to have SO MANY health issues at once?

[Brittapie]

Sigh. More "is my body being unreasonable" really. GRUMP.

OK, so. I have fairly severe bipolar disorder, which is bad enough in itself, but I also take various meds which give me their own side effects and stop me being able to take things like ibuprofen (or any NSAIDs) and the pill. I see someone at least once a week for various aspects of this, and have to bear it in mind when eating, drinking, exercising, sleeping and making any kind of decision. I also have to deal with a lot of prejudice, stigma and harassment.

I have SPD (yes, the pelvis thing that people get in pregnancy, even though my youngest is nearly 4) that makes me limp and be in pain sporadically. I see a physiotherapist and it limits my options with various physical things. Luckily not my dancing - I do lindy hop which is really energetic but for some reason doesn't often hurt my pelvis. I do have to be very fussy about only dancing on slippy floors in slippy shoes though, but a lot of people are anyway. The main effect it has on my life is pain, but mostly at a low level.

I have terrible periods. Heavy and painful. I take tranexamic acid but still sometimes have really long periods that are sometimes till fairly heavy. The prescription painkillers I was taking I can't any more because they interact with other medication, so this month is going to be horrible. I'm going for an ultrasound scan tomorrow.

I have mystery bad joints. Creaky and stiff. I have no idea why. I went for blood tests and nothing showed up.

I am anxious about a lot of medical proceedures - I'm having to get better at blood tests because I'm having them all the time at the moment. I've never had a smear test. I have a mole that looks really dodgy. Two of my teeth have snapped off and I have been on a waiting list to be sedated so they can even look at them for nearly two years (not the same list - I moved after a year on the first one so had to join a new list)

I can't swim, I'm scared of heights, milk makes my entire face hurt so I avoid dairy, I'm diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia, I can't have more babies because of birth complications.

I'm only 28 FFS! I feel like people are rolling their eyes behind my back. I know some people think I make the things up for my own twisted amusement or to skive off or whatever. I've had some utterly horrid things said to or about me recently regarding my health. None of it is stuff I can prove either, well not without inviting them to read my medical notes. I probably look fairly normal.

Can we all be disapproving of my body? Stupid body.

Has anyone got a "healthy pill"? That's all I want really...

Bipolar makes you want to do the things that would make it worse!

oh yes

Tell me about it. I have a list of things that need to get sorted, but they keep getting pushed to the back of the queue as other more pressing health issues arise. Sick of it. I know what you mean about feeling like a walking disaster area and the people get fed up with there always being something wrong. Feels like I am constantly going to appointments/having tests and that I take bucket loads of pills each day.

My list reads as follows:

Recovering from major surgery number 3 to repair birth injuries (hopefully finally coming to the end of that saga)
PTSD due to the above
Recurrent infection due to faulty immune system
I have a salivary calculus that needs to be removed
And I really need to get my piles 'done'

Also have problems with milk (plus gluten and a severe nut allergy). Sick of constantly telling people that I can't eat something.

BTW I can't swim either. Hate it. Always have done. Flail about in an uncontrolled and ineffective way (hypermobile), invariably sink, and hate the noise. Hate getting wet as well, so I really am on a hiding to nothing with that one.

I used to think of myself as a healthy person! I just want to resign and start again!

Sorry - this has turned into a moan-fest! Didn't mean to crash! You are not alone OP, although obviously your bipolar is a far more serious and long term deal than my stuff. Have a hug and a (assuming our various medications will allow it).

anyway if you haven't already, the self management courses run by MDF or whatever they call themselves these days can be really helpful, and the self help groups might be a useful source of support and ideas and information

I know everything is quite shit but hopefully this is one area you can help to make a bit less shit, at least some of the time!

"Oh hi, I'm mania, and what you really really want to do is go and drink all that vodka, stay up for 3 nights in a row, don't eat and spend ALL YOUR MONEY on these BRILLIANT IDEAS, then go and have random sex with unsuitable people, tell everyone all about it, bounce about and make ALL THE ART"

"Hi, I'm depression. Just look at what you just did. Dickhead. You are the worst dickhead in the history of dickheads. All you are good for is sitting in a dark room and eating and crying and never talking to anyone or moving or washing or getting dressed ever again."

And this is a condition where you have to eat, drink, sleep and behave in a healthy and balanced manner. Sigh.

Cardamom - all are welcome in the moan fest! I usually feel like a fraud when I see people moaning about having "proper" issues that need actual operations and so on, so don't worry

:( I know, I really really know

hugs x

I feel a fraud too cos none of it might actually kill me, so it's not 'proper' illness and it 'doesn't count' (thanks DM for instilling that message so thoroughly when I was growing up)!

(some of my ideas ARE really good though )

I should add, those examples I gave of mania and depression are really quite mild examples. Bipolar is a proper bitch.

I keep thinking, maybe I should win the lottery and check myself into a lovely hospital were they will mend everything all at once and I will live happily ever after

I'm also fed up with people asking how my vagina is. (Usually not as blunt as that.)

Know how you feel OP.
HMS/SPD here plus carpel tunnel & dodgy periods. I'm under constant checks for melanoma too after having it 10 years ago so GET THE MOLE CHECKED!
Have you had calcium/vit D /folic checked? My rheumatologist checked those ASAP as they can cause problems.

Britta .

Oh Mitchy, if I followed through (or remembered) half of my ideas when up I'd be a multi millionaire

I know that feeling, why is it never just one thing wrong?? It's a nightmare always having to say no and let people down.

Brittapie, are you me?

I don't have bipolar, but I have depression and have done since I was 17. I had breast cancer two years ago (all gone) and am still suffering from treatment side effects, including severe fatigue that affects everything I do - constantly planning and re-planning what I can do and balancing what needs to be done against how I'm feeling.

I have fucked-up joints that like to dislocate randomly. My hip is currently doing something really weird where it doesn't feel stable, hurts like crap and makes me fall over.

Lots of other little issues too - hot flushes, feeling itchy, brain fog, blah. I saw a nice doctor today, for a change, and burst into tears over it all because while I felt daft going for what I feel was a massive list of trivial issues, they all add up to make me miserable.

And I'm only 29!

I've had SPD for 17 years. My pelvis is plated at the front and the SI joints are fused with bolts. I can not walk unaided and have regular multiple steroid and LA injections into my pelvis under GA. The pain is so bad sometimes I can not even wear clothes. I have severe neuropathic pain in both legs.

I can not take any strong pain killers because they give me migraines and as it is I get 15 a month. I am having Botox for them in 2.5 weeks. I, also, have Ménière's disease so the painkillers make my dizziness worse.

I have Fibromyalgia. I saw the GP today, she thinks I have some sort of arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome!

They are like buses, aren't they, these long term health conditions.

BUSES.

Pah.

Just reaching out. I've got bpd (borderline personality), rheumatoid arthritis, CIDP (a rare neuro disorder that affects my mobility, balance etc), prem menopause (I'm 42) which has led to awful migraines and very occasional - so I can't plan - periods with nasty flooding and clots about 3x/year. I had ongoing kidney issues including daily stones, triggered by pregnancy but I'm 3 years free of that now.

Awful. Have a wee hug ().

YANBU

Another multiple health issue sufferer here and it is wearing

depression
coeliac disease
mixed connective tissue disorder (symptoms of several connective tissue disorders all at the same time, mainly lupus and myositis)
fibromyalgia
pelvic organ prolapse

On the hen night...go, enjoy what you can, and don't apologise for your lack of involvement. If anyone asks "Not joining in?" Say No, smile beatifically and exclaim how much fun it looks. No more.

"They are like buses, aren't they, these long term health conditions."

Oh yes. I was one of those lucky people who never saw the doctor, never went to hospital, only ever got minor coughs/colds. Then suddenly I'm at the doctors almost all the time with a list of problems related to various long term health issues.

Another one who is only 29 and apparently trapped in an OAP's body.

Wow my insomnia led me back here, I can't believe how many people on this thread have such similar issue!
I'll add mine to the list:
Spd, also 4 years.
Irregular and hideously heavy periods, clotting, painful two week ovulation and hormonal acne
Severe anxiety and depression
Scoliosis
Connective tissue disorder
Hypermobility and borderline hypermobility syndrome
Er....
Insomnia
Disappointment
A deep sense of longing for another body and mind
I'm early forties and I swear if it wasn't for my children I'd be checking out right about now.
Sad thing is my kids aren't that bothered about being around me as I'm so lacking in energy of motivation and am always sore.

OK, nc'ed so as not to be outed to anyone but Brittapie:

Love, if you was a horse, we'd shoot you. Don't fret about it. I don't get upset because nobody can invite me to anything that requires me to sing in tune, do I? Or because occasionally bits of me have to be reattached* because I moved wrong? Or because sometimes I just light out for the tall timber because everyone's looking at me funny. Anyone that needs to know, knows your assorted problems are real.

*Exaggerated only slightly for comic effect.

Even my GP looked at my notes and sighed "oh dear, you take all these pills, it's going to be hard to know what else to give you..."

Thanks for that, doctor

And Unauthorised can bugger off (they are a RL friend)

Only pulling your leg.

Just like your physio does

And in all fairness, I've seen you taking your meds. Honestly surprised you don't rattle when you're dancing.