Good meetings so far - interesting discussion re: various proposals, none of which are terribly newsworthy, but good for dialogue nonetheless. Report from the First Nations community in northern Manitoba re: Manitoba Hydro and Treaty 5 land. Also good but unfortunate news about Immigration Canada getting in the way of our Zambian partners coming to see us. Dear Minister of Immigration, please sense us our friends.
Disappointing moment: overheard a conversation that went like this (at the table next to ours)
Where is "person X".
"oh, he went home with a (insert air quotes here) migraine"
.......laughter.....
I turned and very calmly told the two people that as a migraine sufferer I could assure them that people as a rule do NOT fake a migraine and I was sure that their friend would much prefer to be sitting at table group with them than to be suffering back at the hotel.
*crickets*
Sigh.
Chronic Invisible Pain - the last remaining acceptable discrimination? Perhaps that's too strong.....but that kind of attitude helps no one, so I felt obliged to call them on it. Because we are in a safe space, I was sure to do it in a Christ-like way, but it did sting a bit as I thought of all my fellow migraineurs.
Onward to day three!!!!
5 comments:
I have eye rolled a "migrane," (and I suppose I just air quoted one there too didn't I?) not saying that someone who suffers was faking one, but someone who had a headache called it a migraine in their typical dramatic and grandiose way.
It frustrates me when someone uses a term like migraine so casually. Like when someone refers to a child who simply doesn't WANT to sit still and quietly watch tv any more as having ADHD. These are real illnesses, and I dislike how they are bandied about until they lose meaning.
Way to go Sue, way to stand up for all of us. It saddens me to hear this kind of thing going on, but unfortunately doesn't surprise me.
True, blue alto. I understand what you mean. That is frustrating.....the difficulty of helping people to understand the difference b/w a headache and a blistering migraine is definitely a challenge.
Good for you!
People really don't understand what it's like to be in pain all the time. I still, after 10 years, deal with my integrity being questioned...especially by doctors.
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