to wish that people would stop (mis)diagnosing themselves?

[AKMD]

Why do so many people diagnose themselves or their children with illnesses that they do not have? For example:

"Oh, I have asthma" = you are unfit and so get out of breath easily when you do have to run for that bus.

"I am allergic to broccoli" = you just don't like broccoli.

"I have a migraine" = you might have a headache but if you had a migraine you would be at home in bed with the curtains drawn, unable to attend this party.

"DS has ADHD" = your DS is spoiled to death, you set him no boundaries and so he runs riot.

Inevitably, when sympathised with and asked when they were diagnosed the reply is "Oh, I haven't seen the doctor about it, I just know." They have no idea what life is like for people who actually do have these conditions and their laziness and exaggeration make it incredibly difficult for real sufferers to be believed or accommodated for. It makes me so cross - AIBU?

This one has no cough, and no history of asthma. But it's a nice label for her. I can fully believe she has reduced lung capacity due to smoking, or similar, but she won't accept that label. Too much personal responsibility.

She also claims to have a slipped disc in her back. Hasn't gone to the doctor, though, "because they wouldn't do anything because of the cuts".

Funny thing- I know someone who really did have a slipped disc, and the difference in behaviour between the real, diagnosed sufferer, and Ms Hypochondriac is hilarious.

My DS school is very lucky in have a ED Psych in the school 5 days week, she works with the SENCO dept, she was the one that carried out the dyslexia test on DS
DSs school has a lot of disabled/sn/ASD children travelling the county to attend this school because of the fantastic S/N department. It has the only ICAN department in the county.
Though its a main stream school, my DSs consultant attend the school one afternoon a month, to observe behaviour etc.
There is such alot of specialist involved in the school,that it has got me in two-minds two-minds to question whether they are wrong in their diagnosis [or lack of it], Im thinking of speaking to his consultant when we see him next, I find him much easier to speak to, than trying to track down the right person/s in the school

OP I take issue with the migraine example. I have suffered for bloody years with them. Some are worse than others. The really bad ones yes I need a dark room, something cold on my head, a good cry and sleep.
Others - which ARE still migraines - I can just about cope with. I spent years having 5 a week and I need to work, sometimes you cope with what you can.

I get migraines and I still function with them but it's very uncomfortable. I get a headache that lasts 3 days (had ones with the Aura which usually clear up quite quickly). Before I was prescribed 'Naramig' which prevents me from suffering for more than a couple of hours, I would go to work mostly during the 3 days. The headaches were always worse at night lying down, agony. I am tough and don't take time off work unless I'm knocked off my feet with flu or something.

If my migraines were just a headache then a prescription migraine table wouldn't clear them up.

Welsh-byrd, sounds like you are in the right school. The only issue maybe that they might have a bit of a patronising, mother knows best attitude. (mixed metaphors there!) If your DS is dsypraxic, with ADD (dropping the H) you should come to the SN children board, have a lurk and see if it feels like home.

Crossed with Justa!

Slightly different subject but one of my pet bugbears is people who sniffle then say they have flu. If they had flu they would not be wandering about spreading their germs around they would be at home in bed!

Again, the same as with migraines, sometimes people can't just stay home in bed (try being an 'unpaid carer'!!!; you're ill, tough, get on with it cos there aint no other bugger gonna come care for your SLD kids while you snuggle under the duvet)
The worst (and only time as far as I can remember) case of flu I had I sat under a blanket writing my dissertation literature review which simply had to be in a few days later. It half killed me being fair!

But I once saw a saying 'Men get flu, kids get colds and women get on with it'. I think this is pretty true in most cases.

'Welsh-Byrd, thanks for your response. I can quite see why you are dubious that dyslexia has been ruled out, indeed I am astonished that your SENCO thinks she is in a position to test for dyslexia! My understanding is that you need an Ed Psych to do so.'

No, this is incorrect. You do not need an Ed Psych to diagnose dyslexia, though not every SENCO will be qualified to do so either.

I broadly agree with the OP, though not about migraine (again!).

(FWIW, my opinion isn't worth anything much, but I've been diagnosed with dyspraxia and then dyslexia by two different ed pyschs - there is obvious some overlap on diagnostic criteria.)

ooh there's a fuckload of ignorance on here isn't there?
signed

asthmatic, allergic to shellfish & morphine (anaphylaxis) parent of three kids with ASD (one with ADHD) and everything diagnosed professionally plus 3 DLA awards in household

and if you don't like it you know where you can stick it

And then there are the people like my mil who don't believe you. When I told her I had washing up gloves because not using them made my excema bad her reply was "you don't have excema, you just have dry skin. I asked her if that was a medical diagnosis as my doctor told me I had excema! she was a bit embarrassed!

mnistooaddictive It annoys me when people don't believe your diagnosis. Ds was diagnosed asthmatic at 12 months by a peads respiratory consultant (he had had 5 admissions needing oxygen and at one point hdu) and the amount of people who tell me he isn't drives me mad. I accept it's rare but his case is different to most

Somethings are just hard to diagnose.

I always thought I had IBS.
Now instead I think instead I have a wheat intolerance and don't cope well with big meals.

Should I go to the doctor and waste everyone's time getting a definitive diagnosis? Does it matter?

another one with non-disabling migraines (not self diagnosed) - I have weird visual effects generally followed or accompanied by a headache. But if I mention having them I do try to be very clear that I'm very 'lucky' in that they are just as painful as a regular headache, not your darkened room sort of thing. The only problem they give me is that as my work involves staring at a computer screen 95% of the time, when I can't properly see what is on the screen because I have strange flashing zig zags etc, it is hard to do.... I wish there was more awareness of the range covered by 'migraine' as it would make me feel less of a fraud when I have to say I have one :)

(and yes have had eyes checked, it isn't my retinas or anything scary)

OMG! This thread has actually helped me figure out what those occasional weird blind spots and flashing sparkles in my my left eye are! People kept telling me it was a migraine, but I didn't think it could be because I don't get any pain. They usually happen when I'm really tired - or due on in a couple of days.

LadyF good migraine info in here

the site was given by my Migraine Nurologist, lots of info on the different types - sounds like you may have ocular migraine (think it has another name on the link but its the "aura" without the pain -

I've had it completely blind me before now & I lose full control of my whole right side, similar flashing lights, tunnel vision, colour blindness, nausea, can't judge space, balance etc etc etc - and of course the headaches, but I only ever once remember it putting me in bed for days on end - it is a pig to cope with, but cope I do, & thats without migraine drugs as I don't tolerate them - last lot they tried put me in hospital - maybe the OP could learn something from the link too

I have had to diagnose myself regularly due to the fact that the GPs at the local practice are totally stupid

One gave me the wrong antibiotic for my pylonephritis.

One tried to fob my MIL off with totally the wrong painkiller and then started to get annoyed when it turned out I know more about chronic pain control than he does

One failed to give ds1 an inhaler for a chronic post viral cough and he was told not to return to school until he'd sorted the cough out because it was causing so much annoyance in class - I went to another GP and insisted on his inhaler being prescribed and two days later the cough was under control and he could return to school - ds1 has since been diagnosed with asthma.

One failed to diagnose the reason for my gut problems and it was up to me to figure things out for myself, which I did, successfully.

One failed to prescribe the correct medication for my chronic sinus pain which meant over a year of terrible headaches and misery until I discovered what I should have been prescribed all along.

One failed to diagnose my chronic cystitis which was leading to repeated infections which ended up on my kidneys - I have now cured myself of the problem and it has not returned in 6 months.

Don't talk to me about the so called medically trained

I get migraines, the full shebang. Aura, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity the lot.

IF I catch it at the start with strong enough drugs I can function throughout.

There are times though that what I need to be doing is lying in a dark room in silence. This is not always possible when you have kids though, sometimes you just have to suck it up. Also some of the medication I take means I can't drive. So if DH is away and I get one I just have to push through with the kids.

So if asked what is wrong I may well have a migraine but still be functioning.

MIL is a great one for 'Well, DGC1 definitely has a touch of autism I think' . No he does not. He just doesn't like your friends who come over at 7pm and expect a 4yo who has been up since 6am to be completely well behaved while they ask him about school.

I could be at a party with a migraine. I just wouldn't be able to see much because of the big blind spot in my focus point and the massive zig zaggy colourful lines. I might not be able to speak very well because I forget words and can't remember what things are called. And then after about half an hour of feeling as though I'm in an Austin Powers film I'd have to go and lie down somewhere because I feel so exhausted. All pretty normal behaviour for a party then .

But the next day, if I got my other type of migraine, I'd be in agonising pain and vomiting.

Don't forget the people who proudly declare they are "a bit OCD" because they hooer every day, or have to have all their tins facing the right way, or soemthing . That's the one that bugs me, not sure about the rest

I've never had a migraine in my life and I practically never get headaches, but I do recall when I was growing up in the 70s, that migraine was seen as a "really bad headache" rather than the collection of miserable symptoms it actually is.

I think there are definitely people that think that if they have a really bad headache it's not just a headache, it MUST be a migraine.

Similarly the cold/flu thing. I hear what you're saying bumbleymummy that flu can be mild, but we're talking about self-diagnosis here. I expect your Swine Flu was diagnosed by a Doctor, you'd never have dared to say you had it yourself unless you felt absolutely dreadful.

My ex used to say that if you had a temperature and aching bones with your runny nose and headache that meant it was flu. I said that in that case I had never had a cold in my life but caught flu about twice a year, how odd.

MissyBrooks please think twice before telling people you are allergic to peppers when you are not especially when eating out (don't know if you do this in restaurants or not)...

Whilst clearly the restaurant in the article was at fault this statement makes my skin go cold:

In mitigation, Richard Wood said his client had been in the business for about 30 years. He said: ?He has had similar occasions to this when very small amounts of dairy products have been included in dishes given to people with allergies, none of whom had reacted in this way.

My son might die if he eats nuts, if restaurants have people claiming to be allergic to things they don't like and they see no reaction in the customer after they've maybe inadvertently eaten a little bit of something, the attitude cant develop that allergies aren't serious and then the genuine cases don't get treated appropriately. For those with serious, medically diagnosed allergies, they don't gag and puke if they eat that food, their throat starts closing up and they stop breathing...