The Shocking Truth Behind 77 Medical Conditions Men Rarely Face—And Why They’re Almost Always Overlooked
I was in counseling with a LCSW when I was about 38 and she figured out I was in pain all the time. I am ALWAYS in pain so I didnt know what I was feeling wasnt fatigue. She badgered me to tell my PCP and for the first time ever I had a really good one. No suggestions to see a psychiatrist, just asked if I was willing to go for lots of testing.
I told my PT once I was at a 7 on the pain scale, so I couldn’t do a full day. Later on, we were talking about how hard it is to use. I told her I quantify my # by telling nurses, “Respatory failure being a 10 and a freshly broken leg an 8, my pain level is at x” She looked at me weird and asked me how I was walking around let alone doing therapy.
Rheumatoid “arthritis” (I prefer the term rheumatoid disease). It’s not just aching joints when it rains. It’s an autoimmune disease that attacks the entire body. The pain can be literally blinding! I’ve spent days trapped in a bed or chair where it was excruciatingly painful to even press a button on a remote. Many times I couldn’t catch my breath, tears soaking my tingling face, trying unsuccessfully to will the worst of the pain away. The pain, during a flare is all-consuming. There is nothing to do but ride it out (and try not to disturb others with your screaming). There’s no cure. Unlike childbirth there is no “reward” after the pain. There’s just the expectation that you’ll continue on with life and deal with it [preferably silently].
The downplaying of rheumatoid disease, like many of the procedures and conditions mentioned, is due to sexism and misogyny.
Bone marrow aspirate. Honestly it’s like having someone drive a corkscrew into your spine.
The bit they don’t tell you is that it doesn’t work everytime so sometimes they do it 2 or 3 times to get a good sample.
Gout. I feel that it’s commonly downplayed as a disease, just kind of a part of life for many thing. The standard management and treatment of it also seems very low level. My partner has it, and his flare ups used to be horrifying. The swelling, the pain, it was awful. He’s not a complainer, but I remember one time his ankle was the size of a grapefruit, even cloth brushing it was excruciating. He mentioned once that amputation seemed like a viable option, except for the fact that the gout would just move elsewhere. People blame it on the person too – clearly they’re eating too much rich food or drinking too much. My partner’s was actually triggered by dehydration most of the time, but the more it happens the easier it is to trigger because your uric acid levels stay high.
Anyway, he went with an aggressive treatment that reduces your uric acid levels and dissolves the crystals it forms in your body. (Another fun thing gout does! Tophi are formations of uric acid crystals that can essentially lock up your joints, and can actually open wounds in your skin. My partner had them on his feet, basically rocks IN HIS FEET.) As the crystals dissolve, they trigger an immune response that comes across as a really bad gout attack but can last way longer. His treatment took the better part of a year, and at one point he was in so much pain he couldn’t dress himself. We didn’t know anyone who had been through the treatment and it was hard to trust that it would be successful, but I’m so glad he persevered. He now takes regular medication and his gout is so under control that he hasn’t had an attack in five years. He can even indulge occasionally in foods he used to avoid like the plague, things like seafood and red meats! We’re so glad with where he is, but it was a really rough path to get here.
The doc told me when they boiled the lining of my uterus off because I had a menoraga that there are no pain receptors inside your uterus.
All the pain you have from childbirth comes from your cervix. When I was 20, I had a colcoscopy that hurt a lot and as a further indignity made me carry it to the lab in a cup on the other side of the hospital. The doctor also ignored me when I told him I was in a lot of pain during my 1st C-section, they were doing on me and they said that was just pressure. Then I told him I could feel the blood running down my legs and they said oh well maybe you can feel something. This does not happen to men. My husband got prescribed more pain meds for a hemorrhoid than I did for one of c sections.
Arthritis. It’s just an old people disease right? As if that should even matter.
I’m in my early 30s and I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis 4 years ago. Thankfully during an appointment with my derm they asked me if I experience joint pain. I told them yes. They asked me where and I told them everywhere. Turns out, that’s not normal for a 28 year old but I had always just thought it was because I was fat because that’s what I had been told.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Post Comment