To not realise the impact stress can have on your health?

[Jindle1]

Like most people, I've had a lot going on over the last few years. Bereavement, redundancy for my DP, a stressful, front line job and some ill health.

I've been having some odd symptoms for a while. Stomach trouble, hair loss headaches, weight gain and the worst fatigue I've ever had. I've powered through for months, added some more exercise, tried to clean up my diet and added some vitamins. No change.

After falling asleep at 8pm for the last 2 weeks, despite sleeping a full 10ish hrs a night, I finally went to see my GP.

It's stress! All of the weird symptoms, the general awful feeling. I would never have thought it could make me feel this bad. Especially without me putting that together in my head!

Just wanted to flag because I know many people are finding things stressful at the moment. And taking things onto your plate may feel like the 'quickest' or 'easiest' option but it very well may have a bigger impact down the line so look after yourself!

Stress and sugar 2 biggest killers 👍🏿☘️

I agree with you, I'm the same.

Do have a blood test though, unless you've already had one. Sorry you're feeling like this too 💐

I could have written your post. I hope things get easier for you soon.

I have just started to realise this...

Did the GP diagnose the stress? What did s/he recommend?

Stress certainly has a huge physical impact on the body, and long term effects.

However did your doctor order any blood tests or anything else or just tell you it was probably stress?

Acute stress, divorce, selling my home, moving cross country, the death of my beautiful very old cat made my hair fall out, I also had a stroke as my blood pressure was 210/140.
I'm fine now and my hair has grown back but stress is not to be sniffed at.

this.

yes, stress can cause your symptoms, but so can serious illness.

Would recommend some blood tests if they didn't do any, or failing that, a good multivitamin with iron, zinc etc.

My MS was initially put down to stress. I agree stress has a lot to answer for but symptoms should be properly investigated.

You could also be anaemic or B12 deficient, blood tests are a must. Extreme fatigue can be a start of many different illnesses, less or more serious, so please push for blood tests OP.

Thanks everyone. I'd always recognised on some level that stress wasn't positive etc but I didn't realise it could make me lose my hair!

I had blood tests about a year or so ago and all came back okay thankfully. Can things change so quick that I may require another?

Agreed OP. I admit I was always quite cynical about stress/depression in people who looked like they had a good life and 'no reason' for stress or depression. I was generally a 'coper'.....until I wasn't - very stressful job full, insomnia/inability to sleep, working during annual leave/christmas holidays etc.

I just got on with it despite everyone telling me it wasn't sustainable. then I developed a lot of symptoms in addition to the insomnia such as joint pain, indigestion, headaches - eventually went to GP and was admitted to hospital that day as an emergency with stage 4 hypertension / in a hypertensive crisis. I could easily have had a stroke (family history) or worse. I also developed a drinking problem and was an abuser of alcohol for nearly 3 years - I used wine to help me sleep to begin with and it spiralled. I'm still fighting the alcohol abuse but am currently nearly 6 months sober after numerous relapses.

I don't mind admitting (although I am a bit ashamed) that it took me being like this myself to really appreciate the impact of stress on the mind and body and I have much more empathy for people who suffer despite looking like life is a breeze from the outside.

I hope you are getting lots of support and looking after yourself @Jindle1 - it has taken this toll on my physical and mental health for me to have the strength to put myself first a bit more and be a bit more selfish. I've changed jobs and took a significant pay cut but I feel so much happier. In fact I am now weaned off my anti-depressants and sleeping really well on most nights. I felt guilty at the loss of income but I was effecitvely subsidising my adult children and my husband's brother and friend (that's another thread!!) as a lot of mine/DH's money went to them. Now I tell DH if he wants to subsidise others, he can do extra shifts and tell my DC if they don't have enough money, they need to cut back on luxuries!! I just wish I'd done this years ago before the drinking in particular got out of hand.

I think a year or so ago can be quite a long time in terms of health? I would ask for full range of blood tests - others on here will be better able to advise what tests it’s good to ask for. I’d then also ask for a copy of your results.

Thank you for sharing @Mybestyear and I'm sorry to hear you've been so unwell. I'm glad things are heading in the right direction now.

I definitely recognise the 'cope-r' mentality. To be honest, I'd rather I had a vitamins deficiency or something easy to fix rather than having to re-haul my current lifestyle but I know if I don't do it now, I'm likely to make myself properly ill.

Good luck with the recovery!

@Jindle1 -thanks. I am in a much better place now and I really regret not taking care of myself earlier. I’ve put my family and friends through hell over the past couple of years with my drinking - not saying this happens to everyone - but I was definitely self-medicating for the stress. I’d hate for anyone else to go through this.

Yup. I live with chronic stress on my body. I am in fight or flight, freeze all of the time. It’s ruining my body. It’s responsible for inflammation and cancer. But when you e lived a very hard life with horrific abuse, your nervous system gets stuck. It’s a life long process to heal that.
Your body and mind are not separate. They are connected. Your body is reacting.

Thanks both

I have been thinking this for a while now, since returning to work full time last year after having my first baby, I’ve never felt right, I’ve had bloods done twice and all is fine, it’s simply lack of sleep, lack of me-time, lack of nutrition, balancing all the plates of full time working and motherhood.

My body makes up physical symptoms, I have psoriasis, an eye twitch, muscle pains, and headaches. These get worse the more stressed I am, it’s crazy, we went on holiday just to a little caravan park for a week and a lot of the day-to-day stresses of life weren’t apparent, and I felt bloody wonderful.

I have a squint which I was born with, recently went to see the optician and was talking to her about it. She said she had a woman come in recently who's eye had turned completely outwards suddenly and wouldn't turn back in. Turned out it was due to stress from bereavement! I had no idea stress could trigger something like an eye squint, but apparently it can. Amazing what it can do to your body.

So hard to sort though, stress, isn’t it? I’m widowed and bringing DC up alone. My eldest has some additional needs and although I love him dearly, the stress and sleep deprivation he brings to my life is immense. And as I can’t really rehome him, that’s that. Chuck in a job, another DC, parents getting older, my home to look after alone, and…argh.

My Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer the same month that my marriage broke down and my ex dh promptly moved hundreds of miles away (leaving me with 2 young, traumatised dc)
I thought I was coping until I woke up one morning, barely able to see out of one eye.
A trip to eye casualty confirmed that it was caused by stress 😳

I'm sorry everyone's plate is so full at the moment! I think this is part of it for me, I have it much easier than many people and wouldn't have expected for my situation to be impacting my health.

The first time for me was losing half the roof on my home due to a storm & the threat of my husband to be being unemployed, all in the space of 4 days, I had a mini breakdown at work & ended up being signed off for 6 weeks. The second time was the breakdown of my marriage, being raped, homeless, finding out I was pregnant & subsequently losing my baby at 16 weeks & going through the family courts & getting divorced, cost me my job & I haven't worked for 12 years. Stress can be a killer, so many illnesses can count stress as a contributing factor.

Yep, i’m in that boat. About 2 years ago developed mild stomach issues, made an effort to live more healthily (gave up booze, reduced sugar, eventually became gluten & dairy free) - my issues became worse and worse, I became thoroughly fatigued - went to bed at 8pm, could do the basics of parenting, no more. Drs were concerned enough for endoscopy, mri and ct scans plus some other investigations - all came back clear of anything major. In the midst of this dh decided to have 2 non urgent ops done (issues were interfering with his hobby)… pretty sure now it was/is all stress. I’m doing much better, but not all the way there yet. I can now see that the stress of Covid, bereavement, one of my kids being bullied when they did get back to school, responsibility for elderly relatives, dh working from home and being permanently present (he used to work away pre pandemic) and putting everyone’s needs above my own every minute of every day etc etc obviously got too much. Still ‘recovering’ but pulling myself back together bit by bit. And DH still thinks it was really reasonable to invalid himself for 2 months whilst I had dropped to six and a half stone and could barely function🤷🏼‍♀️…..as I say, still recovering!!!

Oh & I think what really helped me get better was getting back on the vino and eating as normally as I could again.