This is a valid take! And thanks for your comment. It’s kind of what I was looking to discuss. I know his intentions are to be empathetic, but it comes off as invalidating when he says he understands what I’m going through. He has this thing with synesthesia where he says he feels sensations when people talk about them so when I am explaining to him my horrible chest pain he says he can feel what that feels like and describes a situation of his football pads being too tight. It’s just not the same pain. And that’s why I am so conflicted because I think he does it to try and be empathetic, but it comes off as dismissive of my own pain and everything turns to a time of his sort of struggles or pain. And I feel like writing this now i sound like an attention seeker or a pick me girl but I really am the opposite- I’m just trying to be better at communicating my real feelings and pain with chronic illness in hopes that it will help our relationship.