Pre-Occupation With Health

[cristiana]

Hi everyone

 

I have just been chatting with a friend from this site and we thought it would be good to post this question.  

 

I have always been a little bit anxious about my health but when I fell ill with celiac disease my blood tests revealed that I had elevated blood protein (gamma globulins) and anemia and for a while my doctor was wondering if I might have a type of blood cancer. I was so delighted when it turned out that instead I had celiac disease and these blood readings normalised once I had adopted a gluten free diet.  However, ever since then, my health anxiety knows no bounds.  Every pain 'could be something serious' - and it isn't just me, I worry about everyone close to me when they have an ache or pain.

 

Has anyone else gone down this road and come out the other end?  Any tips on how to cope?  I suppose one way of coping would to be not to google which I am trying to do less of!  I would hate to give up this site, though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[icelandgirl]

Oh girl...you know I do. I'd love some ideas for coping as well. I wasn't always like this...but having the 4 diagnoses at one time: celiac, h. Pylori, gallbladder polyps and uterine polyps turned my world upside down. A few months later I had a breast cancer scare and just a few weeks after that Hashimotos. I realized that I wake up with fear to some degree each day and I hate it. I can't help but wonder though each time something is wrong though if it's something bad. When I have D, like today, I'm going through my food journal trying to figure out something, agonizing over what it could be. When my husband has D, he has no worries. I want that feeling, but I don't know how to get there.

[GF Lover]

I think for both of you that in time your fears will fade somewhat.  It takes lots of time to become comfortable with managing health issues and you both know it takes a long time to heal and feel like you can actually live life again.  You can make yourself hyper sensative to every little itch, pain, rash, bathroom run, headache etc.  Make sure not to get paranoid that every single issue is another major health crisis.  Let the diet do its job and heal you.

 

There is one coping/stress/axiety stratgedy that I swear by.  Mindfullness.  Look it up on Wikipedia to learn what it is then google away for ways to incorprate and practice it in your life.

 

Colleen

[bartfull]

I'm just the opposite. I am a master denier. That's why I went so long before finally admitting I have celiac.

I've had this painful lump on my jawbone for years now and the doctor said it might be cancer, but I never went for further testing because I don't want to know.

Right now I have a very sore wrist that might be some kind of arthritis thingy, and it's my left wrist too, which I need to play my guitar. But hey, if I don't worry about it it'll go away eventually.

I know that because I went on eating gluten for years there is a good chance I have thyroid problems. Eh, I don't think about it because I just don't care.

I'm one who should probably worry about my health MORE, but I'm just not the worrying type. Never have been.

[1desperateladysaved]

I have made many of my own discoveries over the coarse of my illness.  For now, I wouldn't worry about some occupation with it.  I think one should keep their mind in gear.  I also think it usually slows down  the better one feels.  After one learns what they need to  know to recover and they do it, it takes less attention in ones'  life.  I must admit though that I have been much occupied with health pursuits for years.  I recently discovered that I have super-sensitive allergies and these are likely the reason for my being so absorbed.  I believe the people that experienced celiac without the allergies would agree that it takes less energy as time goes on.

 

Dee

[nvsmom]

I'm a bit of a denier too... okay, well I'm quite a good one. I tended to let things go until I can't ignore it anymore. Occasionally that works but I've dug myself some holes that I can't get out of by ignoring stuff.  You would think I would be better now but I have two requisitions for blood tests and one for a hip Xray (arthritis?) that I've been ignoring for months.  LOL

 

On the other hand, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease I jumped right in for a while and pursued other issues. I got a hypothyroidism diagnosis days after my celiac disease diagnosis.  I was convinced that I had lupus when my symptoms were re-flaring up almost a year into eating gluten-free; the doctors said no it was celiac disease, and I am slowly improving but I still wonder sometimes.

 

I was also very worried that I had a pituitary (brain area) tumour when it was found that my growth hormones were way high.  Further tests make it look like it was high for no reason...thank goodness but weird.

 

I think part of it is due to the fact that we are now educating ourselves about our health. I used to trust doctors and now... well, I know they are human and make as many mistakes as me - which is a scary thought.  Dr Google is a blessing and a curse.  We can help ourselves but along the way, we will misdiagnose ourselves, and then annoy our doctors.   LOL

[icelandgirl]

It's so interesting how different we all are. I would love to have a little of what bartfull and Nicole have. So jealous of your ability to deny right now! Lol!

Colleen...thanks for your suggestion of mindfulness...I will look into that.

Nicole...I think you are right in that we have access to so much info now and that can be good or bad. When I was in my 20's I had major issues that led to brain surgery. But back then I didn't have a computer so I just had to rely on Dr's to tell me what was up. One Dr said I had either a brain tumor or MS(without doing any kind of testing)...I was devastated. But it was neither. I stopped trusting Dr's then. Now I research everything to death though. Not sure which is better.

Dee...I also have terrible allergies...not fun!

[cristiana]

Thank you all so much.   There's so much good advice above I feel I ought to print this post out and stick it on the kitchen wall and next to the medicine cabinet.   I really appreciate your taking the time to reply to this.  Many of my relatives have sailed through life ignoring aches and pains and even more worrying symptoms and have got through to the good age of 80+.   Thank you Bart and Nicole for making me smile!

 

I do think that the internet is a terrible thing in the hands of a hypochondriac.  My grandmother was a hypochondriac in the era before internet but she owned five medical dictionaries.  Her doctor used to joke that she knew more than he did!  

 

gluten-free Lover - thanks, that thing about managing health issues taking time to get used to.  I think part of the problem is that.   I don't mind eating gluten free, it is the half-yearly blood tests that I find anxiety inducing as I always worry that something weird is going to turn up again especially with unexplained issues still occuring. But my husband says to me I should be grateful that I am being looked after so well and of course he is right.  I think when this sort of thing happens mid life as it has in my own case it is also difficult to know if the pain is just wear and tear related to age as opposed to a new health condition.   

 

What was telling was a holiday in Italy took my mind off my pain for a while as has a recent project I have been involved in outside the home. I think I do overthink things and that either magnifies the symptoms or causes more through plain anxiety.

 

 

 

 

[Marilyn R]

Have you seen an endocrinologist and a rheumy?   If you pass their work ups, you can rest easy.  

 

Here's a link you may find helpful, if you haven't hit it already.

 

Open Original Shared Link.

 

Good luck.

[nvsmom]

Thank you all so much.   There's so much good advice above I feel I ought to print this post out and stick it on the kitchen wall and next to the medicine cabinet.   I really appreciate your taking the time to reply to this.  Many of my relatives have sailed through life ignoring aches and pains and even more worrying symptoms and have got through to the good age of 80+.   Thank you Bart and Nicole for making me smile!

 

I do think that the internet is a terrible thing in the hands of a hypochondriac.  My grandmother was a hypochondriac in the era before internet but she owned five medical dictionaries.  Her doctor used to joke that she knew more than he did!   

.

 

A few days ago my mom was complaining about how bad doctors are now a days but I was disagreeing with her.  I think doctors are better now because they know more BUT we, the patients, also know more so when they screw up and miss things we can call them on it.  Looking through my old medical records, I found a bunch of mistakes that should have been addressed but Dr Google was not yet around when those mistakes were made.

 

My mom and I did both agree that more doctors need to listen to and treat according to symptoms and not just the tests. It's our experience that many doctors treat a lab result like the word of God and won't question it a bit. Black or white.  KWIM?

 

Anyway, in the meantime let us curse middle age.... It's like a punishment for having too much fun in your youth.  

[Serielda]

Absolutly I am  concerned about my health. Granted up until my diagnosis I wasn't the most aware of things, but I did try to do what I thought was correct. However looking back at things such as my  2011 hysterectomy and fibromyalga diagnosis, I look back and saw I still had a fair-weather approach toward things. It wasn't until 2014, when my Celiac diagnosis I woke up to things, however imo waking up with celiac disease is a waking nighmare. Granted it could always be worse, yet I am greatful it is something that can be controlled.

Even post diagnosis, up until 3 weeks ago or around that I thought I was doing everything right then came surprise surgery.  I knew something was bad bad bad wrong. I was on my way to New Orleans for a IT programming workshop I had been waiting a year to attend and was very excited about it, but two nights prior to the event I had went out for drinking and karaoke with some of my friends later that night I started to feel very wrong. I checked google to double check the coctails I orderd the alchol was Gluten Free. They did check out, so why was i feeling those still way to scary symptoms of being glutened.  So anyway Friday rolled and I more than attempted to go to NOLA, few miles from where I reside but due to procrastination from fatigue I  was late, so I  mucked about the French Quarter, on water only minus the iced coffee I had ordered( or as I call disaster in a 21 oz cup). Saturday, Gameday or the offical day of coding and networking. I am up at 6am to make my drive, cept I decided Nooo I am so not driving feeling like this, so my hubby took me. By noon I was on the phone calling him to come get me. For the love of god, the simplest things any coder or novice such as myself should know I could not seem to quickly think of right off the bat and I was no stranger to Ruby and Rails coding. My thought at the time was yea I've been glutened as I had brain fog going on.  Later that night I wound up in the ER(Thank god for PTO and vacation time) and informed my gall bladder had went on a rampage and they advised removal. Post surgery when one of the surgeons who operated on me came by to visit as routine, but informed me Seri, seriously " no grains at all" Sweety I know you want to be vegan but you are a fabulous train wreck inside. And he hooked me up with a nutritionist that slammed my sweet bottom on a paleo diet. Just the kind of crap you want to hear when you are a vegan right? Granted post that debacle I am listening. I hate it, due to my concious but I am told if i want to get well I need to listen. I am still searching for ways to stop feeling so freaking guilty when I eat because of the  piles of dead flesh on my plate, but I do not want to check off this planet due to bs I can control. Yes it P.o's me no girls night out cocktails for awhile, and other things but I can say after my American"Diet" Horror story I am fighting to  stick around and now Über aware and concious of what I am sticking down my throat hole.

 

As for the vegan thing, I still want to  be one, but at the moment i have what I can a lame way of showing care by not carrying  handbags or wallets made of leather(bless you Vera Bradley) or shoes that are  non leather and buying products containing no animal. It's not the same but I know it helps in its tiny miniscule way.