did you know that if you're mental* you can't have anything physically wrong with you as well

[yesimmental]

It's all in your head

DH has 2 (yes 2) diagnosed yet completely unrelated conditions. Dr's hate dealing with him. Especially as some common illnesses can have severe consequences due to 1 of these conditions, but how he reacts can seem over the top due to condition number 2.

Heaven forbid he just wants the best management for either so that in the long term he is as healthy as possible and therefore less of a burden on the NHS!

I know someone who had very bad pelvic problems when she was pregnant with her DS1, and she had the same attitude of well you're pregnant, get on with it, because it was first she accepted this, but after talking to other new mums realised that this was not normal, so when she was expecting number 2 fought like crazy to get the proper health care and help that she needed.

Absolutely disgusting, the way she was treated, there was absolutely no need for her to suffer at all.

The fact I was sleeping 23hrs a day, my balance went, eyesight went blurry and I could hardly walk was because I have a MH condition. I was anxious (despite never having had anxiety before) and just needed to breathe into a paper bag.

I was eventually diagnosed with MS

I work in MH and there is a push to really focus on physical health promotion. It is acknowledged that people with MH conditions are prone to certain illnesses AND these are often diagnosed too late due to MH medication and symptoms 'masking' the physical health condition.

I have MH issues. I'm also a social worker. When I was seriously ill a couple of years ago, narrowly avoiding a section, I was treated with a huge amount of respect and deference. The CPNs made no secret of the fact that this was because I was a professional in the field.

I now work in independent advocacy, and the skills I have certainly came in handy when my daughter was seriously ill physically. Having me to advocate on her behalf meant that I got information and treatment that she was too sick to get for herself.

Incidentally, people with mental health issues, learning disabilities, dementia etc are entitled to advocacy.

I think that the problem is if you have one health condition, they always just seem to focus on that forgetting that you are just as likely to have other conditions as everyone else.

I have MS and I always feel that every symptom is put down to that whereas it often might be something else. Also I think other issues aren't always taken very seriously as health professionals feel it's the least of my problems.

This is what I don't like about the UK system- GPs as the gatekeepers of the NHS.

I think with higher levels of literacy/education/the internet we should be able to self refer todoecualists much more.

Eg if you have a mh problem you see your psychiatrist
Your DCs sees paediatrician
If you have a lump you go straight to an oncologist
A gynaecologist for reproductive issues
Etc etc

GPS should just be for minor conditions/unknown symptoms IMO

Sorry that should be 'to specialists'

Been there too. I don't know about anyone else, but I had reached the point that I was entirely convinced by and comfortable with the medical decision that my crushing fatigue, pain and dodgy heartbeat were merely a symptom of depression. And even five years after I received that rather terrifying 7pm phone call from the cardiology consultant asking me to come into his clinic at 9am the next morning... whereas I would never dismiss or minimise the pain and suffering and life-destroying impact that severe depression can cause, I still wish that I had "depression".

I think have a new health problem; I know when I talk to my GP about it he/she will bring up my (previous) depression. This is complicated by the new potential health problem causing paranoia and depression.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I agree with wetherall. But I have a nasty suspicion that, were the NHS to allow this, they'd put a caveat in prevention self-referrals from anyone with any kind of MH history, learning difficulty or dementia. For example, the local CFE/ME service here won't see anyone who has ever been in contact with MH services, even though nowhere in any diagnostic guidelines does it state that any MH condition is incompatible with a CFS/ME diagnosis..

This thread is brilliant. It needs to be put to use. Mn campaign.

mammatj, have you tried losing a couple of stone. Your head might just grow back of its own accord, you never know.

I don't find any comfort at all in being misdiagnosed.

How am I supposed to manage or treat my health condition unless I know what it is? How is progress supposed to be made in new, more effective treatments if most people with condition X are diagnosed as weird cases of Y? It throws the whole research project. (And that's without even mentioning the psychological damage of being gaslighted and blamed.)

The ME/CFS thing is typical.

It's entirely possible that ME/CFS causes depression (just like head injuries and strokes do). It may be an early, visible symptom.

So barring people diagnosed with depression from the ME/CFS service... Nice one.

In fact round here, the "treatment" for ME/CFS is exercise. And you're told to press on and ignore symptoms.

So if your serious heart problem has been diagnosed with ME/CFS (as I think was the case for you, BreastMilk?), round here you're fucked.

AFAIK, I was never diagnosed with CFS/ME... I couldn't get referred to the CFS/ME service because of a history of depression, so I don't know enough about the local CFS/ME service to know whether they'd have got me a more accurate diagnosis sooner. I did try and find out whether they'd be able to offer some more general advice on managing fatigue and pain now that I've got a diagnosis... again, no.

The whole diagnostic category of CFS/ME really worries as it seems a bit of a dumping ground for people with a range of unrecognised and untreated issues, both medical and MH in nature.

(Sorry, that came out wrong - I haven't been stalking you BreastMilk! I just vaguely recognise you from the spoonie threads and thought ME/CFS may have been suggested at some stage.)

x-post with you being very gracious about my clumsiness.

On the age thing..... we had an old family friend who was a fit and quite spry 80 year old. he returned again and again to his GP (incidentally, one that is nicknamed in the village where we live as 'Dr Death') to tell his GP that he felt tired all the time and had blood in his stools. He kept getting told 'You are old. This is what happens when you are old'. After a good 12 months or so a locum sent him for tests. Yep- bowel cancer. He died within 3 months.

My first attack of depression happened around the time that I was diagnosed with CFS, you know when as a health(ish) 25yo I had to spend 4 months in bed, walking with a stick for months afterwards - dunno why I was depressed
My second when I had an ectopic pregnancy (following 3 miscarriages) and my third when DD was so poorly 4 years ago & I thought she was mis-diagnosed.

So why when I go with pins & needles, numbness, pain over a period of 4 years do I get told it's depression?

Having had another think, I do think my condition wasn't treated as aggressively as it should have done as I have a past history of mental illness. I had been diagnosed (with a physical condition) but I still got a lot of "fatigue and pain is likely to be due to depression" despite my blood tests and scans indicating that I had an obvious physical cause. I changed specialists in the end and funnily enough, once I was given a more aggressive treatment regimen, my fatigue and pain all but went away! I am bitter because I sustained irreversible damage while the doctors ummed and aahed over the cause of my symptoms and it was just unnecessary!

When my dd had her car accident she spent a few days on the children's ward being treated for a graze and broken leg her treatment consisted off calpol.

We begged and begged for additional pain relief. Apparently she was being a over dramatic wimp.

She actually spent 3 months in hospital most of that in a induced coma because 45% of the skin from her body was missing.

So it happens to kids as well ones that have had front and back wheels of a van drive over them

"I'm not a doc, yada yada yada but have they looked into possible Crohn's at all? It can affect any part of the intestines- so fitting with GERD and IBS symptoms. I know a fair few people who have had Crohn's 'hiding' in the small intestine where cameras can't reach. An abdominal scan of some sort (ct, barium study, etc) would be useful to see. Technically they're not supposed to diagnose IBS without ruling out Crohn's etc first."

I know this wasn't to me but do you think it's likely a person could have Crohn's with a normal colonoscopy and endoscopy? I have close family members with IBD but gastroenterologist discharged me. I am still have unexplained vomiting, severe stomach pains and diarrhoea. I have been told I have IBS and been told vomiting every day is 'just something I'm going to have to live with'.

And if you have an underactive thyroid and are on thyroxine you must be back to normal as its such an easy to treat condition Ha!
all new research shows that its anything but easy to treat and get the balance right and some people have an genetic inability to convert thyroxine into something the body can use and will need other medication. Of course its mainly woman who suffer with this condition but every bldy magazine article says how straightforard it is to treat, tell that to people on all the support forums looking for help to get their lives back

candycoated not likely but possible. I know of 2 or 3 people that have been diagnosed with Crohn's after normal endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Are you losing weight despite not dieting?
Do you ever have blood in your poo?
Are you ever woken at night by the need to poo?

Those are three 'red flag' symptoms that indicate IBS should not be diagnosed. I can't remember where I got it from, but if you do have one of those I'll try and find it. There's a great online forum for people with IBD, suspected IBD, or friends/family. They might have some more advice- if you want then pm me and I'll pm you the name.