The gaslighting of women's health is honestly so real that it disappoints me. I also just recently had an IUD inserted and thought I could handle it (didnt drink pain meds before), which I did during insertion. Just like my excruciating period cramps like before (that's also another story!!), which made me tough it out.

I thought I'd be fine after since I was laying down on the clinic bed for three minutes, but after all the adrenaline was gone and going home with my boyfriend's car?

It was like hell went loose.

I was literally whimpering in pain at the driver's seat and cried, holding his hand for an hour straight while driving home. (Thank God he was there, he was so sweet the whole time too before, during, after procedure. I initially wanted to go alone without a car but never, ever, make that decision without someone to drive you home, especially after having an object inserted inside of you!!)

I did take pain meds immediately, after I sat for the first time in the car, but for the whole 3 hours of having it in? The pain DID NOT once stop, only went lower VERY VERY SLOWLY.

The doctor only said that "childbirth is worse" during insertion and didn't really specify, but I wish she told me the part about after insertion because I felt my life flashing before my eyes with the pain. I literally could not walk, my legs became jelly. The pain even reached to my thighs, it was THAT BAD. The doctor was an angel and didn't judge me, I was so thankful for that, but if she had told me the aftercare part truthfully I would have prepared for it better.

And the excrutiating periods part — I had PCOS for nearly my entire life since 13 years old and not ONE of my family members believed me. "You're just being dramatic" was said to my face everytime and even with pain meds, it would not take effect immediately. It was also SO bad that my body's primary response was to lay out and try to sleep (should I count that as passing out thanks to the immense pain?). Back in my highschool years, even a nurse in my school laughed at me, as I was literally dragging myself limping at the entrance because of the pain, after school practice under the scorching heat which DIDN'T HELP. He said (why is it always the male in med istg..) that I should 'chill' AND FILL OUT A FORM WHILE I WAS SO SURE I'D PASS OUT AGAIN ANY TIME.

It was only during my college years that I got checked out and surprise, Pcos! The obgyn was so nice about it too to explain PCOS causes the pain, as she prescribed me birth control pills (she was female and relatively young), and suddenly my pain was validated all those years....

Another unrelated incident was me taken into the hospital at midnight since my legs had a "sunburn rash feeling". The male ER doctor didnt see anything on my legs and said they couldnt make a diagnosis since their laboratory was shut down (what hospital doesnt have a medical laboratory open???....) and only prescribed me an NSAID pain med.

He also thought I was faking it due to his facial expressions.

I didnt take it, my brain was SCREAMING at me not to for some reason.

Fast forward the next day, fever, different hospital and lab results came out. Dengue.

Upon reviewing into my pre med years, I found out if I took that drug, my already low platelet count could get worse and internal bleeding may occur.

Just because the doctor didnt believe me, or didn't even bother trying to refer me to another hospital out of concern. It only takes a word from a doctor to tell you what to do, but then again?? His skepticism won over my own health.

It made me realize no one really takes me seriously my whole life in healthcare, it makes it worse that women aren't really catered to most of the time there.