Season 1 (Part 1) | Episode 4: When Pain Is Real and Nobody Believes You

☎️ Episode 4: When Pain Is Real and Nobody Believes YouProving you’re suffering shouldn’t be a full-time job… but it is.If you’ve ever pushed through pain because no one took it seriously, this space is for you.In this episode, Paula continues her story from childhood hypermobility and endless injuries, to being put on opioids at 17 and left there without follow-up for years. She shares how her shoulder repeatedly slipped out of place, how nerve pain took over her life, and how even the “best” medical institutions told her she couldn’t possibly be feeling what she was feeling.Vesna and Jacky sit with the heartbreak and resilience woven through her story. The night shifts, the falls, the shame around medication, the pressure to be exceptional, and the silence that grows when no one believes what you feel all because it doesn’t fit the textbook.Together, they unpack:* How chronic pain collides with work, identity, and survival, especially in nursing.* How hypermobility presents and why it’s so often overlooked.* Gender bias built into pharmaceutical studies.* The long road to finally finding practitioners who will actually listen.At its heart, this episode is a reminder that believing yourself is an act of survival and sometimes, the only way to get answers is to learn the language of the system that keeps shutting you out.💌 Subscribe for stories at the intersection of women’s pain, medical bias, and the courage it takes to trust your own body again.Listen now → 🎙️ Episode 4: When Pain Is Real — and Nobody Believes You(Available wherever you get your podcasts.)Disclaimer:Hysteria Hotline is for listening, laughing, and occasionally raging, not for medical advice. This podcast contains strong language, sensitive topics, personal stories, blunt opinions, biting truths, and the horrors of the patriarchy. By tuning in, you accept that we’re here to expose bias, share experiences, and spill the tea on medical nonsense — not prescribe treatment, give medical advice or diagnose.If you have health concerns, always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. For everything else like commiseration, validation, and a healthy dose of outrage, then you’re in the right place.Side effects may include laughter, rage, validation, and the sudden urge to demand better care.By listening, you acknowledge that the hosts and producers of Hysteria Hotline are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hysteriahotline.substack.com