Bit of a whinge and I know IANBU, but if any health martyrs out there want to take me on I'm game!
I am pregnant at the moment and it's complicated. I have to inject myself everyday to prevent a DVT and, today, I had to go to the doctors to get antibiotics for an infection.
DP is what I call a 'health martyr' he's one of those 'I've never taken a day off work even when I was dying' because 'there's no point in feeling sorry for yourself, you just have to get on with it'. He regularly boasts about when he had appendicitis and was in his hospital bed on his mobile making plans to meet up with friends that same night.
He thinks I'm soft because I seem to be backwards and forwards to the doctor's at the moment. He keeps telling me that he hasn't been near a doctor's surgery for years
I am not a hypochondriac or one of the 'worried well', but I do take responsibility for my health (and my unborn DC) and will get help when I'm obviously ill. I don't see how that makes me weak!
Rant over.
AIBU?
AIBU to be baffled by 'health martyrs'
Lifeissweet · 05/08/2011 19:52
I am a health martyr because nothing in the house would get done if I took to my bed 
I dread becoming ill and I also get hassle from my place of work if I take time off.
My DH is the same! Although he doesn't expressly come out with 'you're weak if you're ill' it's kind of implied by his lack of care if I am ill.
But he generally doesn't get sick, so I reckon it's because he lacks empathy rather than just being a twat about it.
He's a bit better now I've had a bloody good word with him several times he's aware he does it, having tonsillitis after me helped 
If it is empathy Poweredbypepsi, it's pretty difficult for them to get it about pregnancy
It's easy to minimise other peoples pain when you can't feel it yourself though, you see it with a lot of things.
'I also have a cousin who is genuinely sickly and always has been. She doesn't complain, but she is always ill, so it is quite difficult to keep up the sympathy'
charming. Have you thought about how that must feel to her? It is ten times easier to 'keep up the sympathy' than to be someone chronically ill, trust me on that one.
It's the way you tell hypocondriac types you've been really ill with something, and they turn it round into telling you when they had it it was far worse than your minor experience
I'm a bit of a health martyr, tbh 
My DH says that no-one in our house is allowed to be ill. In my defence, my mum was ill for many years, with a crippling illness (lupus) and battled on working full time until it became impossible. So when I was growing up, every illness that I had seemed trivial compared to her pain (not that she wasn't sympathetic, I just always felt guilty about being at all unwell, when she was so much worse and not complaining)
When she was alive, my life revolved around doctors and hospitals and illness, so I hate to let illness into my life again, and I admit I can be less than sympathetic to DH and tend to just feel I should get on with it if I am not 100%.
Having said that, if you need medical attention, you should go get it, and it sounds like you are looking after yourself properly, OP. I never put off getting help, because I want to be well ASAP, iyswim. I do find it irritating when my dad moans to me about things but won't go and get them checked out, thereby worrying me and not doing anything to help himself!
Thank you life. 
And don't worry! I think you kind of hit a nerve as I have the most awful cousins who are all health martyrs and find little ways to dig at me that they are strong and healthy and keep going when they're ill. They have no idea at all what I've been through.
And anyway you're kind of right, it can get hard to always be sympathetic when someone is always ill, however genuinely they are ill. And it is good to change the subject occasionally when you're chatting because as you say the illness is not who someone is. It can do me the world of good to have a good gossip about everything other than my health.
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She's so bloody judgemental about women who have CSs because 'I'd never have let a doctor near me'.
Ha, I had a c-section at 2.32pm, was up, on my feet and doing everything for DD myself with no assistance 5 hours later and had no additional pain relief. Shove that one up your MIL's arse!
Do I win a medal now? Pleeeaaaaseeeee?!
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