Somatoform Disorders/ Hypochondriasis

[sinnequan]

i just have a question and i won't post anymore for a while.i have had various health problems over the past little while.GI problems (i had a lap.-1 month ago and a colonos. -2yrs ago)everything turned out fine.my hair has been falling out for 2 months and my thyroid turned out fine.my heart beats fast (90-120) all the time and inderol doesn't help.my family is mad at me b/c they think there is nothing wrong.my psychiatrist told me not to undergo anymore extensive tests.my question is-- when do you know that you are just "somatazing"? when do you know when to stop? a local pharmacist (who is highly educated) said i could have wilson's disease. i read about it and am terrified.i have suffered from depression for years. when do you know when to stop???

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

There is always the possibility of a rare disease, so in that sense you never really stop.

But a practical way to find out more is to put aside your physical worries for one month...agree with yourself to do that. Then concentrate all of your energies and observations on the stresses, problems and frustrations in your life, and work on solutions to make your life work better.  This experiment will tell you a lot. And it may even make you happier.

You can use the mastering stress program above to help yourself in this project.

[SHOTSY]

Hi! I don't know your age, I'm fourty and I agree with the dr. on his tips.Also you've heard the old saying hindsight is 20/20? Well it can be that you have some stressors in you life that are coming out in you physically and it just going to take some time for you to figure it out.I also had some stressors that I was forced to ignore at the time. Now that it is taken care of, my physical symptoms are not as bad. It's hard sometimes for us to take care of ourselves. I personally requested my dr. to send me to a counselor after all testing was showing no real problems. I've been having what I call episodes for years.. Things will be going along fine then my body gets out of wack.Testing one time showed up thyroid wasn't exactly right then next time okay. A dr. who he himself has a thyroid problem told me that can happen in the beginning. I've learned to look at it this way. If we have something wrong with us it'll will probaly only get worse( hopefully not) then the dr. will figure it out. In the meantime do what you can to make yourself feel better.Getting back to some basics is helpful.   Good luck!

[sinnequan]

thank you....

i am not doing well-- in fact i am terrible.  it is funny that you said that about your thyroid-- my psychiatrist just told me mine was off a bit but not to worry about it-- and i am having TERRIBLE pain below my right rib cage-- but my liver panel is normal, and my gall bladder sonogram was normal-- my temperature is always 99.4 - 99.9 -- and my psychiatrist says that is in my head-- if i can round up the money, i am going to the mayo clinic in october-- i am SICK AND TIRED of being sick and tired--
and the thought of it being a "rare Disease" as the doctor put it-- has me terrified.  i only have medicare-- i am 28 and on disability... but I CANNOT KEEP LIVING MY LIFE LIKE THIS!!!!!

[SHOTSY]

Sorry didn't post sooner lost track of this thread.Well, I think you and I are similar. My temp. usually runs like that. I found out that you don't have to be exactly 98.6 to be "normal" though. But it could be and indication of something. I have also had right side pain located by the floating rib, probaly muscular. But one time it was deep. Testing showed my gallbladder tube was spasming. Possibly due to med.I even asked a dr. to remove my rib, she thought I was crazy, but I understand how much it can bother you. We really need to look into fibramyalgia better.Alot of the symptoms that I've had seem to run simialar to that although I've heard there is no diffinitive test.One thing that I've been taking lately that seems to help is Robaxin, a mild? muscle relaxant at bed time. I take a half one with one or two tylenol. If still have trouble sleeping or getting comfortable I'll take the other half. Let's compare symptoms okay? Maybe we can figure this out.Mine tend to be eposodic(sp). In that sometimes it really bothers sometimes it's not so bad. Then sometimes new stuff happens. At bedtime the side I'm lying on feels very sore and my hip starts burning. I"ll roll over to relieve that side then the other starts. My chest feels kind of like it's bruised. One night I was awakened by my ankle hurting, I just assumed I'd hit it and I had a bruise, that's what it felt like. I didn't even look at it. Went back to sleep and the next morning looked at it. No bruise and wasn't bothering me. Some morns my feet feels sore when I first get up and walk, then it goes away.Here lately my eyes have been twitching. First one eye for a few days then the other. Initally I thought it was because of my sleep but I don't think so now. That's another thing, wake up in the night to eat and just out of the blue. Don't have too much trouble going back to sleep, it just happens alot.Been feeling twitches in my lower belly almost like gas but it's not. Yesterday it was in my left outer thigh. Today okay.For two years I had left arm PAIN. After taking Wellbutrin and Zocor. Then I got really dizzy and nauseaous. Dr. said I had inner ear infection ( he didn't even look in my ears) put me on antibiotic. Had dizziness on and off for two years. Sometimes now the floor will seem like it's moving but not real bad. My neck bothers me and sometimes it has felt like ice water running down it. MRI showed nothing wrong in my neck, they did that test for the arm problem thinking it was in the neck. I told them it wasn't in my neck for the arm. I could tell. Don't ask me how I just knew.Another test on the arm (needles stuck in the nerves) indicated nerve damage. Possible virus settled on nerve, nothing could be done because it had been so long. I personally feel like the Wellbutrin and Zocor did something to me. Within ten days of taking it I thought I was going to die. All this stuff started happening so I quit taking it.Let's see what else, back  of my knees have been bothering me last couple of months, like burning. Having had sensations like tingling running down my legs. But I found out one problem with that was a pair of tennis shoes I bought from WalMart was causing me pain  in right front leg calf. So I've put them to the side to see if I continue to have those sensations.Sometimes things I want to say don't come out of my mouth right. I feel tired sometimes.One weekend I was feeling really out of sorts. Then the next fifteen minutes I'd think no your okay then back to your not okay. This went on most of the weekend. Thought I was losing my mind.Dr. seems to think my thyroid may be having trouble one test was normal another was a little below normal.Then the perimenopause thing has been broached. Have hormone pills for that but I'm afaiad to take them. That's all I can think of right now.  NOW give me your list and let's see what we can figure out. Your friend, basketcase?, shotsy

[sinnequan]

hi.  sorry i haven't posted sooner-- haven't felt good.  well, mine started w/ pain in my lower right side 2 years ago and weird looking stools... it eventually went away-- the gi doctor said i had ibs-- then around 4 months ago it came back--- w/ terrible pain and diarrhea.  my gyn did a laparoscopy and they removed my appendix... the pathology came back normal.  well, it took awhile for it to go away, but it did.  then, shortly after my surgery, i started having terrible pain below my right rib cage-- i lost my appetite-- can't eat meat at all-- makes me sick to look at--  living off of fruit nectars and some mild foods...  they couldn't find anything amiss in this town (i live in a small town)-- and i went to the ER in a nearby town which is larger and didn't know me-- turned out my amylase level is high-- but i don't know what from yet.  i am seeing my GP and had a complete abdominal ultra sound today.  will get results tomorrow-- and another amylase test--- nothing stops the pain-- two weeks again, i got a shot in my backside and it hurt really bad-- well, it has turned into sciatica.... sometimes, i mentally lose it-- get terrified i will need surgery or am dying-- or will go undiagnosed and die from it-- then i call my psychiatrist cause i am so scared-- i have had menstrual irregularities (but i am on the pill)-- my ear has been hurting but nothing is wrong with it....  :(  SOBS.... i am very scared.....  my sister is 21 and has discovered she is a diabetic-- found out today---  and she is teeny and eats very healthy--- i don't know..... i don't know why they cannot fix me.

:(

i never leave the house anymore.....  figure if i am going to drop dead, i want to do it at home.

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