Are y’all going to the doctor?
Grad school was the first time I ever had health insurance. I probably spent the first 2 years of the journey getting dx & getting a bunch of dental work done.
There is so much shame to process in poverty. It shouldn’t feel “hard” to take care of ourselves, but it felt that way to me. It still does sometimes.
And it’s expensive (less so with health insurance but still)!
Preventive care is something I had to learn how to value and stay on top of.
You should have a primary care doc that you see annually. You should get your teeth cleaned every six months if you can. If you’re sexually active, you should be getting screened for STIs regularly.
Your peers will already have access to these things, have a routine for getting scheduled, have contacts recommended by their family members, etc.
I remember feeling resentful (and I still do sometimes) that getting my health under control felt like a huge distraction when everyone else in my cohort seemed to have it all figured out.
What’s your system for staying on top of doc appointments?
