My Latest Medical Nightmare

The following is what happened to me yesterday, and is another perfect example of how not to treat an Autistic person. Ever. Ever. Ever.

Because we process, smell, experience, feel, touch, taste, see, and hear everything differently than you do. Because when you fail to respect and listen, it will cause us to meltdown and shut down and not be able to talk or deal with you.

In my case, today, i almost lost vital services that i need because of the physical therapist they sent to me. Because he was harsh, blunt, and unfriendly. And he would not listen to me.

Here is my earlier post from yesterday. And why i am now scared to be alone when dealing anymore without my caregiver or someone who understand and can come in and advocate when i lose my words.

Yesterday i not only lost my words….i did have a bad meltdown because of how the physical therapist treated me.

My post:

“Later on i will have a story to tell about just how insensitive medical staff can still be towards Autistic people.

I had my visit from the physical therapist today. Thankfully, Connie was sitting right here across from he and i, and witnessed the whole encounter between he and i. To make a long story short, he was brusque, unfriendly, and unwilling to really listen to me. In fact, he was unfriendly towards me right off the bat, putting his bag down right by my TV outlets, which set me off, because i do not like for anything to be placed up against my electrical outlets. So, i asked that he move them. Then he took it upon himself to sit down in my computer chair without first asking me.

He and Connie then left the room to go look at the heavy wheelchair i was given, and then my hospital bed.

Then when Connie and i proceeded to explain my needs for a Hoveround, and a new hospital bed that i can get in and out of easily, he interrupted, started to tell me he was going to have to get in touch with the place where i got my current hospital bed, which triggered me because that place was very unpleasant for me to deal with when i had to deal with them in July of 2012—-they were the ones who sold me a defective lift chair, and then came with a huge thick rock hard mattress for my hospital bed, which made it impossible for me to get in and out of that bed or to sleep in that bed, so i jumped into say i can’t deal with that place again because of how they were rude to me. Because he—the physical therapist who came yesterday, failed to communicate clearly to me and make it plain at the time that he was only going to be calling them to find out why i didn’t get a better mattress, so he could proceed from there. Had he of let me talk, and explain all of this, then after i talked, he would have explained that he was only going to be calling them to see what went on, so he could know how to proceed in how to help me—— i would have been okay——SO okay. But no. Instead, he began the now all too familiar and painful “Shutting-Of-The-Door-On-Melissa” routine.

His response was to tell me that if he couldn’t work with Best Care, there was nothing more he could do for me. I was already tense due to his unfriendliness, and when he closed the final door on me, i lost it and had a bad meltdown—–because——more ppl being dismissive and shutting the door on me for the help i need——is a huge NO. This is the same reason why i haven’t yet been able to get the leg surgery i am needing so i can walk again and drive a car again. Because of assdouche douchecanoe dickwads like him.

Because the cancer specialist i saw also disliked me and treated me brusquely.

I told Connie i was going to post about this, and she is okay with me doing so—–because this experience illustrates how we Autistics are still dismissed and muzzled and not allowed to be heard and listened to.

Shielding my face from his, because he had upset me so much that i didn’t want to look at him or feel his presence in my house anymore, i turned to Connie and asked for her to talk to him…and he continued to keep saying he can’t do anything….and so i began room spinning around me, more red-faced, more shaky and louder, hand-flapping, saying “No, no, no”, over and over, and so he left, and she followed him outside and talked to him there.

She said he made the comment:

“This is NOT Autism”,—-implying the this was something else—-but not Autism——

and she said “Oh really? What makes you so sure about that? Are you an MD? No. You are a Physical Therapist. And you are wrong.” She proceeded to explain she has worked for me a long time….that yes, i AM Autistic, and he is NOT qualified to make that diagnosis after only meeting me for five minutes.

Feeling remorse, he attempted to come back into apologize, but i was still in the thick of my meltdown, still very upset and angry—— so i said no, no, no, and “Furthermore, i do not want him to come back to my house—-ever!!”

When my nurse came, we told her what happened, and she is making a full report and getting me assigned to a female physical therapist who she is certain i will like.

I will be making this into a blog later on.

And i have. Please like and reblog and share this.