Equity Voices SenseMaker Project Story or Micro-Narrative | View Story Interpretations (Summarizing All Stories)
I am a 51 yo African American woman who is well-educated, gainfully employed, and fully insured. I live with a chronic condition, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) which causes severe joint pain and a host of other challenges. At different times, I have gone to the ER…typically after consultation with or at the direction of my rheumatologist. I have come to loathe these experiences because I have often been questioned to the point of interrogation BEFORE my pain is addressed (if it is addressed). Sometimes it is only after lab work reports high markers of inflammation that my account is ‘confirmed.’ Other times, I have been dismissed until my physician has been consulted or intervenes on my behalf. At the same time I know there are people who receive more attention for hang nails. It’s maddening. Though I have access to health care, I cannot access health care.