Realistic vs Hypochondria?

[AlysBunny]

I have some legitimate reasons to be concerned about my health. I have a genetic disorder that predisposes me to some major issues with my joints and cardiovascular system. My mom needed her first major cardio surgery (aortic repair and aortic valve replacement) at age 36; I'm 33. Mom went to the hospital three times that week with chest pain. Because of her age, the first two told her it was just anxiety. The third time they actually did cardio-vascular tests and had her in surgery less than an hour after getting the results because they said she wouldn't have survived another day without fixing it. Super scary. By the time she was 45, my mom had several more major surgeries and was on full disability. I have the same thing but not as advanced yet, obviously. Because of the genetic disorder, chances are high that I'll end up with a major cardio-vascular surgery before I'm 40. I'm monitored regularly by the cardio doc but every time I'm in, they also give me dire warnings about the fact that because of the disorder, internal damage to my arteries could happen at any time. I'm careful with my physical health, unless the depression is really bad, but sometimes I have trouble deciding if I'm being reasonable or paranoid. I worry that every twinge is the start of the cascade that will send my health plummeting downward.


If you have both real health issues and health-based anxiety, how do you teach yourself the difference? How do you decide if something might be really an issue and what is just your anxiety running away with you?

 

[cafwen]

My advice would be to boost your confidence in your body's natural healing abilities, instead of worrying only about the real, but unavoidable, risks which you face. Focus on what you can control, like managing your cholesterol and artery health with a good diet, and give your body the best fighting chance that it has. If you are serious about this and focus on what you can control, you will feel more empowered about the situation and probably a lot less anxious as a result. You can't change your genetics, but you are in full control of what goes in your mouth. Focus that nervous, anxious energy on researching the best foods for artery health (some simple and ridiculously cheap things like incorporating more vinegar in your diet is one) and you'll have less room to stress!

 

[Hoop3]

I would discuss your concerns with your doctor. Maybe they can arrange something so that you can call and leave a message with the office when you have a symptom that is concerning (but not enough to send you to urgent care/ER) and they can call you back and give you a medical opinion on it.


I would have to say err on the side of caution. But try to work something out so that you don't wind up in the ER twice a week either. Most doctor's offices have a 24 hour on call line, and some of the larger medical groups have a 24 hour advice line. Obviously the best would be your own doctor who knows your actual medical issues.

 

[John Snort]

Being on the edge, expecting the worst at all times will negatively impact your health in the long run. Just keep going for your regular check ups and permit nothing to worry you because you can't change what will happen. All you have to do is have some sort of plan so you know what to do in case of an emergency.

 

[pwarbi]

Hypochondria is very hard to figure out I feel, and for a lot of people that are genuinely suffering with health issues I think it's easy to fall into that trap of thinking that there is more wrong with you than what there actually is. While hypochondria isn't a new issue, I do think that the internet isn't helping and these days there are countless sites around that you can search for illnesses and figure out what certain symptoms you have might mean, and that's creating a nation of hypochondriacs. What was once a simple headache is now all of a sudden a blood clot if you look up what symptoms you might have, and while this might not be the case in your situation, I think a lot of people should just leave the diagnosing to the professionals.

 

[kgord]

Yes, I think you need to train yourself to not worry about things you can't control. I think all you can do at this point is to take the best care of yourself you possibly can. It sucks to have a legacy like that for sure, but I think you want to make the best possible choices you can, your mom is only one half of your genetic legacy anyway, maybe the genetics on the other side of your family are better. I would just maybe discuss coping techniques with your doctor or a therapist...as you have some real legitimate concerns.

 

[AlysBunny]

Hypochondria is very hard to figure out I feel' date=' and for a lot of people that are genuinely suffering with health issues I think it's easy to fall into that trap of thinking that there is more wrong with you than what there actually is. While hypochondria isn't a new issue, I do think that the internet isn't helping and these days there are countless sites around that you can search for illnesses and figure out what certain symptoms you have might mean, and that's creating a nation of hypochondriacs. What was once a simple headache is now all of a sudden a blood clot if you look up what symptoms you might have, and while this might not be the case in your situation, I think a lot of people should just leave the diagnosing to the professionals.[/quote']
In my case, the main diagnosis (the genetic disorder) was diagnosed by a professional and a lab that did the genetic test. I see the professionals...and they fill me with dire warnings. I told my cardio doc last time I was in that he was scaring me and making me anxious about my health. He said that I should be concerned about my health but he didn't want me really anxious because that could raise my blood pressure too much. Then he offered me a prescription for valium, a suggestion to monitor my blood pressure at home, and a veiled comment about states with medical marijuana laws. But here's the thing, the mutated gene means that I'm prone to certain issues and have to be as careful as I can but there are other factors. Especially when people are diagnosed early and do what they're supposed to do, some of the issues can be mitigated or treated. As long as it's caught in time, the progression can be slowed down. If I'm not stupid about things and the eventual surgeries go well, I might have nearly a normal life span. (non-fatal example: I'm prone to dislocating joints and overextending but I'm aware of those things. I do everything I can to reduce my flexibility and pay attention to the amount of strain I put on them. I've still had a few dislocations but not often and usually because I was doing something I shouldn't have.)

Yes' date=' I think you need to train yourself to not worry about things you can't control. I think all you can do at this point is to take the best care of yourself you possibly can. It sucks to have a legacy like that for sure, but I think you want to make the best possible choices you can, your mom is only one half of your genetic legacy anyway, maybe the genetics on the other side of your family are better. I would just maybe discuss coping techniques with your doctor or a therapist...as you have some real legitimate concerns.[/quote']
The particular disorder is autosomal dominant (meaning I only need one copy to have the disorder). My diagnosis isn't just based on the fact that my mom has the disorder and a 50/50 chance of passing it on to her children. It's based on actual genetic testing of me, showing the mutation that causes the problem. Dad's genetics for this particular mutation are clean but it doesn't help because I got the mutated gene from mom. These days, the cousins with the disorder usually get their first major surgery sometime in their 30's. Some of them do better than mom has after. Others drop over dead in their 20's of aneurysms. A few develop dangerous arrhythmia, like my younger sister who had her first cardiac arrest at 21 and now uses an implanted defibrillator. She'll probably need her first aortic repair before she's 30. It's already in worse shape than mine.


As far as techniques, I treat it like any other type of anxiety - distraction, meditation, rescue remedy, or if it's unbearably bad, Valium.

 

[Sue]

That sounds scary I can see why you would be so worried about it. Some of them are so young to have such serious health issues. All I can suggest is keep up with you appointments and do your best to keep yourself as healthy as you can. I wish you all the best and will keep you in my prayers.

 

[ErinPaige]

I feel like I have adequate reasons to be worried about my health. I am only 21 years old, but I tend to feel ill more often than not and it seems to be getting worse as time goes by. However, when I try to mention any of my illnesses to my mom, she insists that I'm a hypochondriac - simply because she believed my dad to be a hypochondriac as well. I tried telling her that it's very likely he actually had ailments and passed them down to me, and that I could be in dire need of medical care, but she always says I'm too young to have any issues and writes it off as paranoia. She insists so much that sometimes I start to wonder if I am causing my own problems, or if I am just overreacting to normal bodily pains / discomforts...but I don't believe this is the case.

 

[whysewserious]

The other night I started experiencing a dull, aching pain in my mid to low back and became instantly convinced something was wrong with my kidneys ((I had a bad infection a decade ago and almost lost one of them). I began looking up symptoms and even though I read that it is extremely rare to have a dull ache associated with kidney disease, I had a hard time falling asleep that night.


I apologize for the over share, but it just ended up being pain associated with "lady's time".


I share that story because what we think is so important to how we process and how our bodies react. I have actually made myself sick because I was convinced I was sick. The placebo effect is very real and very strong.


I know you have been diagnosed with something that is very real, keep communication open with your doctor and try as best as you can to be objective about any symptoms. And I know it can be hard, but try not to panic because anxiety lowers the bodies immunity as well. I know it is easier said than done, but smalls steps at a time are still progress! You can do it!

 

[rz3300a]

Well there is certainly a line there, and I know that I have toed it pretty close in the past. I would not really consider myself a hypochondriac in any way, but I would say that my anxiety does build up rather quickly, and it can happen pretty easily when matters of my health are being discussed or experienced. I would say that I am more like this on the mental side, though, where I always wonder if my current medications are working. I am always thinking that I might need more, or less, or maybe try something new, or maybe I am getting a side effect and I need to get checked out. Those are really the concerns that I get, and I am pretty sure that I am not there. Very interesting, though, and thanks for sharing.

 

[Zeesi]

I tend to not really worry too much about certain aspects of my health. As a matter of fact, in the past I've ignored or downplayed certain situations until it became almost crucial for me to get them attended to right away. That's not good I know, but unless something is really bothering me, I don't stress about it.


It is only natural for you to be concerned about your health because you know the in-depth health history of your mother. Naturally you feel that your health might follow the same path that hers has, especially with doctors giving you dire warnings. Pretty nerve-wracking stuff if one sits and thinks about it regularly, but you say you are being careful with your health, which is a good thing.


I would say don't beat yourself up too much for feeling concerned about your health issues, but if you find that your quality of life starts to really, really suffer because you are constantly worrying, I'd say you might need to go and talk to someone about it.


I personally would politely ask the doctors to stop giving me their doomsday messages as well. I know it is their job to be informative, but when it gets to the point where their feedback is causing too much anxiety, I'd have to speak up and voice my feelings about their constant commentary.

 

[Alex]

You have a legitimate reason to be concerned about your health, and hypochondria is thinking that there is something wrong where there is no cause for it. Caution is one thing, but you truly know your own body and when something doesn't feel right then you should get it checked out. Maybe even get a second opinion. When a condition persists for more than a week, then it's time to to go and see the doctor.


My parents hate going to the doctor and try to figure things out themselves. I knew dad's swelling for 2 months was not normal (they assumed it was a side effect of medication) and he claims he showed the doctor the swelling when he went for a check up. Two weeks later after the check up, I end up calling an ambulance and dad is in for emergency heart surgery with a 25% chance of survival. The doctor missed it, and bot h my parents didn't want to seem like hypochondriacs. If I hadn't called the ambulance against their wishes he would have died.

 

[SoItGoes]

I have some legitimate reasons to be concerned about my health. I have a genetic disorder that predisposes me to some major issues with my joints and cardiovascular system. My mom needed her first major cardio surgery (aortic repair and aortic valve replacement) at age 36; I'm 33. Mom went to the hospital three times that week with chest pain. Because of her age, the first two told her it was just anxiety. The third time they actually did cardio-vascular tests and had her in surgery less than an hour after getting the results because they said she wouldn't have survived another day without fixing it. Super scary. By the time she was 45, my mom had several more major surgeries and was on full disability. I have the same thing but not as advanced yet, obviously. Because of the genetic disorder, chances are high that I'll end up with a major cardio-vascular surgery before I'm 40. I'm monitored regularly by the cardio doc but every time I'm in, they also give me dire warnings about the fact that because of the disorder, internal damage to my arteries could happen at any time. I'm careful with my physical health, unless the depression is really bad, but sometimes I have trouble deciding if I'm being reasonable or paranoid. I worry that every twinge is the start of the cascade that will send my health plummeting downward.
If you have both real health issues and health-based anxiety, how do you teach yourself the difference? How do you decide if something might be really an issue and what is just your anxiety running away with you?

I'm in a very similar boat. In fact, your health problems sound a lot like Marfan's Syndrome, which I have NOT been diagnosed with, but still follows me everywhere I go. Basically I've been diagnosed with Marfan's-like symptoms, but not the actual syndrome. I have to watch my aorta and eyes, and I suffer from severe scoliosis (have had three major surgeries). So basically, I experience a lot of pain and fatigue, which results in me constantly asking myself if my symptoms are normal for me or something to get checked out. The worst part is that since I don't fit into a diagnosis the doctors are pretty much guessing regarding what I should expect and what I should take seriously. I never know if I'm being overly cautious and thus depriving myself of experiences or if my situation really is as serious as it sometimes feels. The advice I give myself that I would give you is to try to remain calm and really listen to your body. You should always take concerns seriously, but also remember that getting worked up can make things worse.