Most of the time, we go about our lives without needing a doctor or a counselor—until suddenly, we do. An injury. A health scare. A mental health crisis. And in that moment, you need help. Right now.

I just went through this myself. I spent time in the hospital, and while they triaged the situation, there’s still so much that needs to be done for me to get back to a place where my daily life isn’t negatively impacted. I’m ready to do the work, to take the steps toward healing. But as I’ve reached out to specialists and providers, I’ve hit a wall—their schedules are packed. The soonest appointments are months away.

It’s a frustrating, even hopeless, feeling. When you’re in pain or struggling, you want to take action. You want to move forward. But instead, you wait. And it makes me wonder—why is it like this? Why is the moment we realize we need care the same moment we discover how hard it is to get? And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?

My first instinct is to call the referring doctors and ask if anything can be expedited. But then I stop and wonder—would that just mean bumping someone else further down the list? Someone who’s just as desperate for relief as I am? Is my pain, my need for care, more important than theirs?

Is this just a simple supply and demand issue—too many patients, not enough providers? Or is there something more? I don’t know the answers, but I do know that waiting is hard.