Wonderful News! After a long diagnostic journey, Risa Dorken now has answers and is healing. The actress known for her role as Amy Driscol on General Hospital shared via social media all she has endured as a result of a harrowing medical crisis.
During the crisis, Dorken experienced and lived with unbearable pain. She also underwent “3 ER trips, 7 Dr. visits, pelvic & abdominal ultrasounds, countless blood lab visits, 2 CT scans, 3 MRIs, a HIDA scan, low fodmap diet, echocardiogram and a treadmill stress test,” all in an effort to find out what was wrong.
Self-Advocacy in Healthcare: Risa Dorken’s Story
However, unfortunately, even after several months, the health providers were unable to definitively diagnose her and suggested that Dorken may have to learn to live with her “invisible” condition.
Dorken emphasized the importance of self-advocacy. “I stood up for myself. It’s *sometimes* hard for healthcare providers to take you (me) seriously, when they look at your chart, see mental health conditions, run their tests, and tell you nothing is wrong- “it’s your anxiety.””
Thankfully, Dorken later went to UCLA hospital where they were able to pinpoint the cause and source of her aliment, her gall bladder, and there she received the necessary and appropriate treatment and care.
In the post, she also thanked the healthcare workers at UCLA who tended to her as well as her husband for his “love, calmness, humor, and patience.”
You can read the Instagram post below in its entirety.
Risa, we are so happy you are on the mend! Continue to heal!
And thank you so much for sharing and reminding us all that, when able, we are always our best advocates and that, “Health. Mental Health. It’s all that matters.”
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