In Need of Help

[confusion]

I attend a high school and am a female. I have undergone harassment and being dubbed the "outcast" since elementary school. My family is of 6, me, my parents, 2 brothers, and a sister. Earlier in the year my parents were constantly fighting and nearly divorced, though we are past that. My younger brother is selfish and mu older brother has a lot going on and has been the focus of attention among us all. My sister is not empathetic and tends to be selfish. This year I became severely sick and needed hospitalization twice. Mind you this all began almost 9 months ago. They still don't have a diagnosis and have done multiple tests. My symptoms include:
Migraines
Aches
Vomiting
Nausea
Dizziness
Exhaustion
Trouble Breathing (though I do have asthma)
I have been unable to eat at all; puking each time. Without a diagnosis they are looking at the possibility I have anxiety disorders, too much stress, and may be subconsciously depressed.
I have undergone numerous stressful situations, and my condition got worse whenever I was put into another stressful situation.
I don't like it when people worry about me. When I am going through something difficult, I tend to become happier, joyous, and energetic. We believe this is my way of hiding emotion and denying depression. Whenever other people are struggling, I try to burden myself with their problems and only add to my own stress, though I cannot keep from doing this.
Does it seem I have or am at risk of any mental disorders?

 

[Dollit]

This is a question you should be asking a GP. On this forum we are about peer support and no one person should try to diagnose another. Talk to a GP about your fears. If you feel you need support to cope with the stress in your life you will get that here.

 

[confusion]

I believe you misunderstood... I really didn't want a diagnosis, but to know if anyone on this site has had anything of the sort and has a suggestion for me to confront my doctor with.

 

[Apotheosis]

I believe you misunderstood... I really didn't want a diagnosis, but to know if anyone on this site has had anything of the sort and has a suggestion for me to confront my doctor with.

You really should go & see a Doctor.

 

[confusion]

You really should go & see a Doctor.

I am seeing doctors... a lot of them... but its been 9 months without results... I wanted other opinions on the situation... I wanted to see other ideas and see how likely he thinks they are... That is where I wanted assistance.

 

[Apotheosis]

I am seeing doctors... a lot of them... but its been 9 months without results... I wanted other opinions on the situation... I wanted to see other ideas and see how likely he thinks they are... That is where I wanted assistance.

OK. I don't have allot of time for doctors personally. What alternatives have you tried? I have found Reiki very helpful & beneficial for alleviating my own problems. I have also tried & received varying benefits from homoeopathy, acupuncture, Indian head massage, Hopi ear candles & many other holistic & natural healing modalities.

I try to live as stress free & natural life as I can. By natural I mean - good food, fresh air, good sleep & rest & good company.

There could be any number of reasons for why you are experiencing what you are. What meds do you take? Are you on drink &/or drugs [street]? What is your diet like? Exercise? Do you have any known allergies? Have you had an allergy test? Have you tried Google searches with the symptoms you are experiencing? What physical problems (diagnosed conditions) do you have? Have you had extensive physical tests?

What physical &/or psychological traumas have you experienced in your life? I put allot of upset I have had on a very serious accident I had when I was 6.

It is very difficult to get any idea of what could be the matter from what you have posted - which is a set of arbitrary symptoms. The symptoms seem similar to some kind of poisoning; I stress that I am not a doctor however.

You mention stress & depression. I was once diagnosed with psychotic depression, which the doctors told me when I asked them; was that I was depressed without realising it. Sounds pretty odd. But maybe you are in some kind of reaction to stress, or physically manifesting psychological difficulties as some kind of deference. If you are seeing allot of Doctors & they can't come up with anything in 9 months - then I doubt I can shed any more light on the situation. But as I say a more holistic answer may help. I hope that can be of some benefit.

 

[confusion]

OK. I don't have allot of time for doctors personally. What alternatives have you tried? I have found Reiki very helpful & beneficial for alleviating my own problems. I have also tried & received varying benefits from homoeopathy, acupuncture, Indian head massage, Hopi ear candles & many other holistic & natural healing modalities.

I try to live as stress free & natural life as I can. By natural I mean - good food, fresh air, good sleep & rest & good company.

There could be any number of reasons for why you are experiencing what you are. What meds do you take? Are you on drink &/or drugs [street]? What is your diet like? Exercise? Do you have any known allergies? Have you had an allergy test? Have you tried Google searches with the symptoms you are experiencing? What physical problems (diagnosed conditions) do you have? Have you had extensive physical tests?

What physical &/or psychological traumas have you experienced in your life? I put allot of upset I have had on a very serious accident I had when I was 6.

It is very difficult to get any idea of what could be the matter from what you have posted - which is a set of arbitrary symptoms. The symptoms seem similar to some kind of poisoning; I stress that I am not a doctor however.

You mention stress & depression. I was once diagnosed with psychotic depression, which the doctors told me when I asked them; was that I was depressed without realising it. Sounds pretty odd. But maybe you are in some kind of reaction to stress, or physically manifesting psychological difficulties as some kind of deference. If you are seeing allot of Doctors & they can't come up with anything in 9 months - then I doubt I can shed any more light on the situation. But as I say a more holistic answer may help. I hope that can be of some benefit.

What meds do you take?
I take advair, albuteral, and singulair for asthma (I had a severe asthma attack this year as well that lasted for over 12 hours without me having any way to contact anyone and I was home alone... this called for hospitalization). Ibuprofen for head aches, though I try not to use this often. I take erythrocin, or I did and was just taken off it yesterday, and this is an antibiotic for my stomach. I also take prilosec OTC over the counter, which the doctor told me to take, and rolaids soft chew antiacids.

Are you on drink &/or drugs [street]?
No way in hell do I drink or do drugs! I am as clean as it gets...

What is your diet like?
We have tried many diets... One we tried was a bland diet, which was mainly plain baked chicken, crackers, and non citrus juice. This had no difference from any other diet we tried. I now only eat one small meal a day of something easy on my stomach, and drink plenty of apple juice since it has proven to hurt me less to drink than others.

Exercise?
I try for at least a half hour, despite the pain, each day.

Do you have any known allergies?
Seasonal allergies only, but my body reacts poorly to steroids (which I was once prescribed for asthma after released from the hospital) and I react poorly to Nexium, which I was also taken off of almost immediately after being prescribed.

Have you had an allergy test?
I believe so.

Have you tried Google searches with the symptoms you are experiencing?
Yes I have and my results were possibly TSS, but they are concluding that is not it as of yesterday after discussing it with my GI.

What physical problems (diagnosed conditions) do you have?
I have had malnutrition, dehydration, and massive weight loss due to this. The malnutrition is being taken care of through vitamins, and the dehydration I am fixing through plenty of fluids, though I puke a lot of it up. The weight loss seems to be doing better now as well, I suppose.

Have you had extensive physical tests?
I have had a lot of tests, some I don't even know of, as well as a pregnancy test (which is impossible with my being a virgin), a through scope test and another that revealed I have slow stomach emptying, but the medications don't work as well as they should be.

What physical &/or psychological traumas have you experienced in your life?
I was in a small car accident where we hit a tree last year, though it was like I said, very small. My brother went through severe depression, which I dedicated months to fixing, my parents fought for a while and were almost divorced, my cousin was in a severe car accident after falling asleep at the wheel and is now getting involved with drugs, my aunt got a DUI about a month ago, my friend is undergoing abusive by her boyfriend, who is also the father of her 2 yr. old son, and I am trying to help her with that since she lives with him and his parents are her legal guardians, being sick without a diagnosis has been stressful, and my sister has been especially difficult throughout the whole process.

 

[confusion]

Oh and I don't know if this helps but my Uncle suffered from depression and successfully committed suicide. I have heard suicide and depression can be genetic so...

 

[Apotheosis]

Oh and I don't know if this helps but my Uncle suffered from depression and successfully committed suicide. I have heard suicide and depression can be genetic so...

Hi confusion - I take a low dose of an anti psychotic. Sometimes antibiotics are not good for the stomach.

I don't think you have an inordinate amount of stress in your life. I could write a list many times longer than the one you have written with many things which are much more stressful; concerning things in my life. But it is not a competition, & stress has far more to do with how we deal with things than what things we have to deal with. Personally I am unconvinced that Mental Illness has any Genetic cause.

If you want my advice - & I am far less prone to give it nowadays - then I would look at ways of looking after yourself & taking things easy. Relaxation, meditation & stress relieving techniques. It also wouldn't do you any harm to find a complementary or competent alternative therapist. Even if it is a gentle massage once a week. It won't do you any harm anyway, at the least, it may just help. As to what is the matter, or the cause of your problems - apart from what I have mentioned, I have no idea.

Take things easy & put yourself first.

 

[confusion]

Hi confusion - I take a low dose of an anti psychotic. Sometimes antibiotics are not good for the stomach.

I don't think you have an inordinate amount of stress in your life. I could write a list many times longer than the one you have written with many things which are much more stressful; concerning things in my life. But it is not a competition, & stress has far more to do with how we deal with things than what things we have to deal with. Personally I am unconvinced that Mental Illness has any Genetic cause.

If you want my advice - & I am far less prone to give it nowadays - then I would look at ways of looking after yourself & taking things easy. Relaxation, meditation & stress relieving techniques. It also wouldn't do you any harm to find a complementary or competent alternative therapist. Even if it is a gentle massage once a week. It won't do you any harm anyway, at the least, it may just help. As to what is the matter, or the cause of your problems - apart from what I have mentioned, I have no idea.

Take things easy & put yourself first.

well that is only a recent list, so I do have more stresses, and when it comes to stress it is how the person is able to deal with it and not exactly how much there is of it... You must remember I am a student living off my parents finances, and with us struggling as much as we are, we wouldn't be able to afford massage therapy. However, a therapist is a possibility, if the doctor I have feels as if it is needed...

 

[Apotheosis]

well that is only a recent list, so I do have more stresses, and when it comes to stress it is how the person is able to deal with it and not exactly how much there is of it... You must remember I am a student living off my parents finances, and with us struggling as much as we are, we wouldn't be able to afford massage therapy. However, a therapist is a possibility, if the doctor I have feels as if it is needed...

& I have been out of work for over 10 years, am dependant on benefits & have in the past had long & severe problems with housing, addiction & family difficulties. such is life - most people have very difficult life circumstances. I presume that you live in the West? Being able to read & write, having a roof over our heads & food in the fridge, with the freedom to practise whatever political & religious persuasion we choose - puts us in less than 10% of the Worlds most affluent & privileged people. Even despite what we may see as harsh difficulties - they are not when compared to those billions who have no home, no access to fresh water, no sewerage services, no food, no political & religious freedoms, who can't read & write, & often have to beg or work for less than a dollar a day just to survive that day. We are blessed.

Even in my situation on very little income - I have managed to receive all kinds of alternative therapies; & alternative & holistic treatment. There are ways & means. Meditation, relaxation techniques & learning methods to mange stress cost nothing either. The web is full of such information for starters.

 

[Dollit]

I think if we count our positives it can make our negatives easier to deal with. My consultant is forever saying to me to count my blessings and that money and property don't count. He's right. It puts me in a frame of mind where life is simpler and therefore easier to deal with. Like you Apo I haven't worked in many years (though I'd break an arm in two if I thought it would enable me to) and money has often been tight, stresses can be very great but I have developed coping mechanisms. I know that I'm approaching a stressful 3 months so I'm going round to the team I work with one by one and telling them I'm going to be tearful, ratty and in constant need of chocolate and on the bad days I'll be suicidal. We'll get through and we will have achieved something very good at the end of it. Stress is part of life and everyone can learn to deal with it, even the people like me who get suicidal almost routinely.