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Trust must be earned
What I learned this week: being a "good patient" and blindly accepting what the medical authorities want to do with me, even if I find it upsetting or actually painful, is not just disrespecting my own boundaries. It can lead to actual damage which may actively sabotage my future options for health care.
I need to learn to say no, to be "uncooperative", to be stubborn in defense of my own bodily autonomy. I need to be kind to myself in the face of strangers who just care about proper procedure. I need to stop trusting that what they do is automatically what's best for me. I need to stop being pliant, and keep thinking once I pass through the waiting room door. I need to stop being afraid of the consequences of not being a "good patient".
I need to learn to say no, to be "uncooperative", to be stubborn in defense of my own bodily autonomy. I need to be kind to myself in the face of strangers who just care about proper procedure. I need to stop trusting that what they do is automatically what's best for me. I need to stop being pliant, and keep thinking once I pass through the waiting room door. I need to stop being afraid of the consequences of not being a "good patient".