JUNE PROMPT | VULNERABILITY
THE AGONY OF BEING CYSTIC
Dedicated to the Psychological struggles of PCOS Women
It was 8:30 pm. I was about to leave the clinic, and my clinic phone rang. I knew it must be a call to pause my journey home, and I was right. This was her third time calling to meet me. Every time, she would cancel herself, citing her inconvenience. This time, I told my staff to ask her to confirm. She said she would be at the clinic in ten minutes; she was about to reach the station.
Her voice was pleading.
I heard the faint announcement and the horns from the station, signalling the patient would arrive in a short while. I called home and assured my son that I would be back before he went to bed. I knew it would be difficult, as he goes to bed by 9:30, but a little assurance can make him feel his amma is trying to be with him as he goes to bed.
She came in a hurry, trying to keep herself calm in front of me. As she walked in and took her seat, the algorithms of clinical medical diagnosis ran fast in my head, alarming myself…
That this is another victim of vulnerability… vulnerability to Fear, Failure and False ego. The 3 F factors of a Female, making her vulnerable to all hormonal disorders….
I could easily make out the villain called PCOS in her, even before she started to talk… I started asking her the complaints and history, the picture became clear. She had the Scan and blood reports, which confirmed my thought. Not anything new… She is one among many others, who were dealt by me with empathy.
Because it is the only way out in hormonal disorders like thyroid and PCOS…
These patients are vulnerable; they give up easily. They feel irritated and depressed and show laziness following protocols for a healthy lifestyle because they show extra boldness in their social image, while they like to be pampered at the core. Even a small gesture of indifference or forgetfulness from their loved ones will not be tolerated and can lead to the disaster of giving up. This leaves the doctor to start it all again… Counselling with positive induction and lifestyle changes to tackle inflammation, which is the root cause for all these disorders…
SO IT IS A CYCLE… MIND→→BODY →→MIND
I knew her case was no different… but I started talking and discussing the situation so that she could fight this on her own with all the positives in and around her… After the talk, she seemed to be a little calmer, ready to slow down… accepting her body and metabolism. I started with diet and exercise, only to prescribe medicines at the end of the session….
While I was returning home on the local train, I thought I should pen this, as not many are aware of the fact that our girls are vulnerable and they need support.
People just believe and consider that the reactions, irritations, laziness, and indifference from these girls are just overreactions and boldness… They are being body shamed due to obesity and ridiculed for sugar cravings and late-night fast foods. These make them careless, disrespectful to their body, and easily yielding to depression, citing no escape…This results in low esteem and difficult relationships and abruptly ends as divorce or break-ups.
The Invisible Struggle: The Psychosocial Aspects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The struggle is real. It is devastating. Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Women with PCOS. The prevalence of the clinically significant symptoms of depression in women with PCOS is 37%, compared to 14.2% in healthy women.
This poem tries to visualize that agony that every girl or woman around us with PCOS goes through…..
It was dawn and I had to be ready,
for the challenges, love and stigma
They were challenges since I was tired,
And love, since I couldn’t embrace it,
And stigma, as I had enough of it…My biggest challenge was to move,
Sedentary as a rock, a pile of mass,
My belly bloated, my bowels in strike,
My skin dry, eyes drowsy, face puffy,
My head roaming, already lost its way…When I saw myself at the mirror,
Red bumps of acne laughed at me…
Reminded me, I am no good for photos,
Meetings, dare not to even think of dates
Cleansers, serums laid useless, neglected…The facial hairs asked me the usual query,
That the society asks me from ages...
Hold on; but “Are you really a woman?”
“Do women get moustaches?” You have them.
Less on your scalp, more on your face!!!It was difficult to go and make a meal…
Tired and lazy, outsourced it once again...
Gulped everything, off to daily performances…
To show that I am aspiring, skilled and able
But the spikes, frustrations, kept me down…After a difficult day, with the heaviness of mind,
And the body, which cried at joints and muscles,
They asked me, “Why do you pretend to be in pain?”
I applied sprays, bands and swallowed pills handy,
Asserting I am the strongest, bravest and whatnot.
This is a DEPICTION OF VULNERABILITY of PCOS women; in response to Samantha’s June Prompt. Samantha M🥀 June Prompts: Vulnerability For inspiration when you need it.
Read a brilliant response to the prompt by Saia Morales. Saia Morales
Inviting the gifted writers …
Janaka Stagnaro Annelise Lords Delaney Patterson Fiza Ameen Chrysa Stergiou Lani Domaloy Medium Staff Susan Orlean Priyanka Srivastava Samantha M🥀 PCOS Awareness Assoc. That PCOS Life Saia Morales Strawbridge Tovah Rainsong
