My experience with doctors and why we should stop hiding our pain ...

Hi pretty ladies, my name is Eilean and I want to say something I know a lot of people will be able to relate to, a lot of doctors SUCK! Fair enough we can't expect them to get it right ALL of the time.... but...

I realllyyy hate complaining about how I feel because I have been told for so long there's nothing wrong with me, so I accepted the pain and just got on with it. I'm here to tell all of you to STOP hiding your pain (any kind of pain!!). It's not good for you and it's not good for others trying to understand you. When you're asked how you are, be honest and don't feel guilty about doing so! I know this can be REALLY hard!! Especially because we think "oh there's always someone who has it worse". Let me tell you I am the best at saying I'm fine when I'm not because you think no one needs to know or wants to hear it. Can we also please get rid of all sorts of emotional contests. Who's having the shittest time does not matter. So I'm going to open up about me to encourage you all to be just a little bit more honest about how you're feeling:

I haven't felt "well" for about 5/6 years and I can't even count how many times I've rocked up to the GP to speak about the same issues just to be told "it's just stress and anxiety" or "you're very young to be having these problems". Tests would be run and to be told there was nothing wrong with me only fed into this internal narrative I had that maybe the pain and fatigue was just normal for me and I had to stop looking for answers. So many womxn have similar stories, in particular womxn of color!! Self-advocacy is SO important, if you think there's something wrong do not stop fighting! I have just been diagnosed with Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which is a chronic autoimmune disease, so I will have this the rest of my life. Some days I can be so productive with uni, do the shopping, clean my flat (I will be absolutely wiped at the end of the day but I did it!) And others I get as far as the sofa and that's it for the day. I have so many things I want to do and being unproductive affects my mood hugely. Whether you have an illness or not, we ALL need to start enjoying the small victories