Migraine Doll

Keep breathing.

You’ll never feel ill enough. There will always be a little voice in the back of your head whispering that you’re fine, really, you’d be okay if you only tried harder.

That little voice isn’t the voice of reason - it’s the voice of internalised ableism, and you owe it nothing.

Find someone who can help you. Apply for the benefits you need. Use the mobility aids that make your life easier. Give yourself a break.

• It’s super subjective. One person’s 7 and someone else’s 9 may be the same exact thing, often times people either over or under-exaggerating pain depending on the doctor or situation.

• a lot of serious issues aren’t even pain related. For example, extreme dizziness or fatigue: is it pain? No. Is it terrifying and very serious? Yes.

• let’s say the pain level for one chronic ailment is a solid 5 continuously, and another is a 9 but only when it spikes. Um… Should I be averaging this out?

• many times doctors will disbelieve their patient’s pain levels anyway and make false presumptions depending on where that pain is located, the patient’s age, their actions (many of us have become experts with putting on a brave face) as well as many other factors.

• on that note, it has been proven that female patients are actually treated less seriously the higher they say their pain level is.

• One doctor’s idea of what a 7 may be for pain is another’s for what a 10 will be. Unless there’s a visual chart you can both look at, the chances of both the doctor and the patient being on the same page concerning what a ‘7’ feels like is extremely unlikely.

• pain is not necessarily correlated with how severe a patient’s ailment is. Seriously. It’s not.