I wrote an Op-Ed on the gender gap with chronic pain, and it was published in today’s New York Times Sunday Review. From all the patients I follow and have interviewed, I know these issues resonate with so many of your experiences, and I do hope you check it out.
For those of you interested in all of this, I delve into the gender and pain issue in greater detail in In the Kingdom of the Sick.
And speaking of news, I saved the best for last: my father is doing great after his kidney transplant, as is his donor. It is truly an amazing thing to witness, and I will write a longer post about all of this soon. Thanks so much for your support!
Interesting article. Perhaps I missed noticing if you are in fact a Physician, and if so what are your credetials
Thank you
t. bogante
Nope, not a physician. I have an MFA, am a health/science writer, and lifelong patient with rare and autoimmune diseases.
Thank you so much for writing this! It was well written and highlights the struggles that women face in getting adequate medical treatment. I have been diagnosed with Fibro, and have become increasingly more interested in the impact of gender and treatment. I actually just posted a blog last weekend for International Women’s Day about this issue. Thank you again for giving this issue the attention is deserves.
Thanks for reading it and for reaching out. Gender and pain is such an important issue and deserves mainstream attention. I hope you are doing as well as possible!
There are about a dozen doctors, male and female, that I would love to send this article to, but I doubt they would recognize themselves as the dismissive doctors you write about. Finally, I have confirmation that I am not alone in experiencing many of the things you write about. It helps to know I’m not the only one.
I am glad the article resonated with you and made you feel less alone–being misunderstood, not heard, or dismissed is certainly isolating, especially if you are in physical pain while it is happening.
Thank you! Thank you! And thank you for writing and publishing this essay!
I’ve shared your Op-Ed with as many friends and colleagues as I can, explaining how right-on your research and insights are for those of us with chronic conditions. Your wit and candor weave through the facts, reminding readers that behind every statistic is a real person in pain- and she’s not taking it anymore!
I look forward to reading the entire new book. Life Disrupted was filled with 1,000 “a-ha” moments for me, and came to me during a much needed time.
Thank you, again! Wonderful work!!
Kris
Thanks so much for the lovely note, and for sharing the article. I especially appreciate the comments regarding the research. I am so glad to hear LD resonated with you, and look forward to hearing your feedback on In the Kingdom of the Sick.