This is so interesting Polly, you’re absolutely right. As I was reading I could hear myself brusquely telling my 13 year old, when she has had stomach cramps and been feeling grotty with period pain, ‘you just have to get on with it darling, your life can’t stop every month. Take some paracetemol’. And it just carries on from there, ingrained in us to get on with it. Bit rubbish really x
So so true. We don’t have to put up with pain, science and medicine have given us so many available treatments but we have been conditioned not to seek help. I have endo, aural migraines and am currently going through shitty perimenopausal musco-skeletal pain and I am being relentless in finding a solution. My mum told me that I am over medicalised, that my experience of living in Switzerland (where they have chronic pain clinics to support people) has made me too quick to rush to the doctors for any pain my kids and I experience! Sorry not going to put up with it, life is too short. I hope you get some good guidance/solution in managing your migraines.
Absolutely! Good for you. It really is enough. It’s not about being over medicalised, not even about never feeling any pain… it’s about understanding what is and isn’t acceptable. Pain which stops you doing things, going out, leaving bed, working, socialising = unacceptable!
When I was at school and completely incapacitated once a month (literally lying on the floor writhing), I was told to get up, pick up a broom and start sweeping. It was a convent school. Nuns are tough bitches.
This is so interesting Polly, you’re absolutely right. As I was reading I could hear myself brusquely telling my 13 year old, when she has had stomach cramps and been feeling grotty with period pain, ‘you just have to get on with it darling, your life can’t stop every month. Take some paracetemol’. And it just carries on from there, ingrained in us to get on with it. Bit rubbish really x
Oh absolutely, we all do it! I was out with two male friends last night, both lovely and evolved, and I told them about this, they both said:
‘But women have higher pain thresholds, right?’
And we don’t! There’s some evidence to suggest we have less pain tolerance… but it’s so ingrained and we’re so resigned…
Totally. Taught to tolerate x
So so true. We don’t have to put up with pain, science and medicine have given us so many available treatments but we have been conditioned not to seek help. I have endo, aural migraines and am currently going through shitty perimenopausal musco-skeletal pain and I am being relentless in finding a solution. My mum told me that I am over medicalised, that my experience of living in Switzerland (where they have chronic pain clinics to support people) has made me too quick to rush to the doctors for any pain my kids and I experience! Sorry not going to put up with it, life is too short. I hope you get some good guidance/solution in managing your migraines.
Absolutely! Good for you. It really is enough. It’s not about being over medicalised, not even about never feeling any pain… it’s about understanding what is and isn’t acceptable. Pain which stops you doing things, going out, leaving bed, working, socialising = unacceptable!
When I was at school and completely incapacitated once a month (literally lying on the floor writhing), I was told to get up, pick up a broom and start sweeping. It was a convent school. Nuns are tough bitches.
WOW. That is a while other level of ‘just get on with it’
And from a community of women led by women
Women can be far more harsh sometimes, sadly.