2023-09-18 23:30:00
A 30-year-old young woman who spent half her life in hospital due to “invisible illnesses” and chronic pain deplores the lack of consideration from the medical community towards patients in her situation.
“I can’t even count all the times I was told that I had nothing because my blood tests and my exams looked good, that I should go see a psychiatrist because it was all in my head,” entrust to Journal Kymberly Lavoie.
It all started in 2007 when the young woman, now 30 years old, suffered an external hemorrhage in the toilet. After a stint in intensive care and numerous tests, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colic.
It was the first in a series of hospital stays that spanned more than 15 years. In the years that followed, he was diagnosed with numerous gastrointestinal illnesses, including acute peritonitis, gastroparesis, and Crohn’s disease.
Kymberly Lavoie has suffered from chronic pain for many years.
Provided by Kymberly Lavoie
“I spent my high school in the hospital, so I had to wait 13 years to be able to finish it. I just got my diploma,” explains the one who was supposed to start her nursing technique.
Lack of recognition
Today, Mr.me Lavoie suffers from chronic pain following having undergone more than thirty surgeries over nearly fifteen years. A situation which forced her to be hospitalized once more recently, unable to move around in particular due to severe pain in her abdomen.
“They focused on my Crohn’s disease when I know that’s not the problem. I feel like I’m slowly leaving, but they sent me home without listening to me…” laments the woman who ultimately had to cancel her CEGEP session.
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Chronic pain is one of these so-called invisible diseases, which cannot be seen with the naked eye and whose origin is difficult to identify.
“It’s difficult for patients who suffer from it because they are often not taken seriously. We must fight to have this phenomenon recognized even at the medical level,” explains Pierre Genest, president of the Quebec Chronic Pain Association.
Not alone
An action plan was launched by the Ministry of Health in 2021 to improve access to services for users experiencing chronic pain. But many people can go years before having a diagnosis, says Mr. Genest.
Pierre Genest, president of the Quebec Chronic Pain Association (AQDC).
Provided by Pierre Genest
“Very often, these people are also struggling with insurance companies, the CNESST, the SAAQ and others who request medical reports that are slow in coming,” he emphasizes.
This is what Kymberly Lavoie noticed when she started telling her story on the social network TikTok. There she found a community that supports her through this ordeal.
“I realized that there were thousands of us in the same situation, that I was not alone. They push me not to give up,” concludes the young woman.
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