6. Medical Shows Need to Get a Goddamn Consult
A Critique of B Positive Episode 6 “Open Heart Surgery”
The graph of the number of times people are reading my critiques that I started publishing a month ago looks like a steep staircase into a desolate basement. I’m finding myself feeling a bit discouraged. But I will continue to power through, because if I can just help one person, then….
Nope, I’m not even gonna finish typing that sappy line way too many people utter as a demonstration of their steadfast dedication. Not only does it strike me as self-aggrandizement by feigning martyrdom, but if I’m working my ass off and only reach one person, I figure I must be going about it wrong. Am I cussing too much? Not enough? Or did I just pick the wrong show to critique? Or just started critiquing too late? I don’t know anyone who watches this show and since I’m only hate-watching it, I would only recommend it if my critiques are read along with it; because, as I stated in the beginning, my primary reason for doing this is to provide accurate information so the misleading and borderline dangerous things these shows state or depict is not just out there unchallenged and, therefore, assumed valid. Regardless, I’m in too deep to quit now…
In Episode 6 “Open Heart Surgery,” Gina is scheduled for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if she is mentally sound enough to donate a kidney. Of course, Gina goes to pieces when she finds out her ex-boyfriend is about to marry someone else and Drew loses his damn mind for the sake of “comedy.” First I will just say, although I was not asked to undergo a psychiatric evaluation (I assume because I was already a doctor), it is a routine part of the donor evaluation, primarily to be sure that the person isn’t being coerced (either through guilt-tripping or financially) or because “the voices” are telling them to.
Now on to the bullshit:
1. Sure that Gina is going to fail her psychiatric evaluation, Drew asks the Black lady office receptionist if she’s “ever thought about donating a kidney.” What’s wrong with this?: It’s really hard for me to imagine someone would be emboldened enough to ask random strangers for a kidney, like to their face. I know folks make announcements to their church and post their stories on Facebook in hopes someone would be willing to donate, but at least that allows a little anonymity. Recently, I gave a talk about everything kidney in 30 minutes for an event sponsored by a local chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women. The event included testimony from a Black woman who recently received a deceased donor kidney transplant. She spoke about believing kidney failure and dialysis was her “cross to bear” and found it difficult to ask anyone alive to consider donating. My husband (and recipient of my kidney) felt similarly. And I’ve also seen old White folks be totally alright with accepting a kidney from a grandchild. So maybe I’m missing some cultural thing/vestige of White supremacy here, where the mediocre White dude feels entitled to the very best regardless of the risk to someone else, while everybody else accepts that life will continue beating them down for no good reason. Rating: 🙄 (just one eye roll because maybe this is an accurate depiction for some; and at least Drew wasn’t holding on to a false assumption that transplants across race don’t work — but don’t get me started on how folks be trying to act like “race” is anything more than some shit White people made up to control and subjugate everybody else.)
2. Dialysis buddy, Jerry is attached to the dialysis machine via his right arm. What’s wrong with this?: Nothing — except that he was connected via his LEFT arm in prior episodes! Sure, a person can end up needing a new fistula on the other arm if the three options on the original arm either won’t work or stopped working. But as discussed in my critique of Episode 2, they are portraying these people as being connected through regular blood vessels. Rating: 🙄🙄🙄🙄😒 (for being so f*cking sloppy on top of medically inaccurate)
What they got right:
1. In an attempt to prepare Gina for the psychiatric evaluation, Drew asks what she will say when they ask why she wants to donate her kidney, to which Gina responds, “Drew Dunbar is a kind person, great therapist, and a loving father, and it would be a great honor to keep him on the planet.” What’s right with this?: I think most people who choose to donate feel this way. I certainly did, even after several people tried to talk me out of it. From my book:
“Truthfully, it didn’t matter what any of them said. I was going to do it, because my heart was invested. I wanted, needed, Robert on the planet for as long as possible. I knew that my fresh, living kidney, as opposed to one from someone who had died hours earlier, would give him the best chance that “as long as possible” would indeed be long.”
Rating: 😊🥰 (because maybe this will encourage hesitant patients to be willing to accept a kidney from someone they are afraid to put in any risk, as minuscule as it is)
So, since I didn’t have a ton to say this time and in the spirit of not being insane (i.e. doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome), I think I’ll binge the next 9 episodes. That way, I’ll be caught up and ready to critique Episode 16 real time. Pray/light candles/meditate for me that I can make it through this binge-hate-watch without losing my mind or voice from screaming at the TV, y’all.
