Fuming

[Rous]

Petra,

my Sister has Lupus, it is serious but it is treatable, she manages fine with the meds, in fact she's taking some of the same meds I'm on but only at a much lower dosage.

She also suffered from severe anxiety prior to her diagnosis, if it wasn't for a Doc at her practise covering for her own GP on holiday her Lupus might not have been spotted, her own GP was missing signs because they were focusing in on her Anxiety probs.

A bit like my own situation, I had been on Anti-depressants for years, along with many pain meds before I saw a fresh Doctor who immediately said to me... "Lets fix your body before we try to fix your Mind.", he realised (as I already knew and had expressed many times to other Doctors) that my depression/Anxiety was due to me suffering chronic pain throughout my body and that by treating my pain with new pain meds (that actually help ease my pain) then my Mind would relax and my depression/anxiety would ease, even cease.

And to be honest it worked, since I've been on the new pain meds I haven't taken any anti-depressants at all, been over a year now (except the wee spell when my Mum died last year) and I feel a lot better - ok, there was the other spell just before I returned a few months ago to NMP (I took a break from the World for a long time) but as I said I feel better with the Depression/Anxiety now and I'm managing it better.

If the NHS had more in the way to deal with all Anxiety & Depression types (more staff dedicated to the subject & much better training of the Doctors), other than just dumping pills on them & occasional CBT, then maybe they mighta noticed it was the pain causing mine and not the horrors I saw & faced throughout my life since I was 13, ok part of that was the cause & still is in some way (I still suffer nightmares about the horrendous things) but if the NHS had more then maybe I would've been sorted sooner and wouldn't have spent most of the last two decades suffering ever increasing pain with nothing but some pathetic pain pills & anti-depressants.

Even having a proper diagnosis is enough to ease Anxiety, it was in my Sister's case, even though she found she had a potentially life threatening condition, her words.

Lupus, is serious (if left untreated/unmanaged) as I said but it is treatable, or should I say manageable as it will be with you for the rest of your life and the meds make your life better but they are not a cure as such, don't panic though, like I said it is manageable and there is no reason why you can't live a long life. My Sister was diagnosed a long time ago and she's still going with no signs of stopping (just wish she wouldn't call me with such a lively voice though, kinda depressing. ).

Take care & be safe Petra.

[blue moon]

Thankyou Rousel for your kind words,
I think we in the western world are lucky to have access to medical facilities,maybe some on here should stop and think about people in Haiti and Pakistan who are dying from illnesses that could be prevented.Just a thought.
Petra x

[RichW]

Peace to all you lovely folks.

Hope all of you manage to find some happiness and enjoyment this week.

Cheers


Rich

[Rous]

Your welcome Petra & very true what you said.

Thx Rich, same to you, may Peace find you too.

[blueangel]

Lordy, Lordy....

I have just had a scan through this thread (I spent a mere 45 minutes on it, so I'm sure I have missed something).

I'm really, really tempted to move the discussion on to semantics, as I think that this is possibly where at least some of the confusion, and anger, and grief have arisen.

I have walked a mile in the shoes of someone with HA, as I have it. I've also walked a mile in the shoes of someone with panic attacks, and with social anxiety. Does this make me lucky that I can understand anxiety in its various forms? Or unlucky that I've suffered the crap of a range of them? Hell, there's nothing like trying to collect the full set, is there?



I do sympathise with the admins - I've been an admin myself and I know what a thankless task it can be.

However, I do think it's sad that I number of people have chosen to leave as a result of it, as when threads degenerate into being personal, this is often the consequence. Damn shame really, as places like this should be for as many people as possible.

If anyone is interested enough to want my humble two pennyworth, I think:

* there is a difference between "asking" for a test (or tests) and "demanding" them - and I think this is when we have to accept for ourselves that someone else might have a little bit more wisdom than we do. Acceptance is only the first step to dealing with any sort of anxiety, but we have to make that step for ourselves, just in the same way that an alcoholic has to accept that they have a problem

* if GPs send patients for tests, even if it is for reassurance, then that's the decision of that GP. They have taken the decision to refer that patient and they are a qualified professional, so it's up to them to take the costs into consideration

* the systems don't work well enough; I've worked for the NHS for 20 years and I wish there were ways of getting it to work better. I don't work directly with patients, but these days I work in health and safety, so hopefully I do a little bit to help make my hospital a safer place

*I'm sure I could think of more to say, but I've run out of time for now.....

[carli]

Hi all, well im quite shocked at this thread to be honest. HA is an illness and that i think may have been forgotton here. I have had many tests and i have to say that most have come back but all were at the request of my dr and im glad i had them done. I thought this site was for support not for people insult others fears that require then to seek reassurance. Im only giving my opinion like the others. xx

[Rous]

BlueAngel, LOL 45mins, ye musta missed a fair bit, it took me almost a full 2hrs to read the thread from start to finish, and I ain't no slow reader. o O (Though there was the time I made a cuppa tea hmm...)
I agree with your points too.


Carli, please re-read post #231 of this thread.

Some people were reading the original post wrongly, focusing in on just one part of it and not seeing the post as a whole. And some were just reading the original post and seeing the 1st few replies (or just the 1st page) then immediately posting without having read the entire thread through from start to finish, thus they were just adding fuel to the fire.
A fire that the Admins had been quelling each time it got worse.

This is a thread on the state of the NHS, not about Health Anxiety or its sufferers, the Admins have stated this already throughout the thread.

[debs71]

Ladybird, as a trained nurse working in the NHS I do agree with you!

I SHARE THAT EMOTION HAPPYCAMPER...

...and I agree so much with you too ladybird. It incenses me as appointments/referrals/tests are like gold dust and yet some people think they can just demand what they like, when they like without considering the costs involved and the fact that others may be more needy than themselves. God knows, we all need peace of mind, but sadly the mechanism of the NHS gives people the idea that they are entitled in some way to whatever, whenever and this isn´t so, and anyone who works in the NHS can tell you that free treatment in this country isn´t a right, it is a privlilege.

[debs71]

I think you are a bit out of order, people come to this site for support and advice, not to be told they shouldn't be seeing a doctor becuase they are a strain on the nhs.

Doctors should be more clued up on referring HA to the correct treatment if they get these requests, not sending them home. There should be resources to allow doctors to do this, that's the problem.

Perhaps we should also refuse treatment to the self harmers, alcoholics, smokers and drug dependants too - I imagine they cost more.

Your last sentence is a little ridiculous I´m afraid.

Self harmers, alcoholics and drug users clearly have a problem, they are not there BELIEVING they have a serious illness or condition, therefore they cannot be compared to HA sufferers who though obviously have an anxiety issue, are not physically ill, so your arguement bears no weight. They also would not be demanding the kind of investigations that HA sufferers do, they would (hopefully) be referred for appropriate help that they need, not just to give them peace of mind.

I agree with you however that their mental health should be dealt with though, but validating their neuroses by sending them for needless tests is not the answer.

[Going home]

The problem with HA is that when its severe the sufferer thinks they really do have an illness as alot of anxiety symptoms can mimic real conditions, so the doctors have to rule out anything that might be serious. I don't think sufferers, or anybody else who is sent for tests really think about how much the test is costing...that's probably furthest from their thoughts at that time. I think also that anyone who cannot accept that they're not ill when the tests show negative really are mentally ill. They used to be called hypochondriacs and that condition has always been around. Perhaps the answer is that its up to the GPs to refuse to continually refer patients for repeated tests when they know someone has severe HA. If its a mental health issue rather than a physical issue then it should perhaps be handled differently? Just some more thoughts.

Anna xx