ME/hypochondria/madness?

[IKnowYouAndYouCannotSing]

Okay. I have name changed for this as am a bit embarrassed really.

I am 28 with no kids. Married. Suffered from some depression in the past (about 8 years ago when a relationship broke up) and occasionally do get ?blue? but have never felt that I am ?depressed? since that time eight years ago (when I was put on a course of fluoxetine which seemed to sort the problem). I do however, have an anxiety disorder which means I get regularish panic attacks and often feelings of nervousness. This week when I went to the doctor with a bad spell of IBS (dioharrea for two weeks) he put me on fluoxetine again as he said it has been shown to help IBS patients and might calm down my anxiety and therefore the IBS. That was also when I was found to another kidney infection so am off work.

I am very often ill, with real things- IBS and often kidney infections and tonsillitis. I can see that if you were around me you might think I am always sick and how that could get wearing, but for the most part my work have been understanding and my DH unfalteringly believes I am sick (maybe because he lives with me and sees how rotten I look!!) and people close to me appear to believe me too.

In my teens I had glandular fever and then picked it up again when I was 26. It has been suggested I have ME but doctors have more or less said there?s nothing you can do for ME other than what I am doing.

But yesterday I had a call from my dad who tells me he thinks I have hypochondria as mental illness runs in the family and he wants to "help me". This was a bit out of the blue but I didn?t get angry with him, just listened even though some of what he was saying was absolute bollocks. His mother had a phantom pregnancy and tried to commit suicide, whilst on the other side of the family my maternal grandmother suffers from clinical depression and has also attempted suicide. There have been attempted suicides/suicides in aunts, great-aunts and uncles on both sides. My paternal grandfather was an alcoholic and my maternal grandmother also used to be an alcoholic. Closer to home, my mum and dad have both suffered from depression and anxiety disorders (dad had a nervous breakdown) and sister also has anxiety disorder. So yes, there are a lot of headcases in the family!!!

But dad starts telling me hypochondria is a real disease and that if I can?t afford it he will get me some hypnotherapy to "sort me out". I just find this insulting as I am not putting my symptoms on. I have had lots of tests and a lot of things are off kilter? (weird levels of things in blood, etc) but I am not (touch wood) suffering from anything serious. A specialist suggested that the IBS (which is pretty bad and pretty chronic) means I am not absorbing enough minerals, which could well be the problem and I am on a lot of supplements.

However since my dad rang me to tell me I am a nutjob, I have started to question myself a bit. What I am asking I guess is has anyone got any experience of severe hyperchondria and can it cause actual real symptoms like blood in the urine? Something tells me it can?t really, but because of my anxiety I am worried I am making myself sick somehow (haha, just read that back and love that I am worried about my anxiety vicious circle).

DH just said "You're taking advice on mental health from a man who had a nervous breakdown?!?" when I was talking to him about it and I can see his point. My dad is hardly Mr. Stable himself in terms of mental health. But I am starting to question my sanity a bit.

And does anyone have experience with ME? Should I be pushing for a proper diagnosis? Is this a cop out from GP? Am I actually a mental case??!

Am I actually a mental case??!

Probably not - there may well be a physical cause for your problems, so start by assuming that you are sane and go from there.

I speak as someone who had years of ill health and was eventually referred to a psychiatrist who pronounced me completely sane. It turned out to be the contraceptive pill that was at the root of all my issues.

Good luck

D

Thanks. Apologies for the question marks thoughout op BTW. The apostrophes have gone funny.

That is very interesting..... Did doc suggest you come off it if did you just decide to? I have got a mirena coil but was on the pill before that and stopped taking it because of headaches. Mirena was suggested as an alternative but now I think of it I've been ill for 10 years and on hormones for 10 years. A few times I've thought of getting it out and using condoms but worried about getting pregnant as would like a baby but not quite yet!

I?d been on the Pill since I was 19 ? seven years ? and for all that seven years I had been ill with one thing or another and had rather accepted that as my lot in life. Depression, anxiety, horrendous IBS, you name it, I had it. Then I decided to come off the Pill and was better within a fortnight. I haven?t used hormonal contraception since. UI ahd a diaphragm ? old fashioned but effective - and then the coil after I?d had my children.

I think with contraception it is a case of horses for courses, but I refused a mirena about five years ago. I had problems with continuous bleeding and they tried to sell me the mirena as a miracle cure and I was actually told that the hormones do not circulate through the body ? they stay in the uterus. Really? Removing and replacing my existing copper coil solved the problem in the end - it had slipped.

You might need to examine every aspect of your life style to find the culprit.

D

I agree with the above! Sounds to me like lately you've been run down. It's a vicious cycle when you're like that - you're run down so you're susceptible to illness, illness makes you run down.

To answer the question, no, I've never known hypochondria cause a positive urine dip! Your GP clearly thinks you're ill too or they wouldn't be treating you! Yes IBS is linked to anxiety - actually my medical history reads quite similar to your own! I had glandular fever in my late teens. More recently I've had several utis, D&V, kidney infections, chest infections, Head virus...- and mine is clearly worse when I'm stressed or when I'm ill. Other anxiety health related symptoms I see as a nurse are unspecified generally feeling ill, varying aches and pains, especially chest pain, and breathing problems (without any medical cause) when someone hyperventilates. However panic attacks are very real
I would take what your Dad says with a pinch of salt. I think you've had a bad run. Definitely worth considering if contraception is affecting you. It might be worth taking echinacea too and getting plenty of vitamin C to boost your immune system. I found getting more exercise as fresh aide helped me too! I hope you feel better soon.

I have ME/cfs and initially had it quite severely (difficulty walking far, couldn't manage stairs, sleeping a lot) but now I 'just' feel completely exhausted often. In my case there is a proper ME/cfs clinic in my county that I was able to get a referral to and a proper consultant diagnosis. It has been useful both in terms of dealing with work ( I had to leave due to ill health :( ) and in terms of the support they were able to offer. They had OTs that were able to give advice in terms of pacing and managing the illness. I believe it is quite similar to ongoing glandular fever.

However, some doctors do just use "ME" as a "don't know" answer which is why I think its important to be properly referred to an ME/cfs clinic if it is serious enough to be affecting your life.

It's not true that nothing can be done for ME, have a look at this website

www.southend.nhs.uk/your-services/medical-services/cfsme-service/

Each area may have its own version.

They do offer CBT, not because it's all in your head, but by changing your thinking patterns and coping strategies, you can waste less energy.

Go back to your GP and ask for a second opinion

Always start from the assumption there is something physical imo. Too easy to get written off otherwise. What else was out of kilter on the blood tests? Maybe a change of GP or a review with the old GP to see what could be at the bottom of it all. Don't accept 'm.e.' Without referral either. Dsis was written off with cfs/psychiatric problems - years on meds etc - turned out to be parathyroid problem

I have ME and I quite often think that I am a bit off my head and a hypochondriac, but I'm really not. it can be quite easy to think that you're imagining it when you always feel ill, walking 100 yards to the corner shop and back leaves you wiped out and eating almost anything leaves you with either constipated or the complete opposite.

It's not true that nothing can be done for ME, I take a few meds which mean that I don't feel absolutely terrible all the time and that I can do slightly more than I could without them. The main thing is self management, though, and you have to understand what's wrong with you and how to manage it.

You should definitely start from the point of view that you have something physically wrong with you and ignore the whole mentally ill thing. Your GP obviously thinks that you are ill or he wouldn't treat you.

You need to look at your whole life and try to see if anything is making your health problems worse. Look at diet, exercise, work, family, hobbies, stress, how much time you spend outdoors, friendships, supplements, everything to try and identify where issues could lie.

I agree with the others. Don't let the drs fob you off. They can refer you to a cfs/me clinic. Also look at your diet and look up candiadasis. I am currently waiting for my referral to come through. Dr things I have fibromyalgia. However, apparently a lot of autoimmune disorders go hand in hand with candiadasis. I am currently trying an anti candida diet to try and get myself better so I can cope better.

My dad has big polar and would never say anything like that. Anxiety is an issue but not hyperchondria.

Ps my old dr said I was on everything to help my disorder. Pain relief, anti d's. I changed dr's and this dr is unbelievably thorough and total believes me. My point sorry is if you get no where it's time to change.

My mum is bi polar. Doesn't accuse me of anything but doesn.t seen to be able to empathise at all and it never registers with her when I'm ill. Both my parents thought I was 'making a fuss' when I had pain which turned out to be gall stones and needing an op. Grr :-(

Does any of this sound like you? www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=16085. Read it through, it basically says that in ME, because of the difficulty in simply standing (without walking around, just standing still in one spot), adrenaline is released, and this leads to anxiety feelings.

investinme.org/ - they have a facebook page too. Latest conference report here investinme.org/IiME%20Conference%202012/IIMEC7%20Conference%202012%20Conference%20Report.htm

Giant ME thread here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1105040-Could-I-have-mild-ME