Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Ask Me About My Uterus summary
Abby Norman
A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women's Pain
21 mins
What is Ask Me About My Uterus about?
Ask Me About My Uterus (2018) explores one woman’s struggle with endometriosis. Shining a light on the devastating impact of this little-understood disease, these blinks also explore the sexism of the healthcare industry, which often compounds patients’ suffering. Drawing on personal experience and delving into scientific research, Ask Me About My Uterus explores the painful intersection of sickness and inequality.
Table of Contents
Ask Me About My Uterus
summarized in 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Awful, unexplained pain changed Abby Norman’s life overnight.
Abby Norman was just 19 years old when the onset of excruciating pain changed her life forever. A student at New York’s Sarah Lawrence College with a prestigious scholarship, her days were packed with literature, dance classes and friends. But one morning in 2010, dreadful pain – unexplained and unbearable – would rip her new life away from her.
That fateful morning began like any other. Abby got out of bed as usual and headed to the shower.
Still only half awake, she climbed into the shower and turned on the faucet. But the moment the water hit her body, she knew something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, it felt like someone was stabbing a knife through her midsection. She desperately patted down her body with her hand, trying to determine the source of the pain. She quickly realized it was everywhere, though not anywhere her hands could touch. The agony radiated out from deep within her body.
As she stood there, trying not to move, the stabbing sensations changed into a terrible ache that rolled over her abdomen and pelvis before snaking around to the base of her spine. Overcome with dizziness and nausea, she managed to stagger back to her room.
During that short but agonizing trip from the bathroom to her dorm room, Abby had little idea that she was also heading toward a new future as a chronically ill person. And almost immediately, this mysterious affliction began to destroy her life.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of pain and fitful sleep. So did the day after that. Lying down comfortably was out of the question, as was sitting up. Eating was impossible too. When the weekend came, Abby went to her part-time job and collapsed as she made the coffee.
Finally, after a week of agony, she sought medical help. Why did it take her so long? Well, like many Americans, Abby did not have adequate health insurance. While her college friends could stay on their parents’ insurance policies under the Affordable Care Act, Abby was totally estranged from her mother and father. Financially independent and without family help, Abby was terrified of racking up medical debts. Nonetheless, after seven days, her pain eclipsed her fears about money, and she dragged herself to the hospital.
But the doctors wouldn’t provide the answers for which she was looking, as we’ll see in the next blink.
Want to see all full key ideas from Ask Me About My Uterus?
Key ideas in Ask Me About My Uterus
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Ask Me About My Uterus?
- Women suffering from endometriosis
- Healthcare professionals seeking a fresh perspective
- Feminists looking for new insights
Categories with Ask Me About My Uterus
Books like Ask Me About My Uterus
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
26 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers