Today on Senseless, Melissa and Sherry discuss the idea of being labeled “non-compliant” as individuals with sensory loss, and taking their power back by wearing this distinction with pride. They talk about the importance of trusting your intuition, listening to your body when something feels off, and advocating for yourself even when doctors are unwilling to listen. They share a laugh as Sherry recounts the story of finding her medical file stamped with a giant, red “Non-Compliant” at her doctor’s office, and Melissa points out that people are often labeled this way if they don’t fit into the mainstream, able-bodied mold. You’ll hear Melissa’s empowering story of being “non-compliant” when she experienced a severe mechanical issue with her hearing aid, and Sherry reflects on an incident at a teaching hospital where she wishes she had followed her gut and not complied with doctors simply because they were authority figures.

Melissa and Sherry talk about flaws in the medical system that keep doctors from having the time and attention they need to really listen to their patients' concerns. They explain that while it's very important to listen to the medical advice of professionals, we also need to pay attention to our own bodies and not be afraid to speak up when something feels wrong or uncomfortable. Dealing with chronic illness or sensory loss can often make us feel like we’re “non-compliant” in our very existence, but today’s conversation lets us know that there’s nothing wrong with pushing for the support and resources we deserve - in fact, it’s something to be done with a badge of honor.

This podcast is not psychotherapy and does not contain medical advice, but is simply a recording of two friends talking.

Episode Highlights:

• Melissa’s story about not being able to hear beeping in her house due to low battery in her carbon monoxide detector
• Sherry and Melissa contemplate why they’re reluctant to use devices that might make things easier, like smoke detectors with flashing lights for the hard of hearing or locator dots for the visually impaired
• Sherry was feeling good, so she decided to have people over and pushed herself
• She paid for it later and felt run down for several days after
• Sherry reflects on feeling like she wanted to jump back in that host role, test the waters and live as though she wasn’t sick for a little while
• Melissa and Sherry’s automatic instincts are to give the impression that they aren’t really sick, especially around family and friends who may remember what they were like before sensory loss
• They feel like it’s still hard to ask for help and appear vulnerable in that way
• People don’t really talk openly about what it’s like to live with chronic illness, and people don’t ask them about it either
• Sherry’s story of finding herself marked as “non-compliant” at her doctor’s office
• Melissa points out the problem of labeling people as “non-compliant” just because they don’t fit into the mainstream, able-bodied mold 
• This gives the impression that their very existence is “non-compliant”
• Melissa’s story about going to the audiologist to have her hearing aids tuned and being told there was nothing they could do about a continuous, tremendously unpleasant buzzing sound when she wore them
• Eventually she finally found an audiologist who could help with this mechanical issue
• If she had been “compliant,” she would have had to suffer through this buzzing or live without hearing aids forever
• Being “non-compliant” should be a badge of honor because it’s you taking your own power and listening to your intuition
• Sherry looks back on her early experiences at a teaching hospital and wishes she had been “non-compliant” in those instances
• It’s important to trust your gut
• Doctors do not have the time and space to really listen