Veils And Headaches

[TeresaBenedicta]

Krissylou posted an excellent question in a different thread and I thought it would be nice to see a wide array of answers (hence a new topic).

So, for those of you who have been in religious life and have worn veils of differing sorts, did you (or others) ever experience headaches from them? I know many of us get headaches very easily when wearing head bands... A legitimate worry. Will we all be cursed with headaches for the rest of our lives?

[Nunsense]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1284426412' post='2172824']
Krissylou posted an excellent question in a different thread and I thought it would be nice to see a wide array of answers (hence a new topic).

So, for those of you who have been in religious life and have worn veils of differing sorts, did you (or others) ever experience headaches from them? I know many of us get headaches very easily when wearing head bands... A legitimate worry. Will we all be cursed with headaches for the rest of our lives?
[/quote]


come to vs chat to discuss!

[Nunsense]

I haven't worn a modified one yet, so it will be interesting to see how that goes, but the full traddy Carmelite veil didn't give me a headache at all. It is pinned to the toque so it doesn't fall off, and it is reasonably short so the weight isn't too much.

Sometimes when I look at the Dominicans of Nashville and their really long veil, I wonder if the weight gives them headaches.

[Cherie]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1284426412' post='2172824']
Krissylou posted an excellent question in a different thread and I thought it would be nice to see a wide array of answers (hence a new topic).

So, for those of you who have been in religious life and have worn veils of differing sorts, did you (or others) ever experience headaches from them? I know many of us get headaches very easily when wearing head bands... A legitimate worry. Will we all be cursed with headaches for the rest of our lives?
[/quote]

For our habit anyway: for the first week or so, a Sister [i]could[/i] get headaches until she gets used to it, but if she did, that usually meant there was a problem with the way she was wearing it.

I had headaches at first but that's because I had my cap fastened too tightly. I was TERRIFIED of it falling off, so I made it really tight, and then some Sisters showed me that it really[i] doesn't[/i] fall off, even when it's fastened loosely. But after I loosened it -- voila! No more headaches! And in my four years of wearing it, it never fell off

I know some Sisters had ear trouble because there is a wire in the veil that sits on the cap. Sometimes the wire was too long and it hurt the Sisters' ears. If that happened, the wire was cut. Sometimes it would still bother the Sister, but then that was because the cap was too tight. It really doesn't need to be worn tightly, but for newbies it's hard to realize that!

The Sisters always said it's never supposed to hurt, and if it does, then there's a problem that needs to be fixed. That was usually the case - if a Sister got headaches and such, it was because there was a problem. Sometimes it just took a little getting used to (for the first few weeks the newly habited Sister is practically deaf until she gets used to having the cap sit over her ear!) but it eventually wearing the veil became very comfortable.

Hope that helps!

[Cherie]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1284455856' post='2172963']
Sometimes when I look at the Dominicans of Nashville and their really long veil, I wonder if the weight gives them headaches.
[/quote]

Our habit was similar (our foundress was a Nashville Dominican) and the material is actually very light! Our novice veils were actually heavier than the professed sisters' veils, and when a Sister received the habit it took a little getting used to (just the fact that you're wearing a veil now), but to my knowledge it never gave anyone a problem. Once you changed from the novice to professed it was strange - you were so used to having the heavier material for the white veil that you almost felt like you weren't wearing anything once you got the dark veil!!! lol

[Nunsense]

The scapular is the real problem, isn't it? One has to make sure that it is pulled aside before sitting, especially when using the toilet (so it doesn't fall in! ) or even car doors.

[Cherie]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1284465089' post='2172976']
The scapular is the real problem, isn't it? One has to make sure that it is pulled aside before sitting, especially when using the toilet (so it doesn't fall in! ) or even car doors.
[/quote]

Yes!!!! That was one of the first things the Sister who clothed us in our habit told us!!! "MAKE SURE you pull the back of your scapular aside before you use the toilet!!!" We also did it for sitting, but it was most important for the bathroom!

Actually I was in such the habit of pulling the scapular aside that when I left, I still did the motion before I sat down -- it took me a few weeks to stop doing it!

[Sister Marie]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1284465089' post='2172976']
The scapular is the real problem, isn't it? One has to make sure that it is pulled aside before sitting, especially when using the toilet (so it doesn't fall in! ) or even car doors.
[/quote]

When our sisters wore the scapular a frequent occurrence was getting it stuck in the paper cutter... you can imagine how well that went over...

[laetitia crucis]

Like CherieMadame, the main culprit to my veil-headaches was wearing the cap (or "toca" as we called it) too tight. I still remember the first morning after investiture, I came down stairs and was happy to be novicified and soon after the novice mistress assistant saw me, she pulled me aside and told me it looked like my head might explode. My cap was on too tight -- and like CherieMadame, I too was terrified of the possibility of having my veil come off. Hahahahaha!!!

It seems to took my classmates and I a few weeks to get adjusted to wearing our veils properly.

However, I do think some Sisters had problems with the caps rubbing against their ears. I never had problems with this, while others would get their ears rubbed raw.

Also, my 2nd year novice Sister of Life friend has a lot of headaches from her veil. She said it's the metal band part that stays in front of the ears that bothers her. I think she's become accustomed to it by now, but in the first few months.. that was really hard on her head and her neck.

Personally, I loved my former communities veils. No headbands, just a nice tie-on veil on top of the toca. And no hair showing. Easy as pie.

[she_who_is_not]

Some of my girlfriends and I were discussing the weird felling one gets when wearing glasses and a headband at the same time. Has anyone noticed extra discomfort when wearing a veil and glasses? I think that the headband veils would be hard for me to adjust to, because I would have to wear glasses. I hate wearing my glasses anyway. I vastly prefer contacts. It would truly be a mortification for me.

[ameliabedelia]

[quote name='she_who_is_not' timestamp='1284507004' post='2173224']
Some of my girlfriends and I were discussing the weird felling one gets when wearing glasses and a headband at the same time. Has anyone noticed extra discomfort when wearing a veil and glasses? I think that the headband veils would be hard for me to adjust to, because I would have to wear glasses. I hate wearing my glasses anyway. I vastly prefer contacts. It would truly be a mortification for me.
[/quote]


hahaha i wonder about this all the time!![img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/nerd.gif[/img]

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='she_who_is_not' timestamp='1284507004' post='2173224']
Some of my girlfriends and I were discussing the weird felling one gets when wearing glasses and a headband at the same time. Has anyone noticed extra discomfort when wearing a veil and glasses? I think that the headband veils would be hard for me to adjust to, because I would have to wear glasses. I hate wearing my glasses anyway. I vastly prefer contacts. It would truly be a mortification for me.
[/quote]


In my former community, a majority of the Sisters wore their glasses right between the toca/cap and the veil. (Although one Sister would always wear hers on the outside of her veil...) The glasses would still rest where the ear "bumps" were in the toca, but I often had problems with my glasses falling off my head if I leaned over too much. So, I wore my glasses on my ears under the toca. This took some time getting used to, as my ears would hurt at first. Soon enough I didn't notice it all that much.

I'm curious how it's going to work out with a headband-veil.

[cmaD2006]

Also -- some of the modified veils do not have a metal headband to them ... so that would make a difference with respect to headaches (I suspect).

[Cherie]

[quote name='she_who_is_not' timestamp='1284507004' post='2173224']
Some of my girlfriends and I were discussing the weird felling one gets when wearing glasses and a headband at the same time. Has anyone noticed extra discomfort when wearing a veil and glasses? I think that the headband veils would be hard for me to adjust to, because I would have to wear glasses. I hate wearing my glasses anyway. I vastly prefer contacts. It would truly be a mortification for me.
[/quote]

I actually had to wear glasses for a short time when I was a Sister, so I have a little bit of experience with this one, too!

The glasses go under your cap, and I must admit, it was irritating to my ears. It took a while for callouses to develop so I had to do a lot of wearing them, then taking them off, then wearing them again until it became a little more comfortable.

[Sister Andrew]

Well, I wear a veil and what I remember most, right after I started wearing the veil, was that my ears would hurt! I think I had it on a little too tight because I was afraid it would fall off (this seems to be a common fear)

[Sarah147]

This is a saddening thought, to have pain in wearing a veil... Ouch.


I think I'd be most concerned with losing my hearing and the pain with wearing glasses.

Edited September 18, 2010 by JoyfulLife

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='JoyfulLife' timestamp='1284840852' post='2174322']
This is a saddening thought, to have pain in wearing a veil... Ouch.
I think I'd be most concerned with losing my hearing and the pain with wearing glasses.
[/quote]

I obviously have never worn a veil, so have kept quiet in this thread.

But, I wanted to let you know that I truly hope and pray that the veil will only be a source of joy to you in your religious life, and will not cause you to hear less well or have pain when wearing glasses.

I'm always bringing up my friend Sister Helen, because she is the only religious Sister I know in real life, although, through Phatmass, I am beginning to come to know other religious Sisters and nuns, and those about to enter religious life. Sister Helen is in her early 80's, and she wears glasses, and her veil appears to cause her no discomfort with her glasses. And, although she wears a veil over her ears, her hearing is better than that of both my parents, who are of a similar age. I don't know if Sister Helen had a temporary adjustment period at first ('ve never asked), but it appears that the veil, at least for her, did not cause problems long-term.

My hope for you is that there is no period of adjustment--that the veil only brings you happiness, from the first moment it is given to you.

Edited September 18, 2010 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Sarah147]

[Sister Marie]

I agree that it is definitely the ears that hurt when wearing a modified veil. I almost never notice anything now unless I have it on too tight, but when I first received my veil it really bothered me. Now I cut my headband so that it doesn't poke my ears but stops further towards the top of my head. I can hear, but when I want my students to speak up so everyone can hear them, I say, "I'm sorry my veil must be too tight... what did you say?!" and they think its is pretty funny! [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/like.gif[/img]

[elizabeth09]

They may work with you.