Hypochodriacs. Do you know any?

[punk-a-doodle]

No, I have never known an actual hypochondriac (except one histrionic borderline kid I worked with in a therapy program). But, I sure feel treated as one by most docs. I tend to hide my pain and illness to the point where when I was six, I had a collapsed lung and scarlet fever, but the guy taking my vitals didn't think anything was actually wrong with me and started yelling at me and aggressively forcing me to stand up for an x-ray (I hear he was fired...I don't actually remember much of it, I was pretty not-conscious by that point). When I broke my leg having a horse fall on it, I went on a six hour trail ride before taking a look at it. Another doctor didn't believe my ear was causing me pain because I was not fussing, and then my ear drum ruptured an hour later. And so on. So, I'd say my pain tolerance is pretty high. And yet, I seem to have some sort of chronic...condition, that so far I have had no help on with doctors. I have had the same list of complaints and observations since I was a teen, and have thus far had no relief. At least my current (female...that is apparently important in this state) doc listens to me and is trying different things. Male doctors especially have made snide comments about 'oh, I'm sure it feels like it is something', or 'sometimes we just think the pain is there'. -_- I have also been 'diagnosed' with pregnancy by four doctors (male) and one dentist (...male) since moving to this state. The culture here is interesting for sure. That has been over the last three years. I must have one of those miraculous stone babies.

The dentist came up with this wonderful diagnosis because I mentioned a particularly sore tooth. "You are probably pregnant, pregnant women often have tingling teeth". Seriously dude? Wouldn't maybe, oh, I don't know....a cavity make more sense?

And unfortunately, I'm not alone in this boat. My husband's mother has very bad fibromyalgia and constant, chronic fatigue, among other things. Apparently some medical professionals still view that as a made up illness. Awesome.

So yes, I can imagine how annoying it is to have people actively seeking attention or who are genuinely concerned that they have every possible illness. But on the other hand, I'm personally just about at my rope's end from not being taken with any grain of seriousness. Granted, this is by far the worst state I have been in as far as non-emergency health care goes. It was pretty similar when I was searching for something to help with my cystic acne. I met so many completely uncaring dermatologists who I can only assume never had a zit in their life, let alone many freakishly huge ones. X) I honestly was told things like, "don't touch your face with your hands", "eat more vegetables", and "more exercise will clear that up". After years and years of looking, I finally found a clinic that actually keeps up with the science of acne, and now have had clear skin for two years. Apparently, carrots were not the cure.

Oof, guess that ended up being a rant/whine session.

 

[rancher hicks]

I've heard it from more than one doctor . "Medicine is not an exact science".. When they can't find what's wrong it must be in your head. For some people they just don't want to be around sick people and are heartless. They make good nurses cuz they're not affected by your pain. I've had 5 kidney stones and lord have mercy they don't hurry for nothing.

The TV ads say a lot of crap to cure things but the side affects are worse. I wonder how many meds just lead to a different problem and then another med leads to another and so it goes. You take one med for one thing and then you complain of a side affect and the doc tries to fix that one and that leads to another problem and so it goes.

I watched one ad and most of it was just naming all the things that can go wrong. Many if you listen, may cause depression. What's up with that?

I wonder how much these days is "nerve" damage. Misfiring nerves signalling the brain that there is pain. Some of the cholesterol meds cause problems with the feet.

The older you get the worse it gets.

 

[Avalon1984]

My mother is a hypochondriac. For one reason or another she feels that she gets attention by acting or beign sick. People tend to get tired of it when she always wants to be the sickest. I got trampled by my horse one day and she was trying to tell me that her toe that she hit the wall with hurt just as much. Really? Now she may have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and she seems actually excited about it.

 

[reereechickens]

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Oh Lord can I soo relate to this one!!!! My Mom is like this and it is so anoying!! She tells people to go to the Dr. and demand this med or that and what the dosage should be!! What really is scary is she doesn' know really what she is talking about!!! I'm a Medical Lab Tech and I finally started calling her bullsh#t! I put up with her made up illnesses for about 10 years and finally grew a spine and call her out on it!
My mother in law is an example of the abuse of meds when you don't need them and now her health is very bad and it is hard to give her sympathy or empathy. Her and my Mom both get mad when the test come back normal especially when they don't have cancer!!!The horror!! I just call them out on it and do it while looking them in the eye, it took practice. I hate it when something is REALLY going to be wrong but if the story starts sounding weird I shut it off. Like=Those Dr.'s don't know what they are doing, I told them off, I've been to 3 Dr.s in 2 days, I can't believe how high my medical bills are, that drugstore shorted me of my meds! SHUT UP!!! Or if I'm being nice I say"This is starting to smell like bullcrap, enough!" If it was my Grandmother I would stay quiet and show respect but I would avoid the "How are you or are you feeling ok?"
I'm glad it's not me.

 

[reereechickens]

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That is so sad! But I can relate!

 

[TinyChickenLady]

My mother and my parenal grandmother both are

They both need the attention they get from it.
I have some legit health issues and she miraculously ends up with the same issues within minutes. I have a cold, she has bronchitis. I sprained my thumb, she thinks she broke her toe.
I went through menopause but my symptoms weren't nearly as bad as hers (I think at the age of 18, those symptoms pretty much sucked the big one).
My grandmother would get tired sometimes so she decided she had Narcolepsy and proceeded to email all of her sons the symptoms and info on it. She and I both have Vitamin D deficiancy but her's is fatal somehow.
The list goes on and on. The biggest problem I have with it is my mother will get so angry with me for being sick and then she has to compete with me that she's sicker than I am and I should stop complaining..... I guess I just don't understand the disease well enough to feel sympathy yet...

 

[Avalon1984]

See, my mom has been depressed for as long as I know. She really should be on meds but stuff like that is unheard of in my little backward east German village. When she comes over here to visit, she normally becomes “normal” and actually smiles. I have been trying to teach her things so that she feels empowered. We built a chicken run this May. She actually had days where she didn’t complain about this ouwi or another for a whole 24 hrs. But then she goes back and it starts all over again. It’s just sad.

 

[Avalon1984]

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Yup, same here. Last time I got stung during my bee hive inspection. I had 12 or so stings on my arms to a point where your muscles start to contract and it is painful juts to move. I don't think I am allergic per se but I was getting pretty close to passing out when I had to walk back to the house. So I took some Benedryl and checked in with my mother and of course, she is deathly allergic to bees, last time she had a bee sting she raced to the doctor, oh and she nearly died. In reality he just gave her some Bendryl for the swelling on her leg and that was it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

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I personally know someone JUST LIKE your mother. If it's not one thing it's another. ALWAYS ALWAYS something wrong. If someone says that they have "something", the next day or 2, she has the same thing. If someone's back is hurting and need to go to the chiropractor, so does this person. I get so sick and tired of hearing her complain and putting on the "prune face" as I call it. She enjoys going to the doctor and coming back with a bag of "goodies" (meds). I could tear my eyes out when I hear the weekly story of "What Is Wrong With Me This Week". I can't take it anymore. Now, I just pass on by and don't even ask her how she is doing because I know what's next. And NOBODY wants to hear of her complaints - NOBODY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She always has to TOP someone else's sickness!

 

[kuntrygirl]

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I'm in the same club as you. No sympathy from me either.