her lung collapsed?? Omg that sounds awful I didn’t even know that could be related?
Yep! Endo is where endometrial tissue grows in places it shouldn’t - can be anywhere in the body. I have endo on my spine, stomach and bowel. I still have on my medical records I believe a misdiagnosis of ibs which happened before the endo dx.
There have been patients who’ve had bleeding from their noses, ears, mouths and even eyes when having their period because they have endo tissue in those places.
Regarding mess/flooding in bed try wearing Tena pants as well as pads, I’ve also been known to wear dark coloured tights or leggings for this purpose. Also get a good water resistant mattress protector, replacing a mattress is an expensive pita! You could also try those disposable pads used for night training babies/toddlers much easier to change them than a whole bed. Towels aren’t very effective.
@possiblynotever I’ve written extensively on mn and elsewhere inc to my Mp on medical misogyny. Though it’s not a purely Uk issue it’s global. I forget the stats (I really should make a note) but generally speaking...
Women (and by extension children as it tends to be mothers take them to drs/a&e) are:
More likely to be fobbed off/dismissed altogether
More likely to be misdiagnosed
More likely to have symptoms especially pain minimised
More likely to have difficulty getting a referral to a specialist (ie men are more easily able to get referrals)
More likely to have their emotions/behaviour written on their medical records (eg “hysterical” “neurotic” “extremely distressed”)
More likely to be seen as “awkward” patients if they push for referral or treatment
More likely to be de-registered by gp surgeries (usually for the above) and face difficulties getting registered with another surgery (“black balling” of patients - this is strenuously denied but it does happen)
I started a thread some time ago and the stories from posters were shocking even to me. It’s not just gynae issues either.
There appear to be particular issues with heart disease, gall bladder disease, thyroid disease and pain conditions.
The problem lies, at least partly, I believe in the fact that medics are STILL trained on the basis that the “default” model for the human body is the Male body and key textbooks are still written on that premise.
Our bodies differ not only in terms of the sexual and reproductive systems but also blood composition, musculoskeletally, hormones other than sex hormones, organ size and position etc
Pain wise, culturally in western culture certainly women are expected to have higher levels of pain tolerance but be more likely to complain about pain - there is no real research basis for this. Labour is often cited as the basis as nerve responses during labour apparently exceed almost any pain men experience, but the methodology for testing such things is flawed and subjective.
Sorry - one of my soap boxes medical misogyny