On the subject of pain..

[androktone]

It's been an exhausting week. Harry hurt himself very badly and I spent 12 hours on Monday with him wrapped in my arms willing him to be OK, and he was. Steve had to have an endoscopy and that is an upsetting proceedure in itself, combined with the worry of whether they would find anything cancerous (they didn't). I had to work

Comments

[gothpanda]

Very eloquently put. Recently I've come to realize that being an adult is partly about dealing with the slow, inexorable breakdown of one's body. You're lucky you have the NHS to help sort things out--at this point, I'm dealing not just with the discomfort and misery of figuring out all my health problems but also the stress of paying for them, and sometimes I can't imagine how people with really horrible health problems (like cancer, or even pregnancy) manage it when there's this combined stress of paying the bills to all the damned doctors.

[androktone]

I am grateful every day to the NHS.. although I can't help hating them for letting us suffer so much before they put us right. It is a hell of a lot better than nothing, but when you're in the institution it is sometimes hard to see that! x

[gothpanda]

yeah, but whereas I think your doctors take their time, ours push us to get expensive tests done that we might not even need, and many of those are just as unpleasant as waiting to see.

[androktone]

Its hard to tell which approach is best - i think what is missing is a desire to speak to the patient and find out what they are ready for..

[knatty_12]

Don't disagree with anything you say re: pain and needing to acknowledge it

[androktone]

that is a really good way of thinking about it, I will reply more cohesively when I have thought about it more.

[liz_lowlife]

I thought that was beautiful to read.
Thank you for taking the time to write it. X

[soozie]

ecsema or a lung disorder. It doesn't challenge your immortality but it hurts and you have to put up with it. You develop a barrier in your brain against your natural responses to "fight or flight" and you will yourself to be passive, to carry on with work or your family or having fun or whatever is more important. It wears you down and you get depressed but you learn how to deal with it

You have just summed up how my Eczema, Asthma and now Osteo-Arhritus and other fun health issues affects my life and make me me feel :) I have been "ill" for so long that i dont know what normal health is like. I was brought up to get on with life and function and adapt if needed. I make sure I carry my meds, my adrenalin, my creams. Above I dont let it beat me and have as much fun as I can.

[fengi]

This is great. Have you ever written an essay published elsewhere?