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chronic illness?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by nomoresickness, Dec 1, 2009.

  1. nomoresickness

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    Anybody out there dealing with chronic illness? I have been "sick" for over a year now. Seen a lot of doctors and still not 100% sure what exactly is wrong. I have a spondyloarthropy.......GI issues......lots of pain..........etc.
     
  2. Just Adam

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    i get alot of headaches and a clicky knee...thats not alot i grnt but my other isuues make up for it
     
  3. Daniel6

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    Why not seeking alternative medicine when seeing the doctors have turned you down?
     
  4. RaeofLite

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    Ok, first, don't take offense to this... but from what I've heard from friends this can cause "sickness"...

    Do you do any of the following:
    -smoke
    -not exercise
    -not eat healthy (ie: fried bad foods or sugary foods etc)
    -not get sunlight (Vitamin D is good for mental health which can affect your immune system too)
    -surround yourself with negative people (this can cause depression and anxiety and other issues which lower immune system and the ability to fight viruses and other things)
    -

    Are you:
    -overweight
    -obese
     
  5. davo-man

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    I have fourth stage kidney failure due to reflux nephropathy which means I have to have a kidney donated to me by my auntie. And I said no to every single one of these questions. While some of these certainly can cause health problems, you seem to imply that "sickness" (unsure of why we're quoting that word) is inherently caused by these factors, which is untrue.

     
  6. Greggers

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    I have hypothyroidism, something ill have to take medicine for every day till i die x_x

    Also i cant smell, if that counts.
     
  7. RaeofLite

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    Davo-man, I didn't mean that it caused "all" sickness, just that it can be factors that cause some sickness. I'm not a doctor, but I've heard of a lot of cases where those were likely common factors. Kind of like how being overweight, obese can cause Type 2 Diabetes..
     
  8. Daniel6

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    I'd like to add:
    - not eat enough fruits and vegetables
    - long term medical treatment
     
    #8 Daniel6, Dec 7, 2009
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2009
  9. Maddy

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    I have a genetic illness called neurofibromatosis type 2, which I was diagnosed with at about age seven. It's a chromosome abnormality, so there's no way it's environmental - my sister and I were presenting symptoms when we were little kids. It basically means I sprout tumours anywhere on my central nervous system - at the moment I have two brain and two spinal tumours. You can be affected in many different ways, but in my case, my balance is terrible (bad enough that I can't really walk unaided), I get frequent dizzy spells, my hearing isn't great, I'm close to blind in one eye and am very prone to developing cataracts, and I get fatigue hits that can pretty much put me out of action for a few days at a time.

    It's generally more serious when it's passed through the female line of the family, and in my case, it's been passed down to me exclusively through the female line - from my mum, from her mother, from her mother, possibly from her mother. It's supposed to be 50% penetrant, but in my family, literally every person who's been tested has it - probably 30-odd people. Seems like we have a particularly penetrant strain, which is one reason I am not having children.
     
  10. nomoresickness

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    I said NO to every single one of these. I did not cause my illness by behavior and/or environment. It's partially genetic and the other causes are unknown. Nothing at all is environmentally factored.
     
  11. nomoresickness

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    No offense to you, but I was offended by this statement. Type 2 diabetes is definitely NOT the same disease that I have AT ALL. Mine is autoimmune, meaning my own body attacks healthy cells. I was looking for support when I started this thread, not an attack.......which I get quite often because more men have this disease than women. Women are more likely to be told:
    A: they need to change their habits
    B: it's in their head
    or C: it's another illness more common to women but often used as a diagnosis of exlusion

    I hear that ALL the time. The ONLY people who support me at times are my doctors (who DO have medical degrees and my psychologist.) I may not look sick, but I'm in constant pain........and I sure as hell didn't eat, smoke, drink myself into this predicament.
     
  12. Daniel6

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    I am sorry to hear that your illness comes partially from genetic cause.

    In the book "Why I quit orthodox medicine" by Dr Derrick Lonsdale, he treated some cases of heredity illness by megadoses of vitamin B.
     
  13. nomoresickness

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    I wish it was that easy!! For now it's a mixture of immunosuppresants, NSAIDs, and pain-killers.
     
  14. SilhouetteDream

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    I have chronic eczema. Really is horrible. I've been on prescription creams and medications all my life. Been tested for lupus, overactive/underactive thyroid, and numerous other diseases. I've been put on prednisone a few times when it was unbearable. There have been times when I couldn't even walk or move without unbearable pain. But thank god for my current dermatologist, I love her to death and she's been able to curb the serverity of my condition. I can now have normal looking skin at times. Doesn't mean my skin doesn't flare up though. I'm currently looking into all natural ways to treat my eczema, and I think thats always a great way to try to help illnesses in addition to modern medicine.
    -End skin rant-
    My point? I know how fustrating it is to always be unsure of what the problem is, always searching for an answer. It's hard. (*hug*)
     
  15. GhostDog

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    I had (and still get the occasional bout of) vulvodynia, which means "Your bits burn like fuckery for no reason we can find! And we can't do anything about it!" I went to doctor after doctor for years and they all basically said they had no idea what was causing it. I got put on a bunch of different medications that made me tired, forgetful, dizzy, and didn't help the damn problem. I'd wake up crying from pain, not be able to go to sleep at night because I couldn't take my mind off it, and god forbid I wear tight pants or want to, like, sit on things. Or move my legs. Or, you know, exist.

    I had one doctor who didn't seem to believe me when I told him I was a virgin and there was no possible way it was an STD. He just handed me a pamphlet on herpes, gave me a prescription for celebrex (or some herpes medication, I forget), and sent me on my way. Did not even go into what else it could possibly be. No, no, let's just assume the terrified 16-year-old in constant pain is lying about her sexual activity! Awesome, doctor man. I could barely tolerate tampons! Sex would have been hideously painful. I felt so awful being tested for every STD under the sun when I'd never even had sex. I cried a lot. They all came up negative, and I know my doctors were just trying to be thorough, but I felt like they all thought I was a huge liar.

    OH GOD, I hate it when they tell you it's all in your head. I got a lot of suggestions that it was psychosomatic, or maybe I'd been sexually assaulted and had repressed it, and, uh. No. Why the hell would I imagine burning pain so bad I'd have to stay home from school and just cry? Argh.

    I haven't had a bad flare up in a couple years though and I have no idea what made it go away. I'm incredibly thankful that it did, but I've done my share of doing the doctor shuffle to find out why it hurts. =/ And I can't even complain compared to my mom - she's been dealing with Crohn's since she was 26. I just pray I dodged that bullet. D:

    But chronic health issues blow. I feel for you! *Internet-hugs!* I really hope it gets better.
     
    #15 GhostDog, Dec 7, 2009
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2009
  16. Daniel6

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    naturopath, homeopath, nutritional therapy, vitamin therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, fasting, etc.
    Please do not give up. :kiss:
     
  17. nomoresickness

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    That all sounds incredibly painful!! I hate the whole, "are you sexually active?" "could you be pregnant?" etc questions they always ask!! I take Celebrex, and it's not for herpes...it's a NSAID (like ibuprofen or naproxen (advil)). It helps cut inflammation in your body. I just had a colonoscopy to rule out Crohn's (thankfully I don't have it.) I hope you don't either. I nearly scared myself to death reading about it online before my procedure. I hope it gets better for you!!!
     
  18. Swamp56

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    I deal with a chronic mental illness rather than a physical illness. It's...not the easiest thing to deal with, especially when I lose touch with reality and don't realize it.
     
  19. Gumtree

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    Pretty much everyone with a decent diet gets the maximum amount of Vitamin B their body can absorb. Anything not immediately absorbed is either sweated or urinated out. So really; megadoses of Vitamin B are pretty much useless and ineffective, just like people popping Vitamin B suppliment pills. (And yes I am aware of the B-12 cycle of anti-absorbtion).

    I would put down your doctors success, if he had any real cases, to either anti-meunchisens syndrome (sorry, spelling :frowning2:) or placebo.

    Also, the differing line between 'natural' and 'modern' medicine is absolute bullcrap IMHO. It's all 100% natural, it all comes from the same place. I don't see much difference from boiling a herb to make tea for a certain component or from chemically extracting it or synthesising it. Except one way you have a lot more control.

    I don't have much of a chronic illness, I do have a hypo thyroid, but that just means I have to work extra hard to keep my weight down and keep my iodine intake up!

    I got lucky really, both my parents and all my other siblings (all 5 of them) have chronic asthma, but my lungs are totally healthy!
     
  20. Revan

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    For me...I have muscle pains (had rheumatic fever when I was young actually...lost use of my legs for a week, no lie)
    Consistent Allergies
    Don't get much exercise.
    Don't eat any fruits because I get actual pain in my chest no matter what fruit (citrus or non-citrus)
    Play way too many video games
    And though I am not exactly "overweight", according to my BMI I am. Though my body fat index is well in the normal range, frankly it's at the lowest of "Acceptable" nearing onto lower than acceptable (which is what you WANT to be in).
    Oh and i can't drink milk with food at the same time. Like cereal for example, I have to swallow the milk before swallowing the cereal itself otherwise it feels like the food gets stuck in my chest. Basically before it gets to my stomach, it "stops" in between my pectorals. So it's not restricting breathing, but it sure as hell is scary and uncomfortable as f&$@