Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

129 reviews

bookgraham's review

challenging funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abortion

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Excrement, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Classism

eloiseug's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book was simply incredible. The writing is funny, witty and sarcastic. The book gives you a real sense of all of the positives and negatives of being a junior doctor, along with a sense that you are really getting to know Adam as he was when he was practicing. Kay's writing is a triumph, and one of the best things I have ever had the privilege to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Religious bigotry and Abortion

rebeccaldixon13's review against another edition

emotional funny informative medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Pregnancy

mxss_winterfell's review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

An important book that manages to highlight the situation the NHS are in (which has only grown worse since publication) and talk about the real struggles and challenges of being a junior doctor in a funny yet informative way. With witty remarks and pithy comments throughout, Adam Kay's writing makes it easy to read through such a serious book in one sitting.

To anyone who uses, has used, or knows of the NHS service, I would recommend reading this book.

P.S. Grab a little thank you card or gift for your care team after your next hospital stay; goodness knows the government won't thank them

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

abipyne's review against another edition

emotional funny informative sad fast-paced

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. “This Is Going To Hurt” was a brilliant and incredibly important read. With a rollercoaster-fast pace and Kay’s fantastic dry wit and blunt writing, this book had me laughing out loud and welling-up from minute to minute. 

Reading this in 2023 and having witness the UK government constituently undermine the NHS and belittle the unimaginable experiences of its staff throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, this book is even more relevant now than when it was first published in 2017. 

In the UK we are very quick to turn our noses up at the prospect of nurses and doctors advocating for better pay or working conditions. This is as a consequence of a bizarre and backwards notion that healthcare is not a profession but some sort of ethereal calling and so all workers should shoulder any hardships and bare them like a sort of martyr. As such, when staff do advocate for better treatment they are painted as selfish; placing their own needs in front of the needs of their patients. For anyone still struggling to feel compassion for our striking NHS workers, I prescribe them this book and a long hard look in the mirror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

anastasiak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

bnelson13's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

Another book, that if I could give it more than 5 stars I would! Mostly funny, slightly gross, this book is comprised of diary enteries from Dr. Adam Kay's time in Obgyn in various hospitals throughout the UK working for the NHS from 2004-2010. Certain terminology that may be lesser known is described in helpful footnotes throughout the entire book. 

Kay writes how difficult it is working in a system that doesn't quite support doctors, midwives, nurses and other hospital staff, and the impacts on their personal lives that also suffer. Kay has since left the healthcare industry but wrote this novel in solidarity, as an insight into hospital life for the general population after the government started to attack the NHS and saying that doctors are only in it for the money in 2016. 

A very insightful read, if you thought working in a hospital was already difficult, it's actually 10x worse than what you had thought. As it is, now in 2023, and with Covid still running rampant, it's clear that a lot of healthcare systems are crumbling due to lack of staffing, lack of care for staff, and governments out to make as many monetary cutbacks as they possibly can. I think we're on a slippery slope with the healthcare system now, and this book is proof that things need to change. Very eye opening. Well worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Medical content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Grief, and Alcohol

mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny informative fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

ameliaj_adams's review against another edition

emotional funny informative sad fast-paced

3.5

I’m happy I finally got round to reading this! It was really interesting to learn more about what doctors go through on a daily basis, and the book presented some, at times quite dark, themes in a funny and lighthearted way that was still accessible to people who have no background in medicine. I don’t normally read a lot of non fiction, but I would definitely recommend this to everyone! A quick and fun, yet poignant read that has given me a newfound respect for NHS staff.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Medical content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, and Miscarriage

kieransilika's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

It was crazy to see how the writers pain was masked under the words of a light heart. He talked about things that would be scary, challenging, emotional and overwhelming like it was normal. Kay managed to give a great insight into a life in the NHS - balancing a non-medic point of view with an informative counter part. It makes me angry and annoyed.

the writer works on a labour ward where he is stressed and overworked, and on the other side of that: black women are 4 times more likely to die during labour than white woman. This really highlights the awful dynamic between stressed workers and inadequate healthcare - a clear change needs to be made for employee and patient benefit.

overall the book was informative and intriguing and definitely a great read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racism, Dementia, and Abortion