Slate Article Re: Health Difficulties With Lds Missionaries

[jkwilliams]

It's probably not true for every area, but i know that in my mission, when the missionaries were allowed to see a doctor without permission they really abused it.  There were missionaries in the ER for colds.  After that we had to get permission for the mission president's wife.  It was not difficult though.  I served with two sisters, one who had a monthly appointment with a psychologist 3 hours outside of our area and another who went to two different doctors and ended up getting an ultrasound, all the same day she got sick.

 

I'm sure other mission president's wives are not as good at the job though.

 

One of my friends called me yesterday because reading that article had brought out a flood of emotions. I just listened while he poured out feelings of hurt and anger that he had been holding in for many years. He was a "traveling AP" in his mission in Argentina, and he and his companion were forced to rent a room from one of the counselors in the mission presidency, as well as pay the counselor's wife to cook substandard food for them (at exorbitant prices, naturally). He got sick with parasites, but his mission president told him that he was just weak from not having enough faith. At a low point, he called the MP and said he'd been so ill he couldn't keep any food down and was too weak to get out of bed. His mission president answered, "Elder, which of the rules are you not keeping? That is the cause of your weakness." Finally, one night he began vomiting, so much that he was vomiting blood. Again, he was denied permission to see a doctor, but he disobeyed the mission president and went to the hospital, where he had an emergency appendectomy. When the mission president found out, he yelled at him for his disobedience. While he was recovering in the hospital, someone stole his pain medication, and he didn't have enough money to buy more. When he asked the mission president for help, he was denied and recovered from the surgery with no pain medication at all. He came home in very poor health, and his father told him years later that seeing what my friend looked like when he got home was the only time in his life he was ever angry at the church.

As I said, in my mission, we were pretty much on our own for medical care. Back then, we didn't have to get permission to see a doctor, but the same cultural pressure was there not to let on if you were sick. We had no training, no resources, and no set procedures for getting medical care. Once the welfare missionaries got the mission president to have everyone in the mission take anti-worm medication, but that was just the one time.

 

ETA: My friend's MP was fond of quoting D&C 84:33 when saying that keeping the commandments and mission rules would preserve your health, and lack of good health came from disobedience:

 

For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

 

Edited October 14, 2015 by jkwilliams

[bluebell]

One of my friends called me yesterday because reading that article had brought out a flood of emotions. I just listened while he poured out feelings of hurt and anger that he had been holding in for many years. He was a "traveling AP" in his mission in Argentina, and he and his companion were forced to rent a room from one of the counselors in the mission presidency, as well as pay the counselor's wife to cook substandard food for them (at exorbitant prices, naturally). He got sick with parasites, but his mission president told him that he was just weak from not having enough faith. At a low point, he called the MP and said he'd been so ill he couldn't keep any food down and was too weak to get out of bed. His mission president answered, "Elder, which of the rules are you not keeping? That is the cause of your weakness." Finally, one night he began vomiting, so much that he was vomiting blood. Again, he was denied permission to see a doctor, but he disobeyed the mission president and went to the hospital, where he had an emergency appendectomy. When the mission president found out, he yelled at him for his disobedience. While he was recovering in the hospital, someone stole his pain medication, and he didn't have enough money to buy more. When he asked the mission president for help, he was denied and recovered from the surgery with no pain medication at all. He came home in very poor health, and his father told him years later that seeing what my friend looked like when he got home was the only time in his life he was ever angry at the church.

As I said, in my mission, we were pretty much on our own for medical care. Back then, we didn't have to get permission to see a doctor, but the same cultural pressure was there not to let on if you were sick. We had no training, no resources, and no set procedures for getting medical care. Once the welfare missionaries got the mission president to have everyone in the mission take anti-worm medication, but that was just the one time.

 

ETA: My friend's MP was fond of quoting D&C 84:33 when saying that keeping the commandments and mission rules would preserve your health, and lack of good health came from disobedience:

 

For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

 

 

No doubt things need to change.  I know you served a while ago so hopefully they already are.

[jkwilliams]

No doubt things need to change.  I know you served a while ago so hopefully they already are.

 

I hope so, too. If people are abusing access to medical care, then they should have to talk to a nurse or doctor, not to an untrained mission president's wife. That makes no sense to me.

[Tacenda]

JK, sounds like they need a hotline for these missionaries that have MP's like your friend's.  I recall a year or so ago of a sister missionary that died and some were blaming it on the MP or his wife.  I'll dig up the story, I know we discussed it on this board.  I think it happened in Washington or somewhere near there. 

 

I also wonder if missionaries really are told not to report negative things which could include illness, for the sake of their mothers, or parents I should say, worrying too much over it.  Have you or any other missionaries had this advice given?  I know I didn't hear about my son's episodes, that of being hit by a violent companion, hit by a car, a horrible rash that many of the missionaries contracted.  I never heard anything, and in two of those instances my son suffered so much.  And it wasn't the one where he was hit by a car while riding his bike! 

[jkwilliams]

JK, sounds like they need a hotline for these missionaries that have MP's like your friend's.  I recall a year or so ago of a sister missionary that died and some were blaming it on the MP or his wife.  I'll dig up the story, I know we discussed it on this board.  I think it happened in Washington or somewhere near there. 

 

I also wonder if missionaries really are told not to report negative things which could include illness, for the sake of their mothers, or parents I should say, worrying too much over it.  Have you or any other missionaries had this advice given?  I know I didn't hear about my son's episodes, that of being hit by a violent companion, hit by a car, a horrible rash that many of the missionaries contracted.  I never heard anything, and in two of those instances my son suffered so much.  And it wasn't the one where he was hit by a car while riding his bike! 

 

In my mission, we were told not to talk about illnesses in our letters home. One of the elders in my zone was from an adjoining stake to my home stake, and when he went home he visited my parents. I had been telling them I was fine, but he told them the truth: I weighed 115 lbs. and was dealing with intestinal parasites. My dad was really angry with me for lying in my letters. 

 

I remember the story about the sister who died from an infection after a root canal. We can all point at this sister and say she was foolish, or she was an adult who could make decisions for herself, but she was following the rules and trusted in her leaders. That's what we were supposed to do. 

[jkwilliams]

I understand the OP's defensiveness at a perceived attack on the church, but it seems to me there are some real issues here. First is the culture I've seen that ties missionary health to righteousness. We can argue all we want that it's not taught by the brethren or in the manuals, but in my experience (and the experience of these other missionaries), that belief is still out there. Surely, there are ways to combat this erroneous belief.

 

Second is the policy of clearing medical treatment through the mission president's wife. If an insurance company required pre-authorization from someone with no medical training, we would find that outrageous. I'm pretty sure this system was set up because, as bluebell put it, some people may have "abused" the previous system. But this new policy creates space for abuse the other way, and IMO, missionaries getting too much medical care present far less potential for dangerous outcomes than missionaries not getting health care.

[HappyJackWagon]

Happyjackwagon...just curious, on your mission was it customary to talk to the senior couple? On mine the chain of command was very straightforward: you call the MP's wife for illnesses, even for things that seemed small. Of course I think it's stupid that no one caught on that maybe they should check up on you after a week, but still.

 

My mission under both sets of leaders was very on top of illnesses, whether they be psychological or physical. So I have a hard time relating to this article in the least. The only thing I can relate to is this sense of "toughing it out" that can happen with missionaries at times. Minor pains, discomfort, sorrow, etc would go ignored for a while. Which was sometimes the benefit of having a companion to go, look stupid your sick!....unless of course they're both in the same boat of tough it through. 

 

With luv,

BD

In my mission we didn't really have access to the MP or his wife. Didn't have a phone number etc. so we went through the AP's or senior couples as the first line of contact and they would pass it up if necessary. We wrote letters or I could occassionally run into the MP at the mission office.

 

I never really had any kind of personal relationship with the MP or his wife even though I served in leadership for 6 months in very close proximity to the Mission office. When people talk about the admiration or close relationships they had with their MP's I just can't relate. Not even a little bit. I never had that kind of contact. Short of going to the MP's house and knocking on the door I wouldn't know how to get a hold of the MP's wife without going through the chain of command.

 

The MP and his wife were kind of considered general authorities that we shouldn't bother without going through the proper chain. Since I was only a ZL I never had direct access up the chain. I think I had semi-annual interviews in person with the MP but that's not enough to get to know or trust a person much.

[JAHS]

We were pretty much on our own in my mission (Austria 1972-73).  After my first two weeks there my senior companion got pneumonia and I had to put him in the hospital. We did notify the mission home when any medical problems came up but took care of them on our own. We either paid for them from our own insurance or out of pocket. We were able to get loans from the mission budget if needed. 

[jkwilliams]

We were pretty much on our own in my mission (Austria 1972-73).  After my first two weeks there my senior companion got pneumonia and I had to put him in the hospital. We did notify the mission home when any medical problems came up but took care of them on our own. We either paid for them from our own insurance or out of pocket. We were able to get loans from the mission budget if needed. 

 

I had a companion who got very sick, and the doctor (the LDS one in La Paz) told us he needed to be hospitalized. We didn't have any money to do that, as we only had enough for medicine, so we ended up moving into the same house as the welfare missionaries (one of them was a nurse), and for a week he was in bed with an IV in his arm. I called the mission president to tell him what we had done and why, and he said I'd made the best choice I could, given the lack of money. 

[bluebell]

In my mission we didn't really have access to the MP or his wife. Didn't have a phone number etc. so we went through the AP's or senior couples as the first line of contact and they would pass it up if necessary. We wrote letters or I could occassionally run into the MP at the mission office.

 

I never really had any kind of personal relationship with the MP or his wife even though I served in leadership for 6 months in very close proximity to the Mission office. When people talk about the admiration or close relationships they had with their MP's I just can't relate. Not even a little bit. I never had that kind of contact. Short of going to the MP's house and knocking on the door I wouldn't know how to get a hold of the MP's wife without going through the chain of command.

 

The MP and his wife were kind of considered general authorities that we shouldn't bother without going through the proper chain. Since I was only a ZL I never had direct access up the chain. I think I had semi-annual interviews in person with the MP but that's not enough to get to know or trust a person much.

 

That's kind of sad.  My mission president and his wife were like second parents.  

[jkwilliams]

That's kind of sad.  My mission president and his wife were like second parents.  

 

Mine too, but that's probably because I was in the mission office for 6 months and saw him every day.

[Danzo]

I read the article, and it seemed pretty much like a hit piece to me.  

 

The article was just a collection of anecdotes from people who were dissatisfied with the church.  It makes the classic mistake of using a biased sample from people who are already dissatisfied with the church.

 

All of the anecdotes from the article were from some time in the past (the most recent was about 7 or 8 years ago).  There was no effort to find out out current policies.  For me there was nothing new in the article.

 

Some people have health problems, Already  knew that.

 

Some people don't get proper medical treatment with their health problems, Already knew that.

 

Is this a bigger problem with people on missions than off missions? The article doesn't make the slightest effort to find out.  (my understanding is that the mortality rate of missionaries is significantly less than that of the general population at that age group).

 

Is obtaining health care on missions more or less difficult than the general population? (the article doesn't even attempt to answer, but I suspect that generally, especially for native missionaries in many countries health care is more accessible to  missionaries than non missionaries)

 

Could the system be improved? The answer is always yes, we didn't need the article to tell us that.

 

Is the church improving the system? The article doesn't even explore this. I think the answer is yes. Especially since there have been changes in the system throughout the years, having talked to people who served before and after me, the system seems to be getting better.

 

Will there be a time when missionaries have no health problems? I doubt it. And as long as missionaries have health problems, there will be problems accessing health care.  People in health care (like the rest of us) are human and make mistakes. People who need health care will make mistakes seeking it.

[Danzo]

 

As I said, I think the current policy requiring missionaries to get permission from the MP's wife is nuts. 

 

Is that the current policy in all missions today?

 

I don't remember talking to my mission president's wife about medical care at all on my mission. I just got it on my own, I think we reported it to ZL or maybe to the office after the fact.

[jkwilliams]

Is that the current policy in all missions today?

 

I don't remember talking to my mission president's wife about medical care at all on my mission. I just got it on my own, I think we reported it to ZL or maybe to the office after the fact.

 

The missionaries here in the DC South mission tell me that's the policy here, and I've been told it applies to all missions. I could be wrong, though.

[Gray]

We got them once, and my companion overdosed on them. 

 

That's awful. We got a single dose, I think either once a year or every six months at zone conferences. Something like that. 

[jkwilliams]

That's awful. We got a single dose, I think either once a year or every six months at zone conferences. Something like that. 

 

It happened a few months into the new MP's tenure (I'd been out about 7 months) and never happened again before I went home. Right before I went home, I went to a pharmacy and bought some de-worming pills myself and then went to a lab to make sure I was clean of parasites before I went home. I still have the lab report in my journal. 

 

I'm assuming you went somewhere with similar conditions to ours in Bolivia.

[Danzo]

The missionaries here in the DC South mission tell me that's the policy here, and I've been told it applies to all missions. I could be wrong, though.

 

Must be newer than my mission. 

Probably an attempt to give someone responsibility for health care in the mission, which is probably an improvement. It seems in the past, too much of the health care depended on the missionary (who might not make the best decisions) 

[jkwilliams]

Must be newer than my mission. 

Probably an attempt to give someone responsibility for health care in the mission, which is probably an improvement. It seems in the past, too much of the health care depended on the missionary (who might not make the best decisions) 

 

We have the missionaries over fairly frequently for dinner, as they seem to have a hard time filling their calendar with dinner appointments. As far as I know, that's still the policy here. I'll ask next time they come.

[Gray]

It happened a few months into the new MP's tenure (I'd been out about 7 months) and never happened again before I went home. Right before I went home, I went to a pharmacy and bought some de-worming pills myself and then went to a lab to make sure I was clean of parasites before I went home. I still have the lab report in my journal. 

 

I'm assuming you went somewhere with similar conditions to ours in Bolivia.

 

I was in Brazil.

[JAHS]

Hre's what the current Mission President's handbook says about missionaries seeking healthcare:

 

"Instruct your missionaries that they must have your approval in advance for all visits to doc- 

tors, dentists, other health care providers, or hospitals. 

 

However, in life-threatening situations they should seek competent medical care at once 

and then contact you as soon as possible. In such cases you should call your Missionary 

Department In-Field Services representative and the area medical adviser immediately, and 

the family should be contacted as soon as possible (see "Contacting the Missionary's 

Parents or Guardians," page 34). If at all possible, you should visit the missionary. If your 

mission is in the United States, you should also notify Missionary Medical.

 

Where local health care facilities are adequate, health care can be given in the field unless the 

missionary's ability to serve will be limited for a prolonged period of time (see "Medical 

Release or Leave of Absence,

 

• If the illness or surgery is life-threatening or potentially disabling, the missionary should 

normally be given a medical release so that the parents or guardians can choose the physi- 

cian and facilities and be present to comfort and support the missionary. 

 

• If you have any doubt about the competency of local medical personnel or the adequacy of 

local facilities, you should move the missionary to a location where he or she can receive 

proper care. 

 

• Consider the length of recovery. A recuperating missionary may create challenges for you, 

but the challenges facing a missionary on medical leave may be greater. 

 

• Missionaries may be released early if their health condition would keep them from per- 

forming meaningful missionary work during the remainder of their missions. 

 

If, after consulting with the area medical adviser, you believe a medical leave of absence or re- 

lease is best for the missionary, ask the physician who is treating the missionary for a written 

recommendation. Then ask your Missionary Department In-Field Services representative for 

instructions. "

 

There's quite an extensive section on missionary healthcare in the handbook:

 

http://https://archive.org/stream/MissionPresidentsHandbook2006/Mission%20Presidents_%20Handbook-(2006)_djvu.txt

[stemelbow]

I had a companion who attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge into a river. He didn't get hurt so nothing really changed for him, other than I was transferred from my area to go to his and be his companion. Of course, I was called that night to make the transfer as soon as possible, but was not told the reason, other than the missionaries weren't getting along. I went and learned I was bunking with a mentally ill person. What I didn't realize is that he need professional help and I had no business trying to help him.

That was weird that the MP left him On a mission expecting him to do daily missionary work running around 24/7 with a kid who had no business helping a mentally ill kid. But we did it and made it through it. I do wish I understood a bit more then as I do now. I would have tried to make a big deal of the situation hoping to get him some professional help.

[hagoth7]

...My brother nearly died on his mission....He lost 50 pounds...

The only health problem on my mission is that the pastries, which were available on many street corner stores, were simply way too tasty. I had to go cold turkey my last year there in order to trim down. I was so skinny when I stepped off the plane that my mother still talks about how concerned she was about my health at the time. (I was instead extremely healthy at the time, like most missionaries having ridden a bike many miles almost every day of my mission.)

[bluebell]

 

Hre's what the current Mission President's handbook says about missionaries seeking healthcare:

 

"Instruct your missionaries that they must have your approval in advance for all visits to doc- 

tors, dentists, other health care providers, or hospitals. 

 

However, in life-threatening situations they should seek competent medical care at once 

and then contact you as soon as possible. In such cases you should call your Missionary 

Department In-Field Services representative and the area medical adviser immediately, and 

the family should be contacted as soon as possible (see "Contacting the Missionary's 

Parents or Guardians," page 34). If at all possible, you should visit the missionary. If your 

mission is in the United States, you should also notify Missionary Medical.

 

Where local health care facilities are adequate, health care can be given in the field unless the 

missionary's ability to serve will be limited for a prolonged period of time (see "Medical 

Release or Leave of Absence,

 

• If the illness or surgery is life-threatening or potentially disabling, the missionary should 

normally be given a medical release so that the parents or guardians can choose the physi- 

cian and facilities and be present to comfort and support the missionary. 

 

• If you have any doubt about the competency of local medical personnel or the adequacy of 

local facilities, you should move the missionary to a location where he or she can receive 

proper care. 

 

• Consider the length of recovery. A recuperating missionary may create challenges for you, 

but the challenges facing a missionary on medical leave may be greater. 

 

• Missionaries may be released early if their health condition would keep them from per- 

forming meaningful missionary work during the remainder of their missions. 

 

If, after consulting with the area medical adviser, you believe a medical leave of absence or re- 

lease is best for the missionary, ask the physician who is treating the missionary for a written 

recommendation. Then ask your Missionary Department In-Field Services representative for 

instructions. "

 

There's quite an extensive section on missionary healthcare in the handbook:

 

http://https://archive.org/stream/MissionPresidentsHandbook2006/Mission%20Presidents_%20Handbook-(2006)_djvu.txt

 

 

Looks like this was written in 2006. It would be interesting to know if any missionaries have had such trouble with sickness and medical since then.

[jkwilliams]

Looks like this was written in 2006. It would be interesting to know if any missionaries have had such trouble with sickness and medical since then.

 

Some of the people interviewed in the article were more recent, IIRC.

[Bernard Gui]

In Central America the disease de jour was " gambu " . Everyone got it eventually. If a couple of bottles of flat Coca Cola and a few intestinal pills didn't take care of it, it was time for a trip to the hospital. Prior to my arrival , the mission had problems with jaundice. It would reduce a missionary to bed rest for a month or more. We started getting gamagobulin ( sic) shots every few months and jaundice was practically eliminated. We gave each other the shots. What a gong show.

 

   Anyone know if specific instructions about missionary health care are outlined for mission presidents ?

When were you in CA? I was there with Presidents Brewerton and Smith. Yes, we contended with the gambu and the occasional food poisoning and amoebic dysentery. I once got a gambu attack on a bus in Managua, Nicaragua, and was forced to knock on a stranger's door and beg to use their facilities. IIRC, we took something called Wintodone with our flat Coke. Our landlady who was somewhat of a nurse administered the gamablobulin to us....en las nalgas. Those were big shots. When we got sick, there was no question about going to a doctor....the mission had identified doctors with high qualifications in the areas where we served. A few elders had to go home for illness or injury, but I never felt we were not cared for by the Church.