Episode 6: I Got a Diagnosis. Now What?
It turns out there's a difference between diagnosis and answers
CRAMPED Episode 6 is out now!!
In this episode I learn that all my doctors were wrong for ruling out one particular disease (if they had even ever heard of it), and I see a specialist for an appointment that cost more than a month of 2015 Brooklyn rent.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know THE BIG REVEAL of my diagnosis (I haven’t really been keeping it a secret anyway). But even if you didn’t know, telling you that my guests for this episode are endometriosis specialist and excision surgeon Dr. Iris Orbuch, and influencer EndometriosisEm would probably give it away.
I discuss with Dr. Orbuch exactly what endometriosis is, why it causes so much period pain, and why it takes an average of 7-10 years for someone to be diagnosed in the US, despite an estimated 1 in 10 people with uteruses having it. We also get pretty deep into the role health insurance plays in endo’s neglect.
Emma Maxwell (@endometriosisem) has been living with an endometriosis diagnosis for a lot longer than I have, and has far more severe and widespread symptoms. I talk with her about her path to a diagnosis, and how she’s navigated treatment so far, and I share with her the struggle I’ve had accepting that I’m now someone with a chronic, incurable illness. She has such great advice and perspective to share with me, like the sooner you can get over yourself and just accept that your body needs help and support sometimes, and give it what it needs, things get a lot easier. Which I think is useful advice even if you DON’T have a chronic condition.
Outside the podcast, I’ve been struggling the last few weeks with overwhelming rage. Who could have predicted that spending a full year immersed in all the ways our health care system has failed, ignored, and neglected those of us with uteruses would have a negative impact on my mental and emotional well-being too?? (not coincidentally, that’s what next week’s episode is all about)
After weeks of ineffective coping mechanisms like yelling at my husband about how good he has it and obsessively trying to research my way out of this rage, I had a really intense therapy session followed by several hours of screaming and sobbing and punching my mattress (which frightened both my husband and my dog), and I started to feel a little better. I also organized a small get-together this week for me and a bunch of my friends with uteruses to talk about what we’re struggling with health-wise, hormonally, or pain-wise, how we’re trying to handle it, and share resources & information with each other. As important as I feel it is to get as much info as possible out to people via podcast & the internet, nothing hits the spot like actually getting into a room with people and having some drinks and snacks and talking with people who get it.
Last Week’s Press For CRAMPED!
First and foremost I want to thank Keelin at the Mentally? A Magpie podcast review blog for giving CRAMPED an incredibly thoughtful review and saying the words that any edu-tainment producer longs to hear: “Downey easily breaks down the information into simple bits- without being condescending.” My life’s work in a nutshell. Here’s some more nice words from that review!
Downey lays out truth through dark humor, self-awareness, curiosity, and determination. The production style is clean and bright, with charm woven in seamlessly.
The show also talks to people who experience these pains, carefully popping between lived and researched perspectives. There is an empathy here that many podcasts can learn from. We find the layers of women’s bodies and healthcare. The way this podcast navigates them is personal and easy.
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CastBox and Amazon Music both featured CRAMPED as part of their Women’s History Month curations!
And I got to curate my own list of podcast episodes for EarBuds Podcast Collective’s newsletter! I’ve discovered some of my favorite podcasts from their recommendations, so it meant a lot to be able to highlight a few of the podcasters I most admire (and plug CRAMPED too of course).
Now get atta here you scamps, go listen to Episode 6, and share CRAMPED with one more person today, thank you I love you!