stressedGuy
11-07-14, 13:00
Hi. I read a post recently from someone who blogs about his HA. The post was about how Hypochondria has become such an overused and misused word, in most cases from people with little or no knowledge or appreciation of the term "hypochondriac". A link to his blog is below if anyone feels like reading it. He posted a link to it himself on this forum a few days ago.
http://www.healthanxietystories.com/
I found the blog interesting and thought that I might try to take a break from my own current HA episode to chip in my own tuppence worth and to see if anyone has their own opinion on the subject.
I think that the word "hypochondriac" is bandied around and used in such a disposable and cheerful manner, that few who were actually suffering with the condition would adopt. There are other examples where people misuse other conditions as well:
Someone loses their keys - "Oh man, I must have Alzheimer's"
Someone who keeps a really tidy desk - "I'm really OCD about that sort of thing"
"My friend hardly eats, she's a bit Anorexic"
Unfortunately, the world seems to make light of hypochondria partly because they only have a superficial understand it. It's a source of fun. Even as someone who suffers from HA, I can see why some people think it's a bit funny; I hope I'm not offending anyone to suggest that there IS a humorous element to it. Physically healthy people walking around thinking that they have life-threatening illnesses a lot of the time. Not only that, but different serious diseases. One month it's a brain tumor, then all of a sudden it's pancreatic cancer. After a while, cancer gets put aside and something else like a heart condition becomes the focus of our torment. Unfortunately, HA sufferers rarely feel like laughing when they're lying in bed at 4am planning their funeral.
What chance does the average person have of understanding the condition if people a whole lot closer to it don't really understand either? My wife has been by my side since I had my first bout of HA about a decade ago. I'd love to say that she's been a rock but I can't. Her patience wears pretty thin sometimes and I can't say that I blame her. I've lost count of the number of weekends that I've ruined. I've destroyed entire holidays. We've sat together in some really beautiful places and all I've been able to think of is how few of these days that I'll have the opportunity to experience before my time runs out. I don't have an answer for her when she says that she doesn't understand why I'm ruining my life and hers by worrying about diseases that I don't have because I'm IMAGINING symptoms. It's ALL IN YOUR HEAD is something she'll direct me to accept, while I try to find the words to make her understand or at least to understand that I can't control it. I've stopped trying to communicate these feelings to her now. I just try and deal with it myself. I use these forums every day and when things get too much, I make an appointment with the GP and try to get some relief there. Even my GP visits are kept quiet from her.
Even more bizarre; I don't fully understand why I'm this way either; I can't explain it. And I do feel like a big joke. I feel like a cowardly selfish worthless man, moping around in a cloud of self-pity, obsessed with whatever physical symptoms of pain or discomfort that I happen to be experiencing. How come I don't worry about the health of my wife or son? If my son tells me that his head hurts, I don't think "Could it be a tumor?". If he has pains in his tummy, I tell him to go and sit on the toilet for a while. Why can't I apply the same logic to myself? Does every mild symptom have to come with an alarm bell going off in my head?
If hypochondria isn't exactly a funny disease, then it's definitely an ironic one. How many conditions are based on the premise that you're NOT suffering from the disease that you think you are? So, can you blame the world for making light of it? This particular mental illness doesn't know what it wants to be. No wonder even the medical profession gets frustrated with it. How many of us have had numerous procedures, often quite invasive, in order to be shown that there's nothing wrong with a particular organ/body-part? Sometimes we have the same procedure several times and STILL we don't get long lasting relief.
What do you say we have a good laugh at ourselves? I sure could do with one.
http://www.healthanxietystories.com/
I found the blog interesting and thought that I might try to take a break from my own current HA episode to chip in my own tuppence worth and to see if anyone has their own opinion on the subject.
I think that the word "hypochondriac" is bandied around and used in such a disposable and cheerful manner, that few who were actually suffering with the condition would adopt. There are other examples where people misuse other conditions as well:
Someone loses their keys - "Oh man, I must have Alzheimer's"
Someone who keeps a really tidy desk - "I'm really OCD about that sort of thing"
"My friend hardly eats, she's a bit Anorexic"
Unfortunately, the world seems to make light of hypochondria partly because they only have a superficial understand it. It's a source of fun. Even as someone who suffers from HA, I can see why some people think it's a bit funny; I hope I'm not offending anyone to suggest that there IS a humorous element to it. Physically healthy people walking around thinking that they have life-threatening illnesses a lot of the time. Not only that, but different serious diseases. One month it's a brain tumor, then all of a sudden it's pancreatic cancer. After a while, cancer gets put aside and something else like a heart condition becomes the focus of our torment. Unfortunately, HA sufferers rarely feel like laughing when they're lying in bed at 4am planning their funeral.
What chance does the average person have of understanding the condition if people a whole lot closer to it don't really understand either? My wife has been by my side since I had my first bout of HA about a decade ago. I'd love to say that she's been a rock but I can't. Her patience wears pretty thin sometimes and I can't say that I blame her. I've lost count of the number of weekends that I've ruined. I've destroyed entire holidays. We've sat together in some really beautiful places and all I've been able to think of is how few of these days that I'll have the opportunity to experience before my time runs out. I don't have an answer for her when she says that she doesn't understand why I'm ruining my life and hers by worrying about diseases that I don't have because I'm IMAGINING symptoms. It's ALL IN YOUR HEAD is something she'll direct me to accept, while I try to find the words to make her understand or at least to understand that I can't control it. I've stopped trying to communicate these feelings to her now. I just try and deal with it myself. I use these forums every day and when things get too much, I make an appointment with the GP and try to get some relief there. Even my GP visits are kept quiet from her.
Even more bizarre; I don't fully understand why I'm this way either; I can't explain it. And I do feel like a big joke. I feel like a cowardly selfish worthless man, moping around in a cloud of self-pity, obsessed with whatever physical symptoms of pain or discomfort that I happen to be experiencing. How come I don't worry about the health of my wife or son? If my son tells me that his head hurts, I don't think "Could it be a tumor?". If he has pains in his tummy, I tell him to go and sit on the toilet for a while. Why can't I apply the same logic to myself? Does every mild symptom have to come with an alarm bell going off in my head?
If hypochondria isn't exactly a funny disease, then it's definitely an ironic one. How many conditions are based on the premise that you're NOT suffering from the disease that you think you are? So, can you blame the world for making light of it? This particular mental illness doesn't know what it wants to be. No wonder even the medical profession gets frustrated with it. How many of us have had numerous procedures, often quite invasive, in order to be shown that there's nothing wrong with a particular organ/body-part? Sometimes we have the same procedure several times and STILL we don't get long lasting relief.
What do you say we have a good laugh at ourselves? I sure could do with one.