It's normal. Everything is normal. You're normal.
How did I allow myself to be treated that way? Why didn't I ask more questions? Why did I just accept what they said? How could it have possibly been normal to faint dozens of times? When the symmetrical rash started, and I thought I was dying because that's what you think, doctors thought I needed to relax. It was nothing. They were annoyed with me, my "complaining," and my interest in finding the root cause of my symptoms. Meanwhile, I donated what felt like pints of blood to any surface I occupied while on my period. Including my boyfriend's parents' couch, my client's boardroom chair (sorry, Deloitte!), and even surfaces I merely walked on, like sidewalks. In public. Blood running down my legs. There was that one time on a sledding hill in the center of town. I sobbed as I walked to the bathroom for the third time in an hour to change my super++++ tampon and MacGyvered pad setup. On the way back to the car, another flood. It's just your period. M...