‘Chaos, restitution and quest’: one woman’s journey through menopause

Abstract

Menopause, a natural stage in a woman's reproductive life, is not an illness; yet some women experience severe enough symptoms to cause a breakdown in the body similar to illness or other major health disruptions. As part of a larger narrative analysis investigation of distress during menopause, this case study presents one woman's transformational journey through menopause, analysed through Frank's health and illness narratives -chaos, restitution and quest. The narratives were retranscribed using Labov's elements of a true story and Gee's poetic restructuring. This report of one woman's experience of distress during the menopause transition describes a poetic chaos narrative of incessant night sweats resulting in a loss of physicality and a deep-rooted belief in self-healing; a restitution narrative of restored health that mandated the surrender to a new healing discourse, experienced simultaneously as a victory and a defeat; and a quest narrative of seeking meaning, insight and new-found values and identities.

Reconceptualizing Cancer Survivorship Through Veterans’ Lived Experiences

“…Quest narratives describe the individuals as using their illness experience as a means of igniting positive transformation (Frank, 1995, p. 115). Frank's (1995) narratives have been used to interpret patient's experiences with a variety of chronic conditions such as pain (Vroman, Warner, & Chamberlain, 2009;Zheng et al, 2013), chronic fatigue (Whitehead, 2006), cancer (Plough Hansen & Tjornhoj-Thomsen, 2008;Thomas-MacLean, 2004), and menopause (Nosek, Kennedy, & Gudmundsdottir, 2012). Frank (1995) believes narrative facilitates paying "closer attention to the stories ill persons tell" (p. 76).…”

Experiencing menopause in the UK: The interrelated narratives of normality, distress, and transformation

“…Some women followed a "rite of passage" trajectory, but this progression was neither inevitable, complete, nor determining. These findings revealed a complex and sometimes incomplete process of movement between narratives, different to linear accounts of the menopausal journey (Ballard et al, 2001;Nosek et al, 2012). Such varied yet shared experiences suggest that any one woman's menopause should not be expected to follow a particular course: Her experiences arise from a complex interplay of personal predicament, somatic change, and sociocultural context.…”

“…Other events may overshadow menopause, such as illness and changes in family structure or employment (Ballard, Kuh, & Wadsworth, 2001), or the experience of menopause may be influenced by other midlife transitions (Dare 2011). On the other hand, menopause can be distressing with severe symptoms and feeling out of control (Nosek, Kennedy, & Gudmundsdottir, 2012). Menopause is reported to be negatively experienced where fertility status is highly valued, as in rural Iran (Khademi & Cooke, 2003).…”

“…Dillaway's (2005) American participants saw menopause as a return to prepubescence, more about reproductive status than aging. Nosek et al (2012) followed one woman's corporeal and spiritual transformation using Frank's theory of chaos, restitution, and quest. Susan-Jane's journey moved from night sweats and insomnia, treatment with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), to finally the search for meaning.…”

La cicatriz (in)visible. La representación del cuerpo en blogs de mujeres con cáncer de mama

“…La productividad y vigencia de las aportaciones de Frank (1995) a la sociología de la salud las evidencian los estudios recientes que continúan utilizando sus categorías analíticas para el estudio de las narrativas sobre, por ejemplo, la diabetes (Karas y Karner, 2005), el cáncer de mama (Thomas-MacLean, 2004;Sumalla et al, 2013), la menopausia (Nosek et al, 2012) o la discapacidad adquirida (Smith y Sparkes, 2008). A diferencia de la mayoría de investigaciones citadas, que se centran en la tipología de narrativas que propone el autor, el presente artículo aplica su tipología de problemas corporales.…”