, making you puffy and hungry. It’s a terrible cycle. As if women aren’t already self-conscious enough about their bodies because of societal expectations, women with cancer (or most illnesses) have to fight for their lives using medicine that makes them hate their bodies even more. I did a pretty fantastic job of jokingly saying, “just get yourself some cancer,” when people inquired about my physical changes or exclaiming, “Hey, at least the steroids made my eczema easier to deal with,” when looking for a silver lining. The truth is, cancer took a permanent toll on my body and mind, and as much as I can try to have a sense of humor about it, it was horrible. Many people (men and women alike) have accused me of causing this myself due to the use of tanning beds and lack of sunscreen in my teens and early 20s. So many times, actually, that I believed it for a while. I thought I deserved metastatic melanoma because I was irresponsible. I don’t believe that anymore, and if you’re someone who has followed my journey, then you know that I’m BRAF positive and have neural tumor syndrome; it was only a matter of time before I got melanoma. My irresponsible habits didn’t help, but I didn’t deserve this, and no one does. Society tells women that pale is ugly or “sickly.” I’m not even all that pale naturally, but I’ve been told plenty of times that I need to work on my tan when someone sees my winter legs. So, society tells me to work on my tan and then also tells me it’s my fault that I got cancer. Okay. Cool.

Be a Bitch if Necessary

I won’t downplay the importance of a healthy lifestyle and its role in cancer and heart disease. Yes, eat nutritious foods and don’t partake in behaviors or activities believed to cause health problems. But ladies, we (myself included) need to stand up for ourselves and our health. It’s uncomfortable to push people, but if your life is on the line, that is precisely what you need to do. Get regular screenings, don’t let anyone tell you your symptoms are all in your head and be your own best advocate. No one else is going to do it for you. Empower yourself and if you have daughters, nieces, granddaughters, etc., empower them to start to stand up for their mental and physical health now. Women are hormonal beings, but hysteria is not the cause of all, or even most, of our ailments. Stop letting society tell you you’re aggressive or a bitch because you demand answers. It’s YOUR body and YOUR life. You have the right to be in control of it.

Be open and detailed with your doctors and/or therapist about what’s happening. For example, if you see a spot on your skin that doesn’t sit right with you, point it out; if your bowel movements are out of whack, speak up or if you have constant indigestion or shortness of breath, say something. 

Someone once asked me why I would randomly vomit or be incredibly nauseous, and my answer was, “I just throw up sometimes.” It turns out you aren’t supposed to just randomly puke frequently. It took me until I was 30 years old to stand up for my health and begin to take control of my body, and I will not go backward. Be loud, ladies. Be proud of who you are and what you look like. Be grateful for what your body does for you and what it allows you to do. Take control of your health, and fuck the patriarchy.

What I’m Working On

I’m working on a resource link that anyone in the United States can use if they need help with their mental or physical health, developing a healthy relationship with food, and just loving their body where it is right now. So again, speak up for yourself. Research. Don’t take hysteria for an answer. You are your best advocate!

If you aren’t following my #fullbodyphoto journey on IG, my day 8 photo is here for all to view! I usually use this super weird and awkward mirror at the top of my stairs, but I occasionally get a shot from a different angle.