Women’s health gaslighting has to stop 😤
During our group presentation class yesterday, my female teammate took a sudden turn. Waiting for our slot, I noticed her breathing super fast, she later said she has chronic sinusitis, so she usually breathes through her mouth from congestion. Right after we presented, she sat down red-faced, clearly struggling to catch her breath. I asked if she was okay and she looked at me crying.
I took her outside to calm her, but she was gasping: “I can’t breathe,” plus her hands and mouth were tingling. I called the nurse. First question: “Having a panic attack?” The girl said no, mentioned her sinusitis flaring, but the nurse went: “Maybe it’s your first panic attack, stressed?” All while this girl was dizzy. I snapped: “Can we check her vitals? This isn’t just stress!”
15 minutes later, vitals were alarming: 102°F fever, 150/95 BP, racing pulse. I drove her to the ER with a friend and turns out she had SIRS, which could’ve turned into sepsis if we’d waited.
It hit me hard: women’s pain is so often written off as “emotional” instead of real. Crazy part? The nurse was a woman too. Would she have dismissed a guy like that? Panic attacks are serious, but why do women’s health issues get labeled psychological first?
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