Living with fibromyalgia (FM) means living with a chronic pain condition that greatly influences daily life. The majority of people with FM are middle-aged women. The aim of this study was to elucidate meanings of pain for women with FM. Fifteen women with FM were interviewed about their pain experiences and a phenomenological hermeneutic interpretation was used to analyse the interview texts. The findings show that meanings of pain for women with FM can be understood as living with a double burden; living with an aggressive, unpredictable pain and being doubted by others in relation to the invisible pain. The ever-present pain was described as unbearable, overwhelming, and dominated the women's whole existence. Nevertheless, all the women tried to normalize life by doing daily chores in an attempt to alleviate the pain. In order to support the women's needs and help them to feel well despite their pain, it is important that nurses and health care personnel acknowledge and understand women with FM and their pain experiences.
Method: A cross-sectional online survey (22 items) were distributed to 186 nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy students in Sweden, April 2015. Validity and reliability were tested. Results:The construct validity analysis led to three major factors: present feelings of comfortableness, future working environment and fear of negative influence on future patient relations. The construct validity, internal consistency reliability and intrarater reliability showed good results. Conclusion:The SA-SH is valid and reliable. IntroductionEarlier research has shown that patients with chronic conditions often rate their sexual health as important, but neglected by health care professionals (Bitzer, Platano, Tschudin, & Alder, 2007;Papaharitou et al., 2008), despite research showing that health care providers can moderate the sexual expression of persons suffering from chronic disease (O'Dea, Shuttleworth, & Wedgwood, 2012), and the patients have a right to have eventual sexual problems thoughtfully identified and addressed (Krebs, 2007). Maintaining professional boundaries is essential when working with sexual health, and students in health care professions need to have sufficient knowledge of how to work with sexual health and to feel confident that they are still upholding professional boundaries, despite the sensitive subject and the hands-on practice that nursing and rehabilitation often include (Soundy, Stubbs, Jenkins, & Cooper, 2013). There are several reasons that health care professionals avoid communicating with their patients about sexual health, including underestimation of the prevalence of decreased sexual health, embarrassment, and personal discomfort, together with lack of time, privacy, and competence (Haboubi & Lincoln, 2003;Helland, Garratt, Kjeken, Kvien, & Dagfinrud, 2013; Kirana et al., 2009;Krebs, 2007;McGrath & Lynch, 2014;Reynolds & Magnan, 2005). Gender, patient's age, personal values, and experiences influence students' attitudes toward sexual issues, and negative attitudes can impede effective sexual health consultations (Areskoug-Josefsson & Gard, 2015;Krebs, 2007). Awareness has to be raised of the students' own values and prejudices and knowledge of their attitudes towards working with sexual health, in order to address those issues with increased knowledge and competence (Krebs, 2007;Papaharitou et al., 2008;Sung, Huang, & Lin, 2015).Understanding of one's own personal sexual attitudes and previous communicative training are To investigate the attitudes of health care students towards working with sexual health in their future professions, there was a need to develop a new questionnaire. There are questionnaires used to explore university students' attitudes concerning sexuality, sexual preferences, and sexual activities as such, but they do not cover attitudes towards working with sexual health promotion (Nemcic et al., 2005;Reynolds & Magnan, 2005). There are also questionnaires aiming to explore the views of health professionals concerning communication and support to improve ...
lipedema is a chronic, progressive disease that almost exclusively affects women and often misdiagnosed as obesity or primary lymphedema. Research concerning lipedema is sparse, and there is a lack of studies focusing on women's experiences of living with the illness. We interviewed fourteen women with lipedema with the aim of describing their experiences of living with lipedema. Our results show that women felt controlled by their body, and were fat-shamed and viewed by others as a person who lacked character. they received unsupportive advice on how to manage from healthcare, and blamed themselves while striving to take responsibility.Lipedema is a chronic, progressive disease with an unknown etiology that almost exclusively affects women. The disease is underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as obesity or primary lymphedema. In lipedema, abnormal depositions of subcutaneous fat cause bilateral swelling and enlargement of the buttocks and legs, which develop slowly and gradually. Lipedema is associated with discomfort, bruising, and severe pain in affected areas, as well as limited mobility. Typically, the disease starts during or soon after puberty, but it can also start in connection to pregnancy or menopause. Since the progression of lipedema varies to a great extent, it is difficult not only to predict the course of the disease but also to control it. There are no easy solutions to treat lipedema. Conservative therapy is often used, which focuses on patient education, weight control, manual lymphatic drainage therapy, and compression therapy. Surgery, such as liposuction, may also play a part in the management of the disease. Lipedema is associated with both physical and psychological morbidity, making it vital to provide adequate care and support (Buck & Herbst, 2016;Forner-Cordero et al., 2012;Langendoen et al., 2009). Lipedema concerns the women's health and the disease has no known geographical boundaries. While the hidden statistics are probably large, epidemiological studies suggest an approximately 10-15%
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain syndrome that mostly affects middle-aged women. Our aim with this study was to elucidate meanings of being received and met by others as experienced by women with FM. Interviews with a narrative approach were conducted with 9 women. We analyzed the transcribed interviews with a phenomenological hermeneutical interpretation. The findings revealed two themes: being seen as a malingerer and being acknowledged. Meanings of being received and met by others, as experienced by women with FM, can be understood as a movement between the two perspectives. When they were acknowledged, their feelings of security and trust increased, but the women could not rely on this because others received and met them in such an unpredictable manner.
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