My Letter of Intent: A Candid and Informed Conversation About Women's Health

Hey, let's start at the beginning?

My name is Fabiana Makdisi, Some of you may have already heard of me. Last Pink October, I shared a little of my story in the magazine and on the website See health With the article Doctor or patient? My experience is on both sides of the desk.

There I presented my two sides: that of the hygienist, the surgeon and the breast specialist, who works in caring for women with breast cancer; And those who have the experience of being sick It was the same type of tumor I was taking care of.

Today is a very happy day, and I want to share my happiness with old and new readers. From now on, we will have more frequent communication. You will meet a doctor who loves what you do, but you will realize that medicine extends beyond the four walls of the office.

Yes! That note is true! I have accepted the invitation to have a permanent column in VEJA SAÚDE, and I am very excited, not forgetting the saying of Spider-Man's uncle: “With great powers come great responsibilities.” Because I take on this task with love and gratitude.

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Doctors are always closed in their offices, using their qualifications to serve people and take care of the health of only one individual at a time. Caring for someone requires a conversation, a detailed dialogue we call a history that aims to understand the patient's signs, complaints and examinations.

It is difficult for most of us to “generalize”, because each person is unique, each disease has its own diagnosis and its own way of treating it… And when we are faced with the challenge of conveying information to many people at the same time, we are afraid of causing harm. We know how difficult it is to graduate, how difficult it is to be recognized and respected, and how public appearances can intimidate most of us.

We are afraid to say something in general, and whoever does not fit into what was said will think it was intended for him and his life will be affected by inappropriate advice. But this should not stop us from sharing our knowledge with the world. I accepted this invitation, aware of the magnitude of the challenge.

One-on-one service is part of every doctor's routine, but communicating with audiences is different. Many of my friends say: Interview? Talk to a journalist? Teaching at a conference or lecture? Exposing yourself on social media? This is not for me!

And me? Here for my part, I am happy with this feeling of having the opportunity to provide high quality information, which can impact, improve or change someone's life through a text message. That's what I'm here for, hoping to help people I'll never have the opportunity to meet in person or in person.

The editor's request was: “Doctor, we want a column that deals more with women's health in every sense of the word. “White card for you!” Speechless – that's not the power of expression! – I smiled and cried and said: “Yes.”

Now we will have greater and more frequent contact. It's time to share knowledge, ideas and perspectives about the female world.

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How it all started

So let me tell you a little more about my journey so far. At the beginning of college, I already knew I wanted to be one surgery. But I still don't know what my area of ​​expertise is. Initially, my intention was not to be interested in women…

Let me explain better. I always had a surgeon's profile. Rational, decisive, likes quick solutions, likes to solve problems with his hands. In those early days of university, I was a reckless and impatient young woman. I noticed that when I asked men questions, the answers were direct and short…but when he asked the same question to a woman, wow!, how long it took to respond.

I admit it made me angry. A simple question – like: How old are you? – Took 5 minutes of explanations. Now, these women talked about why they thought they were older, they said they didn't sleep well the night before and it affected their appearance, and sometimes they didn't even remember their age.

I swear I didn't understand that. And I didn't understand it for a very simple reason: I was not yet a mature enough woman to understand that women care about everyone but themselves. They do not sleep well because they are taking care of their children. They like to feel beautiful, but they don't have time to put on makeup. They want to take a course or sport, but they have groceries and bills to pay.

Basically, they don't have time for themselves! Do you know the bread line? The woman is always at the end of the line, and never comes to get bread for herself.

Time has passed. I completed college, residency, and specializations… and became a woman who suddenly fell in love with those long answers full of nuances and deflections. I began to respect and find my facial wrinkles beautiful, to look more fondly at my folds, and to realize that even though I wanted to exercise every day, I didn't always have time for myself. life goes on.

Since I started being interested in women, one big question has become a part of my life: Who takes care of the caregiver?

Women take care of their children, their partners, their parents when they grow up, their cat, their dog, their parrot… Women work hard to remain beautiful and successful. But when a woman gets sick, who takes care of her? (Did you know that it's not uncommon for men to leave in this situation?)

So the purpose of this new column is: I will help take care of you.

Whatever, in my vision and experience as a doctor, daughter, wife, mother, friend, leader or influencer, could be important to you, I intend to bring it here. I want this to be a safe, light place that can offer you guidance, reflection, and hope, womanWhether they are cis, trans, queer, or queer, whether they are young or old… in short, a space for women in body and spirit.

Welcome to Sextou with Doctor! Let me take care of you.