Menstrual health – the challenges
Pausing fully long enough to answer big questions with great hindsight
Post 2 of a 3 part series.
Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Vicki Hodges on the aspect of my journey which centres around hormonal health. I’d love to see Vicki share a collection of stories like mine in a book.
In Part 1 I shared an overview of the journey I’ve been on with menstrual health, contraception and migraine.
Certified Emotional Wellbeing Coach, Menstrual Health & Menopause Specialist, Vicki, went on to ask me:
“What were your 3 greatest physical challenges?”
1. Severe and agonising pain.
Pain so agonising that during the first few attacks of this particular nature (non-menstrual related), I thought that I was dying.
A pain so severe that I later went on to research and understand this is now known to be 50% more painful than childbirth.
Pain so debilitating that I could not eat, drink, move or speak during attack.
A pain that was repeatedly dismissed by doctors for 20 years.
2. The accumulation of symptoms.
Only some years following disability by illness did I come to research migraine disease related symptoms and found that I had been living with nearly 25.
Symptoms overlooked and ignored by me as well as medical professionals. On my part because the pain was so debilitating as a standalone that it overrode any other symptoms. On the part of the medical professionals because they still insist on referring to pain and full body attack as a headache.
I later came to understand that such accumulation of symptoms alone are enough to disable a person. This is known in the medical field as silent migraine. Migraine disease with all manner and range of symptoms that do not include the severe pain typically associated with migraine.
3. My voice.
Being unable to voice what was really going on for me, how life really was, what I was feeling, the extent of my suffering.
During the pain element of attack, I was unable to speak. Outside of attack I did what I thought you were supposed to do and I went to the doctors and told them about it. Aside from doing what I thought you were supposed to do, I told no one. I suffered in silence.
A short and sweet post for me today. I’ll be back next week with part 3.
In the meantime, tell me, what are your 3 greatest challenges?
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I like the short and sweetness of this 💚