Have You Ever

[dbmamaz]

During your journey from sickness towards health, before during, after or without dx, have you ever been:

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?

2) been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?

My husband called me a hypochondriac this week, and my daughter is constantly implying my son is faking every one of his symptoms (so far he's mostly aspergers/bipolar, but i'm trying to wean him off dairy for now, due to constant stomach symptoms)

My favorite nurse-practitioner at my pcp's practice, who left that practice to join a wholistic practice, prescribed me anti-depressants for my fatigue . .. i never did try them, tho.

anyone else?

[Jodi Mills]

Ha...I know the feeling. When I was diagnosed finally at six and started acting normal. Later my mom tells me that I am ADD/ADHD, and it was up to me to take the pills, I was diagnosed ADD/ADHD before going gluten free as a child, once I started eating gluten free the symptoms went away, not completely, I still am ADD/ADHD(adult stages) but without the pills I have learned to control it. I think it is funny how dr.s think that a pill can control any "unwanted" behavior. I get called a hypochondriac(sp?) too, alot, or told that I am just doing this diet because i think I am overwieght, or whatever, you name it, people have said it to me....

first of all, if i thought i was overwieght i would be crazy, i wiegh 130 lbs at 5'5"thats fully dressed with wet hair...lol I think until this disease is known, and out there, that we are going to continue getting the same attitude from people.

That is why I am totally extatic about this site....I love it, it is amazing, and i have gained more knowledge and insight in the last week i have been on here, then from the books on celiac i have read.

[MrMark]

...called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones...been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition...anyone else?

Everybody who really knows me understands that being gluten free has changed my life - nobody has questioned that except my coworkers that are clueless about gluten. I have been suffering manic depression for my whole life and was on 4 different psychiatrist prescribed meds that did nothing for the bipolar. Gluten free has released me from the bipolar, imagine that . I have never been able to loose weight no matter how much I exercised. My wife has watched me loose 20 lbs in about 2 months since being gluten free - I haven't even tried to loose the weight, it is just going away by itself.

I also had an internal hernia surgery, which I am almost certain was unnecessary. The pain that I experienced prior to the surgery was there the whole time I was on gluten, but now is absent, hmmm. The Dr. didn't find any evidence of a hernia while doing the procedure. I am glad that I learned about gluten when I did. Yes, gluten has caused me unnecessary evils.

[ravenwoodglass]

During your journey from sickness towards health, before during, after or without dx, have you ever been:

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?

2) been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?

My husband called me a hypochondriac this week, and my daughter is constantly implying my son is faking every one of his symptoms (so far he's mostly aspergers/bipolar, but i'm trying to wean him off dairy for now, due to constant stomach symptoms)

My favorite nurse-practitioner at my pcp's practice, who left that practice to join a wholistic practice, prescribed me anti-depressants for my fatigue . .. i never did try them, tho.

anyone else?

Oh yea. That stopped after about a year, when I had been in remission from almost everything for a few months. Even the doctors couldn't deny my return from deaths door, and don't even get me started on what the doctors did to myself and my kids in the name of treating 'depression'. Depression that does not exist at all gluten free. One of my kids will have physical scars for the rest of her life as a remembrance of Paxil, but at least we caught her before she could commit suicide. The mental scars we all have will of course be there for a real long time. I don't know if I will ever trust doctors again, and my son is the same way. If the doctors could have only listened........

[tarnalberry]

what's odd is, I've got a whole swath of health issues, and use the health services... often. I've never been called a hypochondriac, and have only gotten a "uh... you're barkin' up the *wrong* tree" once (with candida - not GI related, and I don't blame the doc in that particular case). and I've not even been recommended for antidepressants until recently, for fibromyalgia, even though I've been open about the dysthymia presumption by my psych, and in this case my docs were happy to wait for me to try other alternatives, and wait to get an eval by a pain-management psych before actually prescribing antidepressants.

it may help that I'm quite willing to drop a doctor that doesn't provide service I'm happy with at the drop of a hat.

[jerseyangel]

I've never been called a hypochondriac by any doctor--although years ago when I was sick and they couldn't figure it out, they gave me steroid injections. Looking back, I'm quite sure they did this to get rid of me for a while

I was prescribed antidepressants for my anxiety, but they caused some pretty unpleasant side effects--as long as I stay off gluten, the anxiety is almost gone. (it does come back with the least bit of CC--it's one of the ways I know I've been glutened)

[lizard00]

I too, have never been called a hypochondriac. BUT, my GI did tell me that when I did the "Atkins" diet I messed up the motility of my intestines...

My family is just so happy that I'm me and feeling good again, they make sure I stay away from gluten.

[nmw]

My primary doc tried to get me on anti-depressants for over a year before I self-diagnosed my gluten intolerance. I knew that wasn't what I needed. I ended up taking Xanax for anxiety attacks. I haven't had an anxiety attack since I quit eating gluten, thus, no more gluten.

I have the full support of my friends and family for my dietary changes, though it has taken a toll on my social and personal life.

[VioletBlue]

1. My GP ten years ago ran a dozen tests that all came back negative. He said "I can't keep on testing you. Your insurer is liable to to cancel my contract with them because I'm costing them too much in "unneccesary" tests. My employer at the time suggested stress management training to deal with my non stop nausea and joint pain.

2. I took anti depressants for well over a year. In retrospect it probably wouldn't have been necessary if I'd been on a gluten free diet.

During your journey from sickness towards health, before during, after or without dx, have you ever been:

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?

2) been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?

My husband called me a hypochondriac this week, and my daughter is constantly implying my son is faking every one of his symptoms (so far he's mostly aspergers/bipolar, but i'm trying to wean him off dairy for now, due to constant stomach symptoms)

My favorite nurse-practitioner at my pcp's practice, who left that practice to join a wholistic practice, prescribed me anti-depressants for my fatigue . .. i never did try them, tho.

anyone else?

[dbmamaz]

Great, now my mother is in on it. I've been very brain-foggy recently. I want to add back my b12 supplement, but I am on this strict elimination diet and can only add 1 thing every 3 days . .and only if i dont react to anything. But theres also always a lot going on in my life, and i'm a bit on the adhd side, a bit on the aspergers side, so its no real suprise that i get easily overwhelmed

My mom asked if maybe i should go to a doctor - i told her they always just tell me I'm fine. So then she suggested maybe a psychiatrist becuase maybe i'm depressed. I was floored. My depression is pretty much gone since I went off gluten and dairy. I used to mutter, I hate my life, under my breath all the time. now it only happens if i get glutened. I dont need anti-depressents! I do worry that i'm missing some nutrients, but i just cant find a doctor I trust.

Really annoying, tho.

[MELINE]

During your journey from sickness towards health, before during, after or without dx, have you ever been:

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?

2) been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?

My husband called me a hypochondriac this week, and my daughter is constantly implying my son is faking every one of his symptoms (so far he's mostly aspergers/bipolar, but i'm trying to wean him off dairy for now, due to constant stomach symptoms)

My favorite nurse-practitioner at my pcp's practice, who left that practice to join a wholistic practice, prescribed me anti-depressants for my fatigue . .. i never did try them, tho.

anyone else?

Well people usually tell me that it is all in my mind and the whole thing is because of stress.

They mean I have acne, ekzema, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, extreme fatigue, nausea, tingling on my toes, joint pain, brain fog and terrible headaches because of stress........ And the funny thing is that I HAVE NO STRESS for nothing at all, and all my friends know that. And then they say that I just don't show my stress , I keep it well hidden and that is why i express it through these body symptoms.

LOL.....

[mushroom]

My PCP 18 years ago tried to convince me I needed to see a psychiatrist. I politely declined and gave up talking to doctors about these digestive problems. Silly me!

My current PCP wanted to know if I was depressed. I told her you know me better than that, I am not a depressive. I said my level of depression is appropriate for my level of suffering, and no anti-depressant is going to change that. She then tried to convince me I was under stress and I said the only thing that was stressing me was my physical condition and inability to do anything, constant fatigue, etc. etc. They always want to blame your physical condition on what's going on in your head rather than what's happening in your body.

Thank goodness we now have lots of other sources of information than "doctor knows best" and we have become more assertive about our needs.

[fedora]

my sister wanted me on a antidepressant-"just the lowest dose possible, that's what I'm on"

My husband has just ignored it all as much as possible. He has been unsupportive while I was sick at times, but never disbelieving. He is 100% supportive of the gluten free diet though(he's been a vegetarian his entire life so he knows about difficult diets). And he sees I am a nicer person off gluten.

I am so emotionally scared from being dismissed as a child by drs that I wait WAY too long before I go to the doctor. What a shame. As a child I was told I had growing pains, needed to lose weight, and exercise more. I have gluten intolerance and a joint issue. Took me 22 years to figure it out. Doodoo birds.

My doctor tells me I am the healthiest looking sick person he's ever seen. I almost cried yesterday when he told me that my pain was real and it wasn't in my head. And I obviously didn't need to exercise more. AND he accepted my self diagnosis of celiac. When I told him I had been off gluten for over 4 months he said that is definately wasn't a placebo effect and I was probably a celiac. He didn't even ask me to challenge it by eating gluten or go back on it for testing. Fabulous. He suggested it himself 4 1/2 years before I went off gluten, but I was in denial, was feeling better(I had gone off wheat-duh), and I didn't have lots of diarrhea(outdated info on his part). I should have gone home and googled celiac right then. I had never heard of it. I convinced myself I did not have a problem with gluten. Denial is a powerful thing.

[lizard00]

Well people usually tell me that it is all in my mind and the whole thing is because of stress.

They mean I have acne, ekzema, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, extreme fatigue, nausea, tingling on my toes, joint pain, brain fog and terrible headaches because of stress........ And the funny thing is that I HAVE NO STRESS for nothing at all, and all my friends know that. And then they say that I just don't show my stress , I keep it well hidden and that is why i express it through these body symptoms.

LOL.....

Yeah, if ONE more person told me I was just stressed...Maybe people just don't want you to have something wrong. That's the only explanation I can come up with so I'm sticking to it.

[WhimsiKay]

The hard part here is that I am somewhat of a hypochondriac -- thank you, mom -- and so even I didn't take it seriously when I started reading up on all my symptoms. Then it got really bad, and my husband said, "Okay, to the doctor with you."

Sometimes, my husband suggests that I make things worse by stressing about them -- and while I don't think he's wrong about that in theory, I know my CC is exactly what it is. He means well, and I'm pretty sure once I can get to the point where I feel an attack coming ona nd can just find a nice mellow spot, have some soothing tea, and ride it out, I'll be less a mess when it does hit.

My mother was a hypochondriac for me -- it's terrible to say, but I think she really was hoping I'd have some sort of condition or disease so she could be the "supportive mom" to her friends. (Yegads, that sounds awful written down!) Because of that, and my tendency to "buy in" to my lack of health, I've put off diagnosis for years. Turns out she was right about celiac, but eh.

However, the only two people to really support me are my husband and a very good friend of mine. The rest of my friends (and even my mom!) are convinced that "a little won't hurt" and I'm exaggerating the severity of it.

Incidentally, the doctor I saw suspected celiac right away -- it was super-refreshing not to have to deal with the "is it in your head?" theory.

[debmidge]

During your journey from sickness towards health, before during, after or without dx, have you ever been:

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?

2) been offerred antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?

My husband called me a hypochondriac this week, and my daughter is constantly implying my son is faking every one of his symptoms (so far he's mostly aspergers/bipolar, but i'm trying to wean him off dairy for now, due to constant stomach symptoms)

My favorite nurse-practitioner at my pcp's practice, who left that practice to join a wholistic practice, prescribed me anti-depressants for my fatigue . .. i never did try them, tho.

anyone else?

This has been my husband's experience as well. His guy friends almost immediately dumped

him when he could no longer go out to the bars with them. They had no compassion nor

empathy. Doctors told him he needed psych care and dispensed anti-depressants which

did help but caused "total, all over the body uncontrolable shaking" so he could not take

the anti-depressants after all.

[darlindeb25]

1) called a hypochondriac by close family/friends/loved ones? By all of them?I don't believe anyone has called me a hypochondriac, because most of the time, a hypocrondriac also wants meds, and I never wanted to take meds for anything. My grandmother, on my mom's side, and my aunts were often called this, they always had what you had, and worse. I was never like that. All I ever wanted was to feel good.

2) been offered antidepressants for symptoms you were or are now certain were due to your gluten consumption or other REAL chronic physical condition?I was put on Xanex and Paxel. I was told at one time, that it was all in my head. I was diagnoses with anticipatory anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia--but who wouldn't be, when you always feel sick, and you worry you will get diarrhea at any time???? You do tend to panic, and you do begin to anticipate problems--then you do begin to never want to leave home!!!!

I was gluten free for a short time, and feeling so much better, when I started to wean myself off of Paxil, after being on it for over 4 years or more. Doctors never figured out celiac disease for me, and I was sick for over 20 yrs with it. You do get very depressed, and at times, you do begin to think it may be all in your head!!! Then you realize, no one would make themselves feel like this on purpose!!!! We need better tests!