Hypochondriac...do you know any?

[Italiahaircolor]

A girl I work with just sent me an e-mail saying she will not be coming into work Monday because she has a pulled hamstring. Okay, fine...normally. However, this will be her 5th day off work (working from home) because of it--it happened a week ago. She missed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She said she is tired of pretending like it "doesn''t hurt". Haha, yeah, pretending? She''s missed 5 days of work because it hurt! Whose pretending?

She has been to both urgent care and a sports medicine doctor who have treated her, told her she won''t need PT, and that she needs to introduce heat to it. But she''s still talking about wanting to see a surgeon.

=me.

I know that this is her general "attitude" towards health related things...with herself, her children...she makes the tinest little thing into a huge medical issue. For example, her son got a very, very minor sunburn on his back (never even peeled)...she insisted he needed a silk robe to sleep in, and wanted to stay home to apply aloe very hour. Her children, esspecially her middle son, have adopted this overreacting thing...at a BBQ he stubbed his toe, and spun into a near-panic attack over "loosing his toe-nail". He got a sty in his eye and had it drained...his mother referred to it as surgery, claiming it took 4 hours! Totally overdone.

As the daughter of a Dr. I grew up in a home were a scraped knee was a scraped knee...a sunburn was a sunburn...they weren''t medical emergencies and didn''t need to be treated as such. Ergo, I have a generally laid-back to things and find myself annoyed by people (like my co-worker) who overreact to really minor things. Yes, being uncomfortable isn''t the best...but you don''t need to see a orthopedic surgeon for a pulled muscle.

Does anyone else have anyone in their life like this? Anyone else annoyed by this? Or am I nuts....which is a real possibility.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 8/9/2009 4:15:45 PM
Author:Italiahaircolor
A girl I work with just sent me an e-mail saying she will not be coming into work Monday because she has a pulled hamstring. Okay, fine...normally. However, this will be her 5th day off work (working from home) because of it--it happened a week ago. She missed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She said she is tired of pretending like it 'doesn't hurt'. Haha, yeah, pretending? She's missed 5 days of work because it hurt! Whose pretending?

She has been to both urgent care and a sports medicine doctor who have treated her, told her she won't need PT, and that she needs to introduce heat to it. But she's still talking about wanting to see a surgeon.

=me.

I know that this is her general 'attitude' towards health related things...with herself, her children...she makes the tinest little thing into a huge medical issue. For example, her son got a very, very minor sunburn on his back (never even peeled)...she insisted he needed a silk robe to sleep in, and wanted to stay home to apply aloe very hour. Her children, esspecially her middle son, have adopted this overreacting thing...at a BBQ he stubbed his toe, and spun into a near-panic attack over 'loosing his toe-nail'. He got a sty in his eye and had it drained...his mother referred to it as surgery, claiming it took 4 hours! Totally overdone.

As the daughter of a Dr. I grew up in a home were a scraped knee was a scraped knee...a sunburn was a sunburn...they weren't medical emergencies and didn't need to be treated as such. Ergo, I have a generally laid-back to things and find myself annoyed by people (like my co-worker) who overreact to really minor things. Yes, being uncomfortable isn't the best...but you don't need to see a orthopedic surgeon for a pulled muscle.

Does anyone else have anyone in their life like this? Anyone else annoyed by this? Or am I nuts....which is a real possibility.

Sounds like she's a drama queen. Are you sure she doesn't have Munchausen Syndrome?

To answer you question, yes I have several people in my life like this. My husband's family in general is full of dramatic attention whores, but two of them are just completely ridiculous. They're so bad that even the other attention whores are sick of them. I just ignore them. It drives them crazy.

 

[SeaStar]

Me. It''s awful. I get fixated on something and can''t stop thinking about it. Every migraine I''m sure is a tumor growing. It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. Those sharp pains in my side? Maybe I should go to the ER because my pediatric patient had an ovarian torsion so I easily could. I''ve had weird vibrating sensations over my chest and some palpatations so obviously the hole in my heart that was patched up 23 years ago has opened back up. Chest pain? A heart attack at my age wouldn''t be unheard of, maybe I should get it checked out. I''ve had some sharp pain in my ribs that hurts worse when I take a deep breath, could I have a pneumothorax? I keep getting a wet cough after I eat, am I aspirating? This numbness I''m feeling is obviously related to MS. ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, and I can''t turn it off. I drive myself crazy.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 8/9/2009 4:53:30 PM
Author: SeaStar
Me. It''s awful. I get fixated on something and can''t stop thinking about it. Every migraine I''m sure is a tumor growing. It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. Those sharp pains in my side? Maybe I should go to the ER because my pediatric patient had an ovarian torsion so I easily could. I''ve had weird vibrating sensations over my chest and some palpatations so obviously the hole in my heart that was patched up 23 years ago has opened back up. Chest pain? A heart attack at my age wouldn''t be unheard of, maybe I should get it checked out. I''ve had some sharp pain in my ribs that hurts worse when I take a deep breath, could I have a pneumothorax? I keep getting a wet cough after I eat, am I aspirating? This numbness I''m feeling is obviously related to MS. ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, and I can''t turn it off. I drive myself crazy.

Oh, wow. I really feel for you. My husband''s family members intentionally create drama for attention, but what you have is totally different. Have you tried therapy?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 8/9/2009 4:53:30 PM
Author: SeaStar
Me. It''s awful. I get fixated on something and can''t stop thinking about it. Every migraine I''m sure is a tumor growing. It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. Those sharp pains in my side? Maybe I should go to the ER because my pediatric patient had an ovarian torsion so I easily could. I''ve had weird vibrating sensations over my chest and some palpatations so obviously the hole in my heart that was patched up 23 years ago has opened back up. Chest pain? A heart attack at my age wouldn''t be unheard of, maybe I should get it checked out. I''ve had some sharp pain in my ribs that hurts worse when I take a deep breath, could I have a pneumothorax? I keep getting a wet cough after I eat, am I aspirating? This numbness I''m feeling is obviously related to MS. ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, and I can''t turn it off. I drive myself crazy.

Wow. That must be debilitating. I am so sorry, and I hope you took no offense to my posting. I think my co-worker is a bit different. She has an aliment that is treated, and yet she keeps (almost) wishing it was more serious. I don''t think it''s like your case at all.

I would never mind someone having a unexplained illness or symptom and getting it looked at. Never, I''d encourage it--health comes first. But, I feel like once the issue has been addressed and treated it should be a dead issue. Esspecially considering the fact that I''ve given my office permission to work from home for a week and a half starting Tuesday while I''m out of town. If she skips Monday, it will be 2+ weeks.

 

[packrat]

Date: 8/9/2009 4:53:30 PM
Author: SeaStar
Me. It''s awful. I get fixated on something and can''t stop thinking about it. Every migraine I''m sure is a tumor growing. It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. Those sharp pains in my side? Maybe I should go to the ER because my pediatric patient had an ovarian torsion so I easily could. I''ve had weird vibrating sensations over my chest and some palpatations so obviously the hole in my heart that was patched up 23 years ago has opened back up. Chest pain? A heart attack at my age wouldn''t be unheard of, maybe I should get it checked out. I''ve had some sharp pain in my ribs that hurts worse when I take a deep breath, could I have a pneumothorax? I keep getting a wet cough after I eat, am I aspirating? This numbness I''m feeling is obviously related to MS. ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, and I can''t turn it off. I drive myself crazy.

I''ve brought on panic attacks, worrying about things like this. Especially after long periods of time w/little sleep and a lot of caffeine.

Italia, is your coworker doing PT like she was told? I wonder tho, if she doesn''t have to hike all over for her job, can''t she be there anyway, if she''s just sitting in front of her computer?

I''ve known a few people that are like that. A lot of our patients at work are like that.

 

[SeaStar]

No, I just tell myself to stop being ridiculous, and for the nights I''m really anxious I just tell myself that I felt like this many times before and nothing has happened to me so I can stay awake all night, but tomorrow will still come and all that''s going to happen is I''m going to be exhausted...and sure enough it does and I''m okay. If I really can''t stand it I''ll make a doctor''s appointment and they''re pretty good about getting me in and easing my mind. Some of the things I just can''t be sure of. I have residual effects from my heart surgery so if I do get chest pain that lingers more than a couple days it''s better to be safe than sorry and I''ll usually just ask to come in for an EKG. Thankfully it''s been over two years since I had really bad chest pain.

 

[SeaStar]

I think you coworker has more of a combination of cater-to-me-itis and pay-attention-to-me-itis. She can go to as many specialists as she wants but the only thing that''s going to heal her hamstring is time.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 8/9/2009 5:19:47 PM
Author: packrat

Date: 8/9/2009 4:53:30 PM
Author: SeaStar
Me. It''s awful. I get fixated on something and can''t stop thinking about it. Every migraine I''m sure is a tumor growing. It keeps me awake at night thinking about it. Those sharp pains in my side? Maybe I should go to the ER because my pediatric patient had an ovarian torsion so I easily could. I''ve had weird vibrating sensations over my chest and some palpatations so obviously the hole in my heart that was patched up 23 years ago has opened back up. Chest pain? A heart attack at my age wouldn''t be unheard of, maybe I should get it checked out. I''ve had some sharp pain in my ribs that hurts worse when I take a deep breath, could I have a pneumothorax? I keep getting a wet cough after I eat, am I aspirating? This numbness I''m feeling is obviously related to MS. ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, and I can''t turn it off. I drive myself crazy.

I''ve brought on panic attacks, worrying about things like this. Especially after long periods of time w/little sleep and a lot of caffeine.

Italia, is your coworker doing PT like she was told? I wonder tho, if she doesn''t have to hike all over for her job, can''t she be there anyway, if she''s just sitting in front of her computer?

I''ve known a few people that are like that. A lot of our patients at work are like that.

The Dr. told her no PT was needed since it wasn''t "that bad" of a pull. All she can do is introduce heat to it...yet, she prefers to ice it. And yes, she can comfortably sit at work and get her job done...but she doesn''t want to "pretend" like it doesn''t hurt. I don''t know. It''s freaking annoying.

 

[Tuckins1]

Yes. A friend of mine has EVERYTHING under the sun.

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 8/9/2009 4:15:45 PM
Author:Italiahaircolor
A girl I work with just sent me an e-mail saying she will not be coming into work Monday because she has a pulled hamstring. Okay, fine...normally. However, this will be her 5th day off work (working from home) because of it--it happened a week ago. She missed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She said she is tired of pretending like it ''doesn''t hurt''. Haha, yeah, pretending? She''s missed 5 days of work because it hurt! Whose pretending?

She has been to both urgent care and a sports medicine doctor who have treated her, told her she won''t need PT, and that she needs to introduce heat to it. But she''s still talking about wanting to see a surgeon.

=me.

I know that this is her general ''attitude'' towards health related things...with herself, her children...she makes the tinest little thing into a huge medical issue. For example, her son got a very, very minor sunburn on his back (never even peeled)...she insisted he needed a silk robe to sleep in, and wanted to stay home to apply aloe very hour. Her children, esspecially her middle son, have adopted this overreacting thing...at a BBQ he stubbed his toe, and spun into a near-panic attack over ''loosing his toe-nail''. He got a sty in his eye and had it drained...his mother referred to it as surgery, claiming it took 4 hours! Totally overdone.

As the daughter of a Dr. I grew up in a home were a scraped knee was a scraped knee...a sunburn was a sunburn...they weren''t medical emergencies and didn''t need to be treated as such. Ergo, I have a generally laid-back to things and find myself annoyed by people (like my co-worker) who overreact to really minor things. Yes, being uncomfortable isn''t the best...but you don''t need to see a orthopedic surgeon for a pulled muscle.

Does anyone else have anyone in their life like this? Anyone else annoyed by this? Or am I nuts....which is a real possibility.

this instantly made me think of E - while i love him dearly, he seems to forget that drinking coffee and smoking a cigarete on an empty stomach is making his stomach hurt, not the flu

however i get migranes, and a lot of people still don''t understand how bad they can hurt, so i try to let most things go when other people claim "ill".

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 8/9/2009 5:23:08 PM
Author: SeaStar
I think you coworker has more of a combination of cater-to-me-itis and pay-attention-to-me-itis. She can go to as many specialists as she wants but the only thing that''s going to heal her hamstring is time.

LOL.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 8/9/2009 6:36:57 PM
Author: jcarlylew

Date: 8/9/2009 4:15:45 PM
Author:Italiahaircolor
A girl I work with just sent me an e-mail saying she will not be coming into work Monday because she has a pulled hamstring. Okay, fine...normally. However, this will be her 5th day off work (working from home) because of it--it happened a week ago. She missed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She said she is tired of pretending like it ''doesn''t hurt''. Haha, yeah, pretending? She''s missed 5 days of work because it hurt! Whose pretending?

She has been to both urgent care and a sports medicine doctor who have treated her, told her she won''t need PT, and that she needs to introduce heat to it. But she''s still talking about wanting to see a surgeon.

=me.

I know that this is her general ''attitude'' towards health related things...with herself, her children...she makes the tinest little thing into a huge medical issue. For example, her son got a very, very minor sunburn on his back (never even peeled)...she insisted he needed a silk robe to sleep in, and wanted to stay home to apply aloe very hour. Her children, esspecially her middle son, have adopted this overreacting thing...at a BBQ he stubbed his toe, and spun into a near-panic attack over ''loosing his toe-nail''. He got a sty in his eye and had it drained...his mother referred to it as surgery, claiming it took 4 hours! Totally overdone.

As the daughter of a Dr. I grew up in a home were a scraped knee was a scraped knee...a sunburn was a sunburn...they weren''t medical emergencies and didn''t need to be treated as such. Ergo, I have a generally laid-back to things and find myself annoyed by people (like my co-worker) who overreact to really minor things. Yes, being uncomfortable isn''t the best...but you don''t need to see a orthopedic surgeon for a pulled muscle.

Does anyone else have anyone in their life like this? Anyone else annoyed by this? Or am I nuts....which is a real possibility.

this instantly made me think of E - while i love him dearly, he seems to forget that drinking coffee and smoking a cigarete on an empty stomach is making his stomach hurt, not the flu

however i get migranes, and a lot of people still don''t understand how bad they can hurt, so i try to let most things go when other people claim ''ill''.

I understand being sick, and I was totally on board during her first day off. I have been sick before, so I know the pain and how hard it is to work when you''re "blah".

If she had an ongoing illness--like migrains--I would be understanding because thats a sneaky little thing. But she has a pulled muscle. There is no need to be out of work for 4 days, plus a weekend. The injury is a week old at this point. It must be getting better, right?

 

[Haven]

I think our young niece is developing something like this. She gets "migraines" and claims to be allergic to the sun, and many other things. She''s only ten, and I worry that this is symptomatic of a much larger problem.

I do know one woman (she is a friend of a friend, so not very well) who I believe has Munchausen and Munchausen-by-proxy. She and her daughter have suffered from every illness you can think of, and they often have some limb or the other bandaged up in an Ace wrap. It is very strange, and I feel very bad for the daughter, who is now a sickly college student.

I can share that DH and I tend to approach our own physical health in a different manner than most people. We take it very seriously if we are getting sick, and we do not go to work or go out at all and "suck it up" or anything. We feel that this kind of thing just makes us sicker.

In my past, I have rarely gotten sick at all, and I think it''s because I have always been so proactive about my health. This past school year I was sick quite a few times, including a horrible back injury that happened one morning when I was merely getting ready for work. I think all of that sickness was symptomatic of how stressed out I was about working at my job, and that is one major reason that I quit, to preserve my health.

I know that some of our friends think we''re crazy for staying in on a Saturday if we can feel sore throats coming on, but we both found (independently) that staving off an illness before it even happens is much more pleasant than working through one.

It sounds like this employee of yours is crying wolf. I think some people like the attention they get from an injury. I wonder what will be wrong with her when her hamstring heals?

 

[cellentani]

Date: 8/9/2009 6:46:03 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor

I understand being sick, and I was totally on board during her first day off. I have been sick before, so I know the pain and how hard it is to work when you''re ''blah''.

If she had an ongoing illness--like migrains--I would be understanding because thats a sneaky little thing. But she has a pulled muscle. There is no need to be out of work for 4 days, plus a weekend. The injury is a week old at this point. It must be getting better, right?

Italia - am I missing something? If you''re bent out of shape because a co-worker might be milking her injury status and is out for 5 days, you''re gonna get an ulcer. Now, if she''s filing fraudulant claims or something, that''s another story, but pulled muscles don''t heal overnight, and could realistically take several days. Sounds like she has a Level 1 strain, but it still could be uncomfortable, and sitting for hours probably isn''t the best thing. And ice is fine - it usually helps with inflamation and swelling. Heat is good if the muscle is stiff and tight from inactivity, but at this point, I think that whatever is more soothing to her is fine. Remember, athletes miss practices and games all the time from pulled hamstrings, and I''m guessing she probably has a much lower pain tolerance level.

However, I understand your frustration - I myself get annoyed pretty easily with whiners (see, I''m gonna get an ulcer too!). If it were me, I''d act completely indifferent and unsympathetic (maybe even yawn while she''s prattling on), and probably call her during work hours in my best business voice and let her know about some work she needs to finish by the next day. Then I''d sneak out and go to Starbucks. I''ve read some of your other posts, Italia, and I think you can pull this one off.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 8/9/2009 6:36:57 PM
Author: jcarlylew

Date: 8/9/2009 4:15:45 PM
Author:Italiahaircolor
A girl I work with just sent me an e-mail saying she will not be coming into work Monday because she has a pulled hamstring. Okay, fine...normally. However, this will be her 5th day off work (working from home) because of it--it happened a week ago. She missed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She said she is tired of pretending like it ''doesn''t hurt''. Haha, yeah, pretending? She''s missed 5 days of work because it hurt! Whose pretending?

She has been to both urgent care and a sports medicine doctor who have treated her, told her she won''t need PT, and that she needs to introduce heat to it. But she''s still talking about wanting to see a surgeon.

=me.

I know that this is her general ''attitude'' towards health related things...with herself, her children...she makes the tinest little thing into a huge medical issue. For example, her son got a very, very minor sunburn on his back (never even peeled)...she insisted he needed a silk robe to sleep in, and wanted to stay home to apply aloe very hour. Her children, esspecially her middle son, have adopted this overreacting thing...at a BBQ he stubbed his toe, and spun into a near-panic attack over ''loosing his toe-nail''. He got a sty in his eye and had it drained...his mother referred to it as surgery, claiming it took 4 hours! Totally overdone.

As the daughter of a Dr. I grew up in a home were a scraped knee was a scraped knee...a sunburn was a sunburn...they weren''t medical emergencies and didn''t need to be treated as such. Ergo, I have a generally laid-back to things and find myself annoyed by people (like my co-worker) who overreact to really minor things. Yes, being uncomfortable isn''t the best...but you don''t need to see a orthopedic surgeon for a pulled muscle.

Does anyone else have anyone in their life like this? Anyone else annoyed by this? Or am I nuts....which is a real possibility.

this instantly made me think of E - while i love him dearly, he seems to forget that drinking coffee and smoking a cigarete on an empty stomach is making his stomach hurt, not the flu

however i get migranes, and a lot of people still don''t understand how bad they can hurt, so i try to let most things go when other people claim ''ill''.

There is a definite difference in being a hypochondriac and actually suffering from ongoing issues. As far as this co-worker, is she stressed out with work so much that it is just easier for her to stay home and heal rather than come into an environment which isn''t really conducive to feeling better?

On the migraine issue: I am also a sufferer. Yes, I have had to call off work because of migraines many times. It isn''t that I can''t handle the pain, or that I''m faking, or that I just don''t know how to suck it up...mine start with visual aura rendering me quite blind for as long as 30 minutes, and then turn into a searing and very painful headache which leads to nausea and dizziness. They are not fun. I know people who have worse ones than I do, and I can''t imagine a worse kind of pain.

It''s always annoying when someone calls off for something that seems silly. There is probably another, underlying reason for your co-worker to call off that much.

 

[omieluv]

I have a dear friend who tends to be quite paranoid about many things in her life. One time she thought she was pregnant because she slept naked with her BF. They did not have relations (she was a virigin), but she thought that she became preggo from it. She actually bought a pregnancy test. She is a very smart girl, but sometimes geesh, she drives me crazy. She knows these thoughts are irrational, but cannot always control them, especially when there is additional stress in her life.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Yes I do...they make my job very interesting

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Haven, her middle son is very much the same way. I watch him occassionally, and he''s always got something "wrong".

Sometimes he''s allergic to bread, other times grass...then moments later he''ll want Jimmy John''s or to play football at the park. Sometimes it has non-exsistant blisters on his feet that no one can see, other times a minor cut might need stitches. He had a small calsification removed from his lip...now he thinks it''s coming back (it''s not, confirmed by his dentist). So on and so forth. He''s a very healthy child, active and engaging...but he''s a drama queen. Once when I applied sunscreen to his face, he burst into tears saying that it was "burning" his face off. Another time he told me he had a stomach ache, I sympathically told him then he should skip dessert, he agreed--I ended up serving icecream sandwichs, and suddenly his stomach was fine.

I know it''s for attention. He knows that when something is "wrong" he gets doted on and he enjoys that. She plays into it 100%...similar to how she coddles herself. It''s hard to watch/be around because it''s so unhealthy and doesn''t properly reflect real life reactions, which is what she should be teaching him. She should be showing her children that minor issues that can be treated with bandaids or rest should be...you don''t need to rush to the ER every single time something happens.

 

[Haven]

Italia--I feel so bad for that child. I can''t even imagine how difficult it must be for you to see all of this, because it''s not like you can really say anything to her about it.

Munchausen-by-proxy is a horrible disease. A few children who have survived their mother''s MBY have written memoirs, they are heartbreaking. What''s even sadder is many of the children die.

 

[BlueSki231]

yea my BF has the same complaint about the people at his work...
there''s a guy that''s been out of work for at least a month now because of an in-grown toenail.
i always wonder where these people find these quack doctors to write them notes...

 

[Dannielle]

FI can be a bit of a Hypochondriac.. and I usually get huffy mumbling "Your fine!". However twice I have been put in my place when it turns it he actually does have an auto immune disease and has hormonal imbalances for which he needs testosterone therapy.

So I probably shouldn''t comment here

 

[Lilac]

My MIL. And she''s turned her daughter into one too. It''s unbelievable some of the stuff they come up with and completely make up or exaggerate.

 

[Dandi]

No Italia hon, you''re not nuts!! But maybe I am??

Read on...

I hope not to offend anyone, or it may come down to lack of knowledge due to my state of unpregnantness

, but there are about 7 preggo girls at work (operating theatre) atm, and one is the biggest hypochondriacs I''ve ever met. Even when she''s not pregnant she''s pretty bad, but now, oy!!

All the other girls just go about their business as usual, the only thing they state they cannot do is be in a theatre with constant Xray (small bursts are OK if they wear full lead protection) and not scrub for a hip replacement, because the fumes from the cement the Drs use can be dangerous. These ones are no brainers. But this one girl will not move patients in case she does herself an injury (4 people move patients at a time and share the weight, it is very safe!), will not eat anything that others bring to work, like slices, cakes etc. in case it makes the baby sick (?!), refuses to scrub for even the smallest cases in case she faints (her blood pressure is perfect and she hasn''t had any dizzy spells or m/s), asks to be sent home the minute she walks in the door (when asked why, her reason she gives is "well, I''m tired because I''m pregnant!"

) and puffs, pants and rubs her belly all day. I think she''s 10 weeks along or so? Is there a belly to rub at that point?? She''s got a great figure and her tummy is as flat as a tack.

Maybe it''s just me, perhaps I''m being too harsh and I don''t get it?!

But it drives most of the suite''s staff bonkers, and does cause problems for us, the manager is pulling our her hair! If we need to cover her for a shift, it''s difficult to do so at a minute''s notice. I understand it''s a huge thing for the body to adjust to, and the emotion involved with knowing your baby is in your tum tum... but I just look at her, who admits to be having a m/s, trouble free pregnancy, and then look at the other girls, two of which are suffering debilitating m/s but are still at work, because as they say... hey, that''s part and parcel of it all!

OK, maybe I''m having a hard time differentiating between drama and hypochondria?!

Italia, your collegue''s hamstring story killed me.

From someone who''s suffered many hamstring strains... get some Deep Heat, get a hotpack and suck it up!! Heck! And the 4 hour surgery on a sty... OMG

 

[sba771]

I lived with someone who has undiagnosed Munchausen Syndrome. (I confirmed the symptoms with my doctor and shrink so I am not trying to just be petty and label her) Worst year of my life. Beyond unbearable and the girl still tries to contact me and illicit sympathy. Her parents are aware but turn a blind eye and find its easier to just give her money than deal with her. Not to be harsh but in the case of the girl I know, she needs to be in an institution. One of her doctors fired her as a patient. I told her I would no longer take her to the ER or sit with her because I was afraid I would no longer be able to hold my tongue and try to get a doctor to get her on a psych hold. She would go to all different doctors and she would lie about what meds she was on in order to get others and they all counter acted and thus she got sicker. Argh I am so sorry you are dealing with someone like this! just writing this post brings up memories and makes my blood boil.

 

[Hera]

My mom is like this but is more of a drama queen than anything. We never really have to worry about her because she runs to the doctor for every little thing. So far, she's had:
1. some sort of reproductive cancer
2. Breast cancer
3. Congestive heart failure
4. Alzheimer's
This is all I can remember off the top of my head, there's many more.

It wouldn't be so hard if she didn't require so much concern from my brother and I. She called my brother the other day to say she was dizzy and fainted early in the day and he told her to go to the ER. She got upset because he didn't offer to take her (for which she says she would have declined). He lives around an hour and a half away. I totally agreed with him and thought if there was a real, life threatening emergency that she should call 911 or go to the ER (about 3 blocks away). It might sound callus on my part, but she's always so over the top so it's like the boy who cried wolf. In the end, she had vertigo.

 

[kas baby]

When I first read the title of the thread I thought "oh no! how horrible, that's an awful thing to live with (if its you or someone you know!)" then when reading I thought... hmm, maybe our culture has taken the actual mental disorder of hypochondriasis and applied it to more than what it truly is. Your co-worker may actually have this problem- or she could just be a drama queen! but I thought I would link you guys up to an excerpt out of the DSM IV-TR... the most up to date diagnostic manual for mental disorders...

http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=9570&searchStr=hypochondriasis

p.s. not trying to make any diagnosis here, just shedding some more light on the subject


ETA: here's another resource http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hypochondriasis.html

ETA: she also may have gone to all those different people because they sometimes have a tendency to 'doctor shop.' if they get a clean bill of health from someone, they just think that the doctor doesn't know what they are looking for and move on until they get a diagnosis that lives up to what they think they have- the more serious the better-

I couldn't even imagine living in a state of constant anxiety that every little thing was going to kill me... like if I woke up in the middle f the night having to pee "ohmygosh I have a bladder infection!," a cough= lung cancer, slight chest pain= heart attack, stomach ache= chrone's disease...

any little thing can turn into a huge ordeal... I'm sure they give themselves ulcers with the mere thought of the plague they are causing in their mind. It truly is a powerful thing, the way the mind can be distorted... sometimes it seems we are just mere playthings to the whims of the mind.

 

[fatafelice]

I tend to freak out mentally about little things (like SeaStar, but not to that extent), but fortunately, I am too lazy to take myself to the doctor every time, so I have to just get over it.

I did have a student who was out constantly (twice a week, average) for one health-related reason or another, yet only brought *one* actual doctor''s note to his counselor in the course of the school year. When he was in school, he almost always came late (and I had him 1st period) or asked to go to the nurse during class. He never completed assigments or make-up work, but his mother always was asking for allowances to be made for his "health." The worst part was that he was more than smart enough to exel, but she just kept enabling him. He nearly failed, but for some last-minute make-up work that I am sure his mother had a strong hand in. The part that made me the most angry was that his counselor couldn''t be bothered to deal with him (she found him "annoying") and so she never tried to get him some help or support. I had him for 7th grade, and I cannot imagine how he is going to grow into a productive adult without intervention.

 

[MustangGal]

Date: 8/10/2009 12:26:53 AM
Author: DandiAndi
No Italia hon, you''re not nuts!! But maybe I am??

Read on...

I hope not to offend anyone, or it may come down to lack of knowledge due to my state of unpregnantness

, but there are about 7 preggo girls at work (operating theatre) atm, and one is the biggest hypochondriacs I''ve ever met. Even when she''s not pregnant she''s pretty bad, but now, oy!!

All the other girls just go about their business as usual, the only thing they state they cannot do is be in a theatre with constant Xray (small bursts are OK if they wear full lead protection) and not scrub for a hip replacement, because the fumes from the cement the Drs use can be dangerous. These ones are no brainers. But this one girl will not move patients in case she does herself an injury (4 people move patients at a time and share the weight, it is very safe!), will not eat anything that others bring to work, like slices, cakes etc. in case it makes the baby sick (?!), refuses to scrub for even the smallest cases in case she faints (her blood pressure is perfect and she hasn''t had any dizzy spells or m/s), asks to be sent home the minute she walks in the door (when asked why, her reason she gives is ''well, I''m tired because I''m pregnant!''

) and puffs, pants and rubs her belly all day. I think she''s 10 weeks along or so? Is there a belly to rub at that point?? She''s got a great figure and her tummy is as flat as a tack.

Maybe it''s just me, perhaps I''m being too harsh and I don''t get it?!

But it drives most of the suite''s staff bonkers, and does cause problems for us, the manager is pulling our her hair! If we need to cover her for a shift, it''s difficult to do so at a minute''s notice. I understand it''s a huge thing for the body to adjust to, and the emotion involved with knowing your baby is in your tum tum... but I just look at her, who admits to be having a m/s, trouble free pregnancy, and then look at the other girls, two of which are suffering debilitating m/s but are still at work, because as they say... hey, that''s part and parcel of it all!

OK, maybe I''m having a hard time differentiating between drama and hypochondria?!

Italia, your collegue''s hamstring story killed me.

From someone who''s suffered many hamstring strains... get some Deep Heat, get a hotpack and suck it up!! Heck! And the 4 hour surgery on a sty... OMG

I know where you''re coming from DandiAndi. When some women get pregnant, they suddenly have ALL the symptoms all at once, most of which I think are mentally induced becasue they THINK they should have them. I made it to 41 weeks (the baby was late) only missing 1 day of work, because I had a bad cold and didn''t want my co-workers to get sick. At 10 weeks, she may be tired and thow up, but that''s about it!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 8/10/2009 12:26:53 AM
Author: DandiAndi
No Italia hon, you''re not nuts!! But maybe I am??

Read on...


I hope not to offend anyone, or it may come down to lack of knowledge due to my state of unpregnantness

, but there are about 7 preggo girls at work (operating theatre) atm, and one is the biggest hypochondriacs I''ve ever met. Even when she''s not pregnant she''s pretty bad, but now, oy!!


All the other girls just go about their business as usual, the only thing they state they cannot do is be in a theatre with constant Xray (small bursts are OK if they wear full lead protection) and not scrub for a hip replacement, because the fumes from the cement the Drs use can be dangerous. These ones are no brainers. But this one girl will not move patients in case she does herself an injury (4 people move patients at a time and share the weight, it is very safe!), will not eat anything that others bring to work, like slices, cakes etc. in case it makes the baby sick (?!), refuses to scrub for even the smallest cases in case she faints (her blood pressure is perfect and she hasn''t had any dizzy spells or m/s), asks to be sent home the minute she walks in the door (when asked why, her reason she gives is ''well, I''m tired because I''m pregnant!''

) and puffs, pants and rubs her belly all day. I think she''s 10 weeks along or so? Is there a belly to rub at that point?? She''s got a great figure and her tummy is as flat as a tack.


Maybe it''s just me, perhaps I''m being too harsh and I don''t get it?!

But it drives most of the suite''s staff bonkers, and does cause problems for us, the manager is pulling our her hair! If we need to cover her for a shift, it''s difficult to do so at a minute''s notice. I understand it''s a huge thing for the body to adjust to, and the emotion involved with knowing your baby is in your tum tum... but I just look at her, who admits to be having a m/s, trouble free pregnancy, and then look at the other girls, two of which are suffering debilitating m/s but are still at work, because as they say... hey, that''s part and parcel of it all!

OK, maybe I''m having a hard time differentiating between drama and hypochondria?!

Italia, your collegue''s hamstring story killed me.

From someone who''s suffered many hamstring strains... get some Deep Heat, get a hotpack and suck it up!! Heck! And the 4 hour surgery on a sty... OMG

That is over the top. We have had plenty of pregnant interns and NICU nurses who have been able to do their job just fine, including 30 hour calls for the residents. The only resident who has had to miss work was the one who was in preterm labor at 33 weeks (we normally pull them from call at 36 weeks, so she just had to be pulled a few weeks early). They avoid x-rays and kids with infections that can harm newborn (like chickenpox), but other than that they do their job just like everyone else.