Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask if IABU?

15 replies

user1792729 · 10/03/2022 13:56

Hi, I have NC for this just incase friend recognises the situation and links to my PP.

I am not sure if I am being over sensitive here so thought I would turn to mumsnet to get your advice and hopefully give me a (gentle) head wobble if IABU.

For back story I am 27 and have endometriosis. It is stage four and I had surgery last week to try and clear a lot of it. This is my second surgery as my first was diagnostic and they superficially removed what they could. I had to be rebooked in the hospital as this time I had quite a large surgery including excision, removal of an ovary, unsticking of my bowel from my uterus and I nearly lost part of my bowel.

I have struggled with endometriosis for years. I have all the common symptoms including massive blood loss, pain, stomach problems, bleeding when going to the toilet and unfortunately trouble conceiving. We have been TTC for a while but unfortunately it hasn’t happened for us due to this. We are on the waiting list to see the fertility clinic but that is a long wait, due to COVID it has been even longer.

I have a best friend who got diagnosed with PCOS a few months ago. This was largely by accident as she was having a scan for something else. Luckily for her she isn’t very symptomatic. She manages to maintain a healthy weight, has three children, her periods aren’t noticeably effected and she has no other symptoms that she noticed.

When she got diagnosed she rang me very upset. I tried my best to be supportive and there for her but I will admit that I did struggle a bit when she was making comments like “I don’t know why I am so upset when I have accidentally gotten pregnant every time and have no symptoms of it I’m just scared I won’t be able to have another baby” as I felt like she should have read the room a little bit with who she was talking to, but she is my best friend and I know this is my issue so I put that to one side and tried to reassure her.

We have discussed my Endo in detail, almost all prompted by her as I don’t want my life to revolve around it. She has been my best friend since we were young so she knows everything, all of the referrals and the upset it has caused. The day before my surgery she messaged me asking if I wanted to do something with her the week after and I said I’d love to but I couldn’t because of the surgery. She replied “oh I forgot that was tomorrow!” And left it at that.

The morning of my surgery she didn’t wish me luck or send a thinking of you message. I received a message from her that evening about something else, completely pointless and not even addressing the fact I had surgery. I was quite poorly at this point so I didn’t reply. I spend four days in hospital due to complications and she only addressed the fact I was in hospital on the third day and that is because she sent me a Snapchat and I replied one back of me, clearly in hospital.

This is my best friend who I speak to almost every single day. Contact isn’t initiated more so by one of us, it is quite equal. We see each other a lot so I am feeling really hurt by this. I was already feeling hurt by her insensitivity by how she was talking about her PCOS but I took that as a me issue and not hers. I understand that she has three children to look after but the fact that she never asked me how I was after I came out of really long and traumatic surgery has upset me. It’s not like I was expecting her to look after me, I have my own DP, a message would have been nice when we do message every day anyway. She knew it was something I had coming up as I obviously mentioned it the night before, but it’s not something I have waffled on about so it’s not like she’s gotten sick of me talking about it.

Lots of my other friends reached out, even ones I hadn’t spoken to in a while as they must have remembered I told them about it. I know the topic of potential infertility does make some people uncomfortable and coupled with her PCOS diagnosis I’m wondering if maybe she has been triggered by this, so maybe IABU to feel upset by her not asking if I’m okay?

OP posts:
CityHigh · 10/03/2022 14:02

That would upset me too. As you said, you message every day so I can see how it almost seems like she has gone out of her way not to message you.

YellowPlant · 10/03/2022 14:09

I think her PCOS is a red herring here. The point is she’s your friend and she hasn’t reacted to the fact you’ve had surgery in the way you’d expect a a friend to.

YANBU to feel a bit sad over that.

incognitoforthisone · 10/03/2022 14:15

First of all, I'm really sorry you've been having to deal with Endo; what a rotten thing to go through. I hope you're making a good recovery from your surgery, and fingers crossed it will make a big difference for your future. Hope your DP is looking after you well while you recuperate!

Anyway - YANBU. Of course people have their own lives and worries, but it was massively insensitive of her to start talking about her situation in terms of potentially not having a fourth child when she she has no actual symptoms from her PCOS, while knowing full well what you're going through.

And it's absolutely shit that she didn't even really acknowledge that you were in hospital for several days. I suspect you're probably right that she's maybe she has some psychological triggers around the whole issue. But even so, I think she could still have asked you how you were feeling and and wished you well; it's not like you were trying to instigate a conversation about details and implications of what you're going through. Even if she didn't mean to upset you - she sounds more just a bit crass and stupid than vindictive - I can definitely see why you feel hurt. I would too.

Madre123 · 10/03/2022 14:16

I have also felt extremely let down by so called friends these last few days whilst I am extremely unwell and have really struggled...not even a how are u message.....really upset me

Ohwowhoho · 10/03/2022 14:30

I have endometriosis and fertility issues and listening to someone with three children complain they might not be able to have a fourth would feel like a kick to my stomach. I would smile and be supportive because that’s what you have to do, but it wouldn’t hurt any less.

It does sound like maybe it has her thinking of her own PCOS but if you could nod along with her then the very least she could do was return the favour and send you a message after what sounds like quite major surgery. Sorry you’re going through this and wishing you a speedy recovery. Flowers

TheChronicalTales · 10/03/2022 15:05

I would be upset too. How shitty of her Flowers

user1792729 · 10/03/2022 15:32

Thank you for responding! Yes I do think that maybe she’s been triggered a little bit but then at the same time I think that if she’s feeling a certain way about this maybe she should have realised how I felt whilst trying to reassure her.

I have another close friend with PCOS and she has been amazing. She has gone above and beyond what I would ever expect from anyone and sent me a hamper in the post and made me a kindle reading list of recommendations. I was actually in surgery for six hours, so much longer than expected. It was really traumatic and I’m not feeling very great but glad it’s out of the way. I do want to message her and ask what’s going on but I’m sure she’ll just brush it off as being busy and I think that will upset me more. As PP said, it’s almost as if she went out of her way to not message me. I’d understand if she wanted to let me rest but she sent me a pointless message about someone we went to school with the evening of my surgery so I don’t think that’s it.

I think I’m just going to take a step back, especially whilst I’m still recovering.

OP posts:
Alliswells · 10/03/2022 16:14

How are you now OP? That surgery sounded grim Flowers

Alliswells · 10/03/2022 16:15

Ps. I think your friend is a selfish wee cow !

user1792729 · 10/03/2022 17:28

@Alliswells

How are you now OP? That surgery sounded grim Flowers
Thank you for asking 💖

I am feeling okay, but sore and bruised. Surgery was much more complicated than expected and they had to do quite a bit more than anticipated due to it being a long wait after covid so the Endo had spread much further than originally thought. I’m hoping that I get at least 12 months before it starts coming back again. Also hoping that maybe it at least gives us better shot at TTC but not banking on it.

I’ve been signed off for 8 weeks now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself!

OP posts:
WhereYouLeftIt · 10/03/2022 18:20

"When she got diagnosed she rang me very upset. I tried my best to be supportive and there for her but I will admit that I did struggle a bit when she was making comments like “I don’t know why I am so upset when I have accidentally gotten pregnant every time and have no symptoms of it I’m just scared I won’t be able to have another baby” as I felt like she should have read the room a little bit with who she was talking to, but she is my best friend and I know this is my issue so I put that to one side and tried to reassure her."
At this point in your OP I thought your "best friend" was massively insensitive, and really not much of a best friend to my way of thinking.

By the time I got to the end, with her lack of communication and, frankly, blanking of you being in hospital for such serious surgery, I had reassessed my opinion of her. She is a self-absorbed, unkind to the point of cruel, complete ARSEHOLE of a woman, the type of person you would be well-advised to cut from your life. To treat you as she has just beggars belief. Her behaviour is not thoughtless and careless, it required real determination and intent.

Your other friends sound like proper friends, particularly your thoughtful hamper-sending friend, and I'm so glad you have them.

Endo sucks. It's in my rear-view mirror now, but the pain at the time was hard to see pastSad. I wish you well on your recovery ((hug)).

TheChronicalTales · 10/03/2022 19:46

Does she have very young children? I’m clutching at straws because even with a new born baby you can take two seconds to send a text.

JackieQueen · 10/03/2022 19:58

Wishing you a speedy and safe recovery op. Good luck for the future Flowers

user1792729 · 10/03/2022 21:09

@TheChronicalTales

Does she have very young children? I’m clutching at straws because even with a new born baby you can take two seconds to send a text.
Her youngest is 2.5. Oldest is 9. The oldest two are in primary school. She is obviously busy and I completely understand, I think I would be less hurt if she hadn’t messaged me about some random stuff a few hours after I got out of surgery and just ignored what had just happened!
OP posts:
user1792729 · 10/03/2022 21:10

Thank you for all of your kind messages x

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page