Selma Blair, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, recounted being advised by a doctor that finding a boyfriend might alleviate her severe pain and discomfort.
From childhood, she endured chronic headaches and fevers, often dismissed by medical professionals as overly dramatic. Reflecting on this during a recent conversation with Kristen Welker, Blair expressed feeling invalidated and overwhelmed upon hearing the suggestion to get a boyfriend to alleviate her issues. Welker asked Blair what was that like and whether it felt infuriating.
The pain was real
The 51-year-old actress responded that she just cried and cried and had no capability to process. She did not know what to do with the information given by the doctor. The “Cruel Intentions” star said that she knew the pain was real, she thought of it and then started to convince herself that she was overly sensitive and that there was nothing wrong with her. Blair asked herself to get it to get it together, calling herself lazy.
Selma Blair felt doctors overlooked her, attributing her symptoms to being overly sensitive and dismissing her need for medical attention. She believed there was a gender bias, noting how boys with similar symptoms received prompt medical care while she was labeled as dramatic.
MS symptoms can manifest in diverse ways
Blair suggested this bias stemmed from older male doctors not understanding the complexities of female health beyond attributing issues to menstruation. She highlighted the diverse ways MS symptoms can manifest, sometimes resembling emotional disturbances.
Despite being prescribed antidepressants early on, she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism, feeling disconnected and alienated. Blair finally received her MS diagnosis at 46, feeling a sense of relief and validation, though it took time to connect her childhood symptoms to the condition.
While Blair has undergone extensive treatment and is in remission, she continues to grapple with symptoms of MS, a condition that disrupts the central nervous system’s communication within the body.
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