Taking Care of Your Health 141
A second step is to start or join a group for women.
Talking with others can help you begin to learn about your
strengths and weaknesses. A group can provide a safe place for
women to speak freely—if you all agree not to speak outside
the group about anything that is said inside the group.
You can also join or start a group for women with disabilities
and share your thoughts and experiences about the special
challenges that come from having a disability. You can all
support each other during both happy and difficult times.
You can support each other in learning how to become
independent, too. All over the world women with disabilities
are working as doctors, nurses, shop keepers, writers, teachers,
farmers, and community organizers. With each other’s help, you
can begin to prepare for the future, just as any woman would.
424
support groups
Focus on what you
can do, not on what
you cannot do.
If you have a disability, most of your health problems are
probably no different from those of other women, and you can
find information about them in other chapters in this book. But
the following issues can be of special concern for women with
disabilities, especially women with a loss of feeling in the body.
Knowing when you are sick
Some women with disabilities may find it difficult to tell when
they have a health problem. For example, a woman who has an
infection in her womb may not be able to feel pain from it. But
she may notice an unusual discharge or smell from her vagina
that an infection can cause.
As a woman, you know and understand your body better
than anyone else. So if you have an unusual feeling, or body
reaction, or a pain somewhere, try to find out as soon as
possible what might be causing it. If necessary, ask a family
member, friend, or health worker to help.
Taking
Care of
Your
Health
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012