Ignorance is Bliss, or Misery
A woman, middle aged, sat on the cold floor. She was struggling to remain alert while every breath she took came back shorter than the last.
She could barely comprehend her surroundings, though nothing more than the typical commercial bathroom with cliché tile, a sink, and a toilet. The latter would of course be an obvious choice to sit, however she sat on the floor with sweat quickly and heavily making its way through her very carefully planned business suit. She then laid down, with her last conscious sight being loved ones poorly silhouetted by a dim ceiling light. She used every ounce of her strength finally admit that she needed help.
Two and a half years later, a young girl lies in tears on her fiancé’s lap. Three days of increasing pain has left her nearly immobilized in the middle of the night. Her pain is coming from her head, but it is not your normal pain. It does not come from the neck where a nerve may be pinched. Nor is it from the brain, where recent back to school stress could build up into a migraine. The pain comes from her ear, and feels as if something is ripping her eardrum from the inner ear itself. She doesn’t know it yet, but that’s exactly what happened.
These two women have no relation. They were born in different areas of the country, over a quarter of a century apart. They have no inkling the other person exists, nor are their illnesses similar in any way, shape or form. However, their pain comes from the same source. Not the brain, or the heart, or the central nervous system, but genetics; evolution to be exact. Humanity is an evolved species. Science has proven that women reach maturity sooner than men. However, it is also becoming known that women are tougher than men. And while this may seem cause for celebration, it is actually to their detriment.
“I just went to the doctor today, after four days,” the girl says, “and I feel terrible.” As it happens, the young girl did in fact have a perforated ear drum. It is hard to sympathize with a perforated ear drum, as less than 1% of people in the U.S are plagued by it every year. This is much less common, and much more painful than the common cold, however, males are likely to visit the nurse or the physician within a couple days of their initial symptoms of the flu or the common cold.
Women are built for such pain. They are built to bare children, therefore, their bodies have evolved to handle the pain. Although it could be argued that men ignore the issues women face, the need for medical assistance is a problem they must personally realize. Men are not more susceptible to illness, however, they are not built to handle sickness or injury as women are.
“Women know their bodies more,” says Morningside Nurse Practitioner Lexi Kohn, “they are more proactive with their illnesses.” Morningside sub-nurse Paula Guntren adds, “men are more unsure of their symptoms, so they come to get checked.” Both nurses add that while they see an equal balance of men and women, their visits from women are different. Their illnesses may be more severe or they have injuries that need to be tended to.
A perforated ear drum usually follows and ear infection. This is a time where people experience both pain and sickness. Here, most men would find their way to the doctor to be treated. The college girl did not do this. Her perseverance through the illness led to an even worse diagnosis. According to Kohn and Guntren, most Morningsiders tend to receive treatment in the first days of their illnesses. She waited twice as long, and dealt with a much larger issue in return.
Looking at the woman who would eventually die of a heart attack, she had all the normal issues; trouble breathing, perspiration, and arm pain, yet she ignored them as run of the mill ailments. Pain was often related to her lifelong battle with arthritis. Her shortness of breath could be attributed to yet another bout of Pneumonia, which she had battled several times. She had seen these issues before, and conquered them. She had no reason to believe that she was having a heart attack, and her fate would be the opposite of her own brother.
These same symptoms that plagued her brother led him to the hospital, where it was confirmed that he was having a heart attack. Here he was treated, and released to Cardio Rehab. This is where he would come to amazing realization. Upon seeing that the majority of patients were men, he asked the nurse why there were no women. Surely they must have heart attacks as well. The answer was simple, “women ignore their symptoms” the nurse said. “When women have heart attacks, they usually die.”