09/24/2025
I'm going through a period where I have a lot of medical appointments, and I recently had an encounter that made my head spin a little bit. π€
At this particular appointment, my neurologist and I were trying to figure out what might be going on with my hands. He threw out some possibilities, one of which I had never heard before, so I asked him to repeat the name. As I tried to write it out, I realized that I had no clue how to spell it, so I asked him about that.
He turned to me sharply, "No, no, no. Don't go looking it up. You do not have that. You're not going to die. If you have six weeks left to live, I would tell you. There are no secrets in this office. Do not go looking it up and stress about it."
Whoah. Wait, what? π³
He said a few more things, but at this point, I was already starting to shut down.
I know that WebMD and searching things online can turn into a bit of a rabbit hole, but that's not at all what I was planning to do.
I turned my head to the side to look away from him as I felt a familiar response in me from an incident as a teenager. π£
I did my best to re-group and ground myself.
This wasn't about me looking up every single term and self-diagnosing and figuring it out on my own, I was just trying to understand what might be happening to me.
Eventually, I turned back around, and waited for him to stop typing his notes. "I'm not going to look it up," I said in a very measured voice. "You and I have worked together now for several years, and I trust in what you're telling me."
I don't remember his exact words, but he made a comment about how he would order a new nerve study, and that maybe having it done with a different doctor would help me feel more comfortable by knowing that there was a second set of eyes.
I decided to exercise my assertiveness. "I trust what you're telling me. That's not what just happened. It wasn't what you said, it's how you said it."
At that point, I think he finally understood. "I just don't want you stressing out and getting worried," he said.
Ahhhh... π‘
I've worked pretty dang hard to find my voice and own my space. What he was doing was trying to control or at least temper my emotional response. The problem is that that's a me thing. My response and how I take the news of this medical journey is on my side of the fence, and it's mine to handle.
Let me be upset, let me be scared, and maybe even let me be resilient in my own way. π€
After the appointment, I was reflecting on how I was able to handle this situation, but I know that speaking up to a medical professional can feel very heavy to so many others. And it shouldn't be that way; we have every right to own our space and advocate for ourselves.
This is yet one more reason why I'm so passionate about the work that I do. I created The Assertiveness Blueprint, a 12 week program that boils down all of the years of work I've done on this topic into actionable strategies that can help women (or anyone really!) go from feeling hesitant and timid to self assured and confident. ππΌ
I'm offering just 2 more spots in this program at a steeply discounted beta price. If any part of this post resonates with you, and you struggle to speak up for yourself (whether it's at medical appointments, work, or any other area in your life), I'd love to chat.
Comment or DM me the word "beta", and we can talk about what's going on in your world and see how I can help empower you. πͺπΌ