Things you're amazed aren't more widely known/ common misconceptions perpetuated by popular culture etc

[wangernum]

This isn't about how the young people at work don't know what the capital of Spain is, or that the petrol indicator on the car dashboard tells you what side your petrol cap is on, etc. More things that you didn't know at one point, but having learned about it (or more likely - experienced it yourself) can't see why it isn't more widely known.

My examples:
Diagnosing of gallstones. My GP failed to diagnose my dreadful gallstone pain, in the end (after suffering for years) I asked a forum like this about my symptoms and loads of people said it's probably gallstones. I went to a different GP and said 'I think it could be gallstones' and it was - got the gallbladder removed and not had a problem since.
Anyway, since then I realise the symptoms are fairly obvious (I know it's hard to describe pain but from my own experience I know what sort of questions to ask) yet there are always threads on here about how gallstones didn't get suggested by a doctor/got missed, a friend of mine also had similar experience just not knowing what this indescribable pain was. How on earth do doctors not know to suggest/check for gallstones? It seems really common?

Other misconceptions:
Waters going just before you're about to give birth (most people who've had children probably know this isn't accurate! My waters had to be broken when I was in labour!) This still happens on TV all the time!

Schizophrenia = multiple personality disorder. It's not.

Breastfeeding - so much I had no idea about! How painful it can be to start with. That babies need feeding all the time! I did an NCT breastfeeding class and I still felt that it was based on a lot of assumed knowledge (that I didn't have!). Even calling formula feeding 'bottle-feeding' but it not actually being about feeding from a bottle but the fact it's formula not breastmilk.

Colic - that it's a medical problem or indigestion, reflux etc. It's hard to tell from a lot of the stuff that's written about it but it just means lots of unexplained crying (usually at certain times etc, well it was in my experience). I actually found that 'purple crying' was a better explanation: purplecrying.info/what-is-the-period-of-purple-crying.php

Bit more obscure but d-mer.org/ - D-MER - very specific feeling of sadness when breastfeeding. I wish I'd known about this with my first baby!

Another example might be anyone that still thinks 'common-law wife' is a thing. Although I don't see many people using that phrase apart from to point out it's not a thing (legally etc)!

@HaggardMumofToddler

I disagree, I think this is something that is quite well researched. Formula takes longer and is more difficult to digest, they may take in a higher volume of milk and there’s the breastfeeding for comfort factor. All the formula fed babies I know slept through quite early- although would be awake for longer periods if they did wake.

I am 7.5 months in with a formula fed baby and he's yet to sleep for longer than 2 hours.

I am an actual zombie now.

The term used when I had my section for a full on emergency was a 'crash' section. That's when they knock you out and get the baby out ASAP. So elective is planned, emergency is unplanned and crash is an emergency.

- If you are in an unmarried same-sex relationship and you and your partner have a child, you must adopt that child or you have no rights.

In fairness this was the case until fairly recently.

For me it was about breast feeding. I had seen that film where a newborn baby crawls up to its mothers nipple and starts feeding. I was told that breastfeeding could be uncomfortable for the first few weeks, but then would be fine. And I had never heard the term cluster feeding. The really annoying thing is I had actually read up about breastfeeding, but what I read was all describing best case scenario. I know some women have an easy time breastfeeding, but it would have been nice to have a more realistic idea of the problems that could occur.

That Costochronditis is a thing, a musculo-skeletal issue of the rib cartilage near the sternum - it often affects women (breasts, posture etc) and is a common cause of terrifying chest pain that makes you think you’re having a heart attack.
Also that it can be cured by lying on a tiny little ‘backpod’ invented in NZ and commonly used there by physios, when in the UK they just recommend painkillers...

*invented and widely used by the medical profession in NZ.

**no affiliation just want to spare others from the pain & fear of it if I can.

All the things about age of first-time mums. In 1944 this was 29.3 years in 1944 and fell to 26.4 years in 1973. After that the average age began to rise.
Both the First and Second World War killed millions of men. There was a shortage of young men. There was also a real shortage of housing. Most young people had to live with their parents well into their mid twenties, before they could get somewhere to live. Council house building changed that.
The average age of first time mothers is now 29.9. That is higher than during the second world war. So there has been a change. Not as dramatic as many people might imagine though.

I don't like it when people use the terms 'psychotic' and 'psycho' (psychopath) interchangeably. I think a lot of people are unsure of their true meaning

Hell - a lot of UK spending goes on interest payments.

Indeed - but Government borrows by issuing bonds, a large proportion of which are bought by pension funds and life insurers. So those interest payments are actually being paid out again as pensions.

And bond interest is critical in valuing all other investments. If the government stops borrowing, our financial system will have big problems.

And that's just bonds, the "simplest" instrument!

Money/the financial system is indeed fascinating.

kate90 same here. They are very different types of mental disorder.

I hate how people fling around the word "narcissist" because someone is a bit of a jerk or likes taking selfies or is very vain. To me it is jsut the same as someone who likes to be neat or perfectionist saying "Oh, I'm OCD." NPD is less understood though at the moment, I am guessing the time will come when "narc" beig flung around will be considered just as offensive as the "I;m a little bit OCD, I have a tidy office/ckean kitchen etc" kind of thing.

The tragedy of it is that NPD is often related to tragic childhood trauma in the same way BPD or other PDs are, so when people make light of it I feel like grinding my teeth in frustration.

@WhereTheCowsGoBong hmm, not sure you're on the right track here. I understand the sentiment of what you're saying but narcissism actually is about an excessive interest in oneself/ appearance i.e vain. I think you're confusing narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder.

There did used to be a single parent benefit payment, it was abolished a long time ago. It also used to be said that autism was a spectrum. I attended disability training at work many years ago run by a respected disability charity that said autism is a spectrum that everyone is on. I know that is not how autism is seen now, but it was at one time.

Sure, i get that there is a difference, but when I see the narc thing tossed around it is often used in context of how "they selfish and love their appearance, it;s annoying" then someone says "ooh, they may be a narcissist, those people are toxic, abusers etc..." So th epoor person who takes selfies and is a bit of an attention seeker gets dumped or ghosted because they are "toxic" and therefore dangerous." Abuse is a long way from someone being a bit selfish....so what I am trying to say is THEY are the ones that conflate the two. the clinical NPD illness is actually nothing to do with self love, many of these types don't love themselves or kno what love is....

Autism IS a spectrum but it means that people with autism are on that spectrum. It does not include those who are not in any way autistic.

Aspergers at one end of spectrum, severe non-verbal, non-functioning at other and whole lot in between is how I understand it.

That you shouldn’t feed bread to ducks. It makes them very ill, swelling in their stomach.

This isn't true at all, I saw a documentary saying that ducks and swans are declining in number due to starvation because of this myth. It was apparently started by wild bird food manufacturers.

@joyfullittlehippo Not Alexa the device, the PP called Alexa. The one who you have just responded to....

@joyfullittlehippo You quoted:
"Joyful. What bit didn’t you understand? Happy to clarify. smile"

That quote was written by Alexa (the poster, not the device). I take quoting and responding to to be the same thing.

I'm not. Just trying to clarify your confusion! I'm sure Alexa will be back in a bit anyway to explain.

When people are talking about non fee paying schools in an 11+ area on mumsnet they'll often refer to the non selective school as the "state school" and the selective school as the grammar. A non fee paying grammar is a state school too. It is funded by the state.

I learnt yesterday on Countryfile that red squirrels do not eat acorns.

But I often watch the grey ones eating them in my back garden. Apparently the reds can't digest them properly or they're bad for them anyway.