We Can't Find Anything Wrong With You
Good House Keeping - US|March 2018

The ER doctor dismissed Diana Falzone, but she knew her own body. She was certain the fever and excruciating pain were more than just the flu. Turns out she was right.

Emily Listfield
We Can't Find Anything Wrong With You

I PERCHED ON THE EDGE OF THE EXAM TABLE, LOOKING AT HIM IN DISBELIEF. I’d dragged myself to the ER that February evening in 2016 with a shooting pain on my right side, which had started that morning. Later in the day, I began to bleed; I went through a thick pad and a super tampon every 40 minutes, even though I didn’t have my period.

“What kind of flu makes you bleed?” I asked the doctor, a general practitioner who said there was no ob-gyn available. “You might have a hormonal imbalance that can cause bleeding, but I doubt it’s anything serious,” the doctor said. “I suggest you see your gynecologist tomorrow.” With that, he sent me home.

I felt helpless, but he seemed so sure it was nothing. Even though it didn’t feel right to me, I didn’t want him to think I was a hypochondriac, and I didn’t want to make a scene. So I left the hospital frustrated — and scared. Then I stayed up late, googling everything, trying not to panic.

The next morning, I called in late to my job as a reporter, and I went to my ob-gyn. As soon as she walked in, tears began to roll down my face as I described how much pain I was in. I was so relieved that I would learn what was going on.

But I didn’t. After a quick sonogram, she told me she didn’t see anything. My urine sample ruled out kidney stones. “It’s probably just a virus,” she said. She too mentioned a possible hormonal imbalance, but she didn’t seem that concerned about my pain. I got the sense she thought I was being overly dramatic. “I know my body, and something is wrong,” I told her. “Well, I don’t see anything,” she repeated. I left in tears.

This story is from the March 2018 edition of Good House Keeping - US.

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This story is from the March 2018 edition of Good House Keeping - US.

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