The pain shows in our eyes.
One topic that comes up regularly with my Endo sister's is the so called pain scale. Presenting to the ER or the Doctor's office with severe pain and trying to convey that you are at your worst, that you are in agony and physically cannot move or think straight from the pain is a somewhat difficult task. Many women find that they are given the "oh you're just looking for drugs" talk or look and are left feeling angry, hurt and humiliated.
So how do we describe our pain? Searing, stabbing, burning, pulling, tearing, shredding, ripping. Etc?
Should we be extremely proactive here and do a fly on the wall situation where we will have a camera capture our every waking moment, but this will only work on those extreme days when the pain grabs home and we let it be seen on our faces. Should these intimate moments be made public? Should the world see what it's like to live with Endo? How do we achieve that?
I am aware I've thrown out alot of questions today but I am curious as to what your feelings are on this topic.
Yesterday I posted some pics of myself while I was having a flare up. Not my worst pain ever. In fact today I actually fell to the floor because I felt a "pop" on my ovary. (I get the occasional burst cyst). It took me by surprise and honestly I'm still in pain now but this is the time to write I feel.
When I'm going through the flare ups, the pain, the bad days. To spread awareness is not just to write about the symptoms but to share how it affects us in our daily lives. On a positive note here's my Mum and I wearing our "Yellow for Endo" on the 01st of March.
So for me 1-10 doesn't work but next time I may just bring a photo along to the Doctor along with my Endo diary. Let the image speak for itself.
If you have a scale or way of measuring your pain please comment.
As always, stay strong my Endo Warriors.
