You’re Not Making It Up

Let me preface this article with a clarification: I am highly appreciative of all the people who go into the fields of public health, medicine, and medical services. I believe in science and trust what the medical professionals around me have to say when it comes to vaccines, disease, health precautions, and preventive safety measures. Do not take this article as an anti-science or anti-medical professionals discussion; rather, I want to remind people that you can listen to your body and fight for what feels right for yourself, even if the response you receive the first time around does not satisfy your needs. 

I’ll be the first to say it: I am a Google-fed hypochondriac. I am the person who has a slight headache and looks up my “symptoms” until I have fully convinced myself that I am having a stroke and a heart attack and a brain aneurysm all at once. 

Due to the abundance of information at our fingertips at all times, I do believe that society has become more and more prone to jumping to medical conclusions without seeking true medical advice first. That can be dangerous. 

On the flip side, I also believe that there are definitely instances where medical professionals have not always listened to their patients, causing more serious illnesses or diagnoses to go unnoticed and untreated for long periods of time. That is also very dangerous. 

That latter scenario is exactly what I want to highlight today. 

As a young woman growing up in a world where young people and women are viewed as dramatic and attention-seeking, it is isolating and frustrating to feel like something is wrong, but when you seek answers, you are told that you are making a mountain out of a molehill. 

For people who fall into even more oppressed minority circles (such as Black, trans, or invisibly disabled individuals), finding people who will listen and believe them when it comes to health concerns can be even more difficult.  

Throughout most of middle and all of high school, I struggled with insanely irregular and very painful periods. Each time I would talk to my doctor about these problems, she “reassured” me that all girls go through times where their cramps are annoying and their periods are not perfectly cyclic. 

I have even been told by doctors that I am “showing clear signs of pregnancy” and have been scolded about safe-sex practices (news flash: I’m dating a woman). 

Jumping ahead to my junior year of college, I was finally diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). And it took about eight years of seeing different doctors and pleading my case before I was actually able to get an answer that was more than just “suck it up.”

I have also struggled on-and-off for a good part of my life with random fatigue, nausea, and headaches that all seemed to be somewhat connected, but also are somehow unrelated to anything at all. After years of bringing these symptoms up with my doctors and getting a lot of the same “it’s just puberty” responses, I was finally told that these are common signs that surface in high-stress and anxiety situations.

While many may look at this example and question how a simple acknowledgement of anxiety could make a difference in my life, here’s why:

Feeling like you are sick or knowing deep down that there is something that feels wrong with you is one thing. 

Having everyone around you tell you that you are wrong or “making it up” is a whole new layer of frustration. 

Simple validation or acknowledgement that you are not alone and not just seeking attention with whatever is going on in your body and mind is empowering. Once you are given an answer that feels validating and comforting, you can seek solutions that can help you begin to feel like yourself again.

You do not need to settle for the first dismissive response you receive. You have the power to advocate for yourself. If you are privileged enough to have the resources to seek out medical advice and assistance, you can use your voice to speak up for your body.  

Even a simple recognition that you are not making your symptoms up in your head is enough to set you on a path of more comfort and targeted solutions for whatever you are feeling. 

And, if what you are feeling truly is just a manifestation of things going on in your head, being able to get a referral to a mental health professional that can help you understand and work through your troubled thoughts is another important health advocacy point. 

The bottom line is this: you are not alone. Talk openly about how you are feeling. If you are lucky enough to have access to doctors and health professionals, use them to your advantage. Do not settle for an eye roll and a brush-off.

Again, I wholeheartedly trust and appreciate all the people who dedicate their lives to helping others in the field of medicine. I know that medical professionals are always trying their hardest to provide care for those around them, and I do not ever feel that there is malicious intent when a doctor unintentionally downplays a situation to their patient. 

That being said, you know your body and you have every right to fight for it.

And at the end of the day, you are the only one who can start that journey of personal bodily advocacy.

• #body
• health
• mental health