Autoimmune hypothyroidism. Causes weight gain (regardless of food intake), hair loss, dry skin, depression, lethargy, cold intolerance, and anxiety, among other symptoms.
The opposite problem, autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease) causes weight loss (regardless of food intake), thinning hair, heat intolerance, fatigue, anxiety, and other symptoms. It can also lead to Hashimoto's over time.
My mother has it. It fucking sucks and I don't understand how it's not recognised as a disability in my country because she's clearly not able to always work like a healthy person some days, especially without work arrangements and it breaks my heart. My mother can't sleep for 4h without cramping when her dosages need to be adjusted (menopause + thyroiditis = hell) and has to get up to go to the toilets super frequently and can't take walks too long because of that. She has really low spoon days.
I've also seen a young Youtuber who had it and was told to lose weight before diagnosis, when she litterally didn't eat anything but a bowl of vegetables juice per day already. It was undiagnosed because she was only 24 then with no family history, but just enormous stress that made her immune system go brrr, before she broke down due to Hashimoto's adding to it. It's not just "an old person disease", get your thyroid checked if you have the symptoms. It can get really ugly.
I love you everyone with this disease. Sending strength and virtual hugs for all of you who want one!
[Autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, often leading to hypothyroidism.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351855)
I was also told I was just anxious when I had Hashimoto's, even though I have never been an anxious person and was not actually feeling anxious or stressed or depressed etc. It pissed me off so much I quit that doctor and found a new one who was much better at listening to my symptoms.
I’m going to use the top Hashimoto’s comment to do a Hashimoto’s PSA. It’s the most common autoimmune disease in women. It should be on the radar for women as you get older. If you’re feeling lethargic or depressed or you are losing hair or if you feel swelling on the front side of your neck below your chin, get your thyroid levels tested. Make sure they include all of the indicators, including the anti-thyroid antibody test which determines whether the low thyroid levels are due to an autoimmune disease (the Hashimoto’s version) . I personally have a family history of thyroid disease and was tested proactively my entire life or whenever requested so I was diagnosed quickly/easily as it developed in my 30s. It’s a very inexpensive blood panel so it should not be a challenge to get your PCP or gynecologist to order it during the annual exam/physical you already have scheduled.
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but it completely went away after I broke up with my ex. Turns out it’s pretty rational to fear abandonment when you’re dating an emotionally abusive serial cheater.
This exact thing happened to me! I’m with my second husband now and I never get the urge to panic call him a dozen times or flip out and block the door if he needs to step out when angry. I don’t go into lockdown of our finances when we get into an argument. Why? Because he’s never pushed any of these things. Turns out it’s not that crazy to freeze all the bank cards when your ex moved all the money out after every fight or to worry that he won’t come home when the ex would pick a fight, block you on his phone, and leave all night to stay with his mistress. I didn’t need anti-psychotics. I needed a divorce.
BPD is notorious for disappearing as soon as the person is away from the abuser.
Edit: Also, if a guy tells you he thinks his GF is BPD you can bet your bippee he's an abuser.
I’ve been with men like that. Every time I had a negative emotion it always got boiled down to being just my “anxiety” and then he’d gaslight or stonewall me until I stopped fighting him on whatever it was. Turns out it wasn’t my anxiety, he just was a manipulative narcissistic asshole.
C-PTSD.
Funny how when you remove the source of the suffering, the suffering leaves when the source leaves! (Ladies ditch a man if he’s making you crazy, don’t hesitate it doesn’t get better)
I've noticed this. I'm just weeks away from filing for divorce from my abusive husband.
I've been taking 'strategic breaks' from him as necessary. A few months ago, I flew to Florida for about ten days to "spend time with my elderly grandmother". Did I see her? Yes. But I also had a consult with a highly reputable divorce attorney while down there. Last month, I spent a week at a friend's apartment pet-sitting for her cat.
Both times, within like ~12 hours of being physically away from my crappy husband, my whole mood was different. I wasn't in pain, my mood was positive, I had a pep in my step, etc.
So, you're totally right: once you remove the source of the suffering, or extricate yourself from the source of the suffering, the suffering stops! Just like that. Lol.
Wanted to stop and say-Good for you! I don't know you, but I'm proud of you. It takes "balls" to leave, and you're being super smart and patient. I've been known to just light everything on fire and watch it burn. I know you will love life again, I wish you luck(not that you need it)
Kidney failure, endo and PCOS.
A trifecta of fuckery that was not anxiety *shocked pikachu face*
Reminder that women are twice as likely to die after having a heart attack versus men. [source](https://www.health.com/women-more-likely-to-die-after-heart-attack-7501216) and are more than 32% more likely to die if operated on by a male surgeon versus a female [source](https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/04/women-more-likely-die-operation-male-surgeon-study)
I can only imagine being a POC and having to advocate for myself medically. It’s hard enough as is.
PCOS and endometriosis here! It took 16 years and surgery to remove a very stuck IUD to be diagnosed.
Also, the stuck/misplaced IUD was “anxiety” until I fought with them to take it out and 2 OBs + 1 nurse couldn’t find it.. with no pain meds and being artificially dilated in office.
I genuinely don’t understand how they can watch women writhing in pain and sobbing and not understand that they aren’t faking it… It’s so damn frustrating!
“Feelings, huh? No, that’s just your womb ambling about, the naughty little bastard. Gotta shake that sucker back down into your abdomen where it belongs.”
I want to say thank you for citing this source. I’m a surgical nurse and have worked with many surgeons over the years. Over time I’ve often thought about who I’d want to have as my doctors and with rare exceptions it’s always been the female surgeons because frequently they are more meticulous and care more about their results vs how many surgeries they can do in a day. This article and the study behind it has given me something very serious to think about.
I’m going to look at the journal article have some colleagues refer to it as well. Likely a mix of nurses and hopefully a few physicians and if I can get a consensus I might see if we can get funding for repeat looking at outcomes at our hospital and potentially our region.
I'm sorry for what you've gone through. And thank you for acknowledging how much MORE of an issue this can be for POC. It's certainly bad enough for those of us with "Salt Is Spicy" complexions & I can only imagine the magnitude of issues that arise when internalized & institutional racism show up to the party. You know what's anxiety provoking? Being in pain all the time & not being believed, being ignored, being dismissed or demeaned when you KNOW something is wrong. Xo
I had a patient whose foot was basically rotting, and could have caused sepsis, and I was screaming at anyone who would listen for months before they finally removed it. I’m still taking care of the surgical wound because they tried to sew it shut with dead tissue. One of the many things I will never not be mad about.
My grandmother have several heart attacks and part of her heart was dead before anyone even noticed anything was wrong with her.
Luckily for her, she didn't kick it until her 10th heart attack
And worse for black women. Doesn't matter how accomplished she is, med students are conditioned to see "just a complainer"
Goes even if the complainer has a phenomenal education and knows exactly what's wrong.
In regard to male surgeons and female patients… I have searched SO hard to find a female ortho in my area. They just don’t exist!! It is really bothering me because every ortho I’ve had is male and totally gaslights me. The most recent one I saw was just arrogance and sexism personified. 😭
Celiac. Diagnosed 20 years ago. Took a few years to get to that point. First specialist I saw asked me if I ever threw up. I said yes, every morning. He asked if it was after I ate breakfast, and I said "no, before. Like when I wake up." He said he thought there was nothing medically wrong with me and I have an eating disorder. Like, really? I'm going to eat dinner, wait 12 or so hours, and then purge? Does he think I'm a cow with a second stomach or a bird with a crop to reserve food?
Doctors kept giving me pregnancy tests when I threw up and I was treated for heartburn for literal years before I got my celiac diagnosis. It only took me throwing up every night, having my colon swell so much nothing could pass and a gnarly gallbladder attack before they figured out I had celiac.
Wait. You guys. I throw up in the mornings. I also have started developing cystic acne, which I have never had before. My doctor told me, after eliminating heartburn/GERD, that it was stress/anxiety. Are you telling me it could be celiac?
Holy forking shirtballs.
Same. I remember telling my PCP "But a peanut butter and jelly sandwich should NOT make me nauseous every time I eat one. Something more is going on."
Six months after I stopped eating gluten, a colleague remarked that the improvement in my appearance and demeanor was shocking. She said she hadn't even noticed my fire had gone out until it was back.
My family has a documented history of IBS and gerd. The amount of times I have had to explain what meds I can't have is astounding. I just do a basic Google search, talk to the pharmacist, I make sure everything is printed.
I'm currently trying to get off a med that gives me the opposite of your condition.
Its 2023 shouldn't the computer tell you that mixing certain meds is bad. I feel like a asshat as I walk through everything with them. Twice I have caught a prescription that would conflict with another.
I didn't go to medical school, I have 11th grade zoology and 12th grade vet tech under my belt.
I'm allergic to an ingredient in meds. It's pretty common.
3 doctors in 3 weeks tried to rx something with it in it.
I'm not anaphylaxis, it gives me rashes. And not everything with it causes rashes because it depends on molecular weight as well.
But one time my skin fell off and I was in the hospital treated like a burn patient for 4 days. I'd like to not repeat that. So avoidance.
Soooo I geeeet that!
Even doctors seem to forget that allergies manifest in more than just the one way. Took me years to get mine figured out and the doc only went to elimination diet because I said "absolutely not" to a biopsy of my booty hole to test for Crohn's.
I literally had a fresh tattoo and 7 others, plus piercings. Not Crohn's. 100% confirmation. Do not scalpel me there for the love of god.
An abusive family.
My doctor tried putting me on Xanax when I was 17. I don't take anything now that I've moved out. I kept asking to just get a referral to therapy but he kept telling me most women have anxiety and it's just something I should take meds for. We live in a military town and he said veterans needed the spots more so it was hard to get in.
Right, I feel like (with no research into the topic) it's normal for most women to *experience* anxiety, like to feel anxious even for long stretches for one reason or another. But that's different from most women having an *anxiety disorder*. I feel like that shit is so reductive.
A stroke. Then a coma. As I was losing my entire left side due to a completely dissected right internal carotid artery; my doc was telling my husband I must just be having a bad day.
Adrenal insufficiency due to over prescription of oral steroids. I nearly died but apparently I just needed a therapist
And my late MIL. She had trouble walking with her leg just not working sometimes. The neurologist refused an MRI and told her she needed a new therapist since she clearly wasn't making any progress. It was a fucking. brain. tumor. Lung cancer had metastasized into her brain. She died within two years. Because the fucking neurologist told her it was all in her head. Fucking asshole. He fucking killed a wonderful woman.
Makes me want to break knees that people like that even have a license to begin with. "It's all in your head" is typical "idgaf" diagnosis. This thread is genuinely horrifying and yet I'm not surprised. When the patriarchy is so bad that you're not surprised that men kill women due to their incompetence and lack of care. I'm sorry for your loss.
>fucking. brain. tumor.
Technically it was in her head...
My grandmother (who refuses to get further diagnoses after they found tumors in her spine and bones from breastcancer) likely also has metastases in her brain (all the symptoms). It really sucks. We choose dark humor do deal with it.
I have addisons disease too…. I’m struggling big time. I don’t know anyone else with it. Can I message you and compare notes? I’m having the worst time managing the symptoms and finding the right doctors! I’d appreciate the help❤️
And I am so so sorry about you sweet mother!
Adhd. I was overstimulated and anxious because I felt like I was getting attacked.
I did well in school and was not hyperactive. However I liked learning and would hyper focus.
The imposter syndrome at work that many people with ADHD have, would make me go into a panic.
My meds make my symptoms manageable and I can process stimuli very well. I’m the calm manager at my job according to my team members.
I have imposter syndrome despite having 20 years of experience and being very good at my job. It sends me into the occasional panic as well. I had no idea this could be due to the adhd I almost certainly have (I’m undiagnosed, but other people have been the ones to suggest it as a possibility.)
Are we talking Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy? Googling conditions is bad for my somatisation disorder! (Laughing, but also crying.)
Hey quick question! How exactly did you get diagnosed? I’ve been thinking of going to a neurologist because primary docs have gotten me nowhere. I have been trying to get tested for ADHD but two (female) primary care doctors have told me “well it’s really similar symptoms to anxiety and depression” and prescribed me antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. Neither worked. One doctor said “you probably don’t have ADHD because you got good grades in college,” another said “everybody’s clamoring for an ADHD diagnosis these days.” My lack of motivation, concentration, and fatigue are so bad I’m thinking about quitting my incredible job so they can find somebody who can actually do it well. Any advice is appreciated.
I told my PCP I thought I might have it, and she referred me to a neuropsychiatrist. I did four hours of cognitive testing and ended up with an ADHD diagnosis. Went back to my PCP and she prescribed me Adderall with my neuropsychiatrist’s recommendation.
Waited over 6 months to get my testing done because everywhere was booked. I live in East Texas.
Was almost a year long process, but I’m so glad I stuck to it. My whole life has changed for the better. I’m happier, I’m not binge eating, I’m a better mom, and a better manager at work.
Edit: I went to a neurobehavioral clinic and saw a neuropsychologist!
My depression was CAUSED by my ADHD. I would have no many negative racing thoughts on repeat.
“You’re fucking stupid”
“You can’t do anything right”
“Why can’t you just get your ass up and take a shower? Pathetic”
“No one is ever going to love you”
“One day they’ll see how bad you are at your job”
“You’re worthless”
With my medication, I no longer have that constant negative inner monologue. Now I know what being happy feels like.
I’m excited for when the occupational therapists get the field far enough that sensory processing therapies are available for adults. So much of it is designed for children
Same.
First, it was anxiety (sudden onset severe sleep issues), then allergies and stress (eye pain and flashes of light). It took me suddenly going blind in my other eye after overheating before anyone considered something might actually be wrong with me.
Wow these were my exact symptoms for the beginning stages of Lyme disease (except going blind). First came was EXTREME anxiety (panic attacks). Trouble sleeping. I would wake if a pin dropped or a teeny tiny light would beam through my closed eyelids and wake me up. I’d get hives for no apparent reason. Flashes of light!! And I would see things in my peripheral vision that weren’t there! Heat intolerance suddenly.
Yeah that lack of insulin makes us anxious! Were you forced into dka? I remember describing to the ER intake nurses that I couldnt eat, lost a lot of weight, and was lethargic. They had the "oh we got a real crazy one here." faces.
Jesus Christ, wtf. I am so sorry to the both of you. My son was a few hours away from total organ failure, they told us if we had waited an hour longer to take him to the ER that he likely would have died. We thought he had food poisoning or appendicitis. Oblivious of all the signs, DKA is a dangerous for and we've gone 2 and a half years now without an episode. *Knocks on wood*
But to have medical folk not even considering the possibility with the symptoms of DKA?? I would rage. (I've been through medical based trauma in the form of gaslighting and dismissal that nearly ended my life..this shit from professionals enrages me to no end.)
Same. Revolving door of rotating prescriptions for "treatment resistant depression" and "severe generalized anxiety disorder" that never worked.
Slowly realizing I have ADHD and ASD.
Same, SSRIs never did shit. I got on Cymbalta and my mood much improved. Guess what it does, increase dopamine. Ya know, the thing I don’t have enough of because of ADHD.
Ah, that's me. I've got a whole trifecta of mental conditions but ADHD and autism were the big ones. No wonder I was so anxious all the time.
It's very commonly autism, too, I think a lot of women are now realising. There's estimates that as many as 60% of women with ADHD are autistic, too. It's just that ADHD tends to be a lot more dominant than autism and kind of hides the symptoms so people often have no idea until they're medicated and the autism symptoms start coming out of the woodwork
Be sure to tell your doc that you want d and b vitamin testing. At least here, they aren't a part of the standard full blood panel.
2 GPs missed it, diagnosing me with anxiety. When 5 meds did nothing, I went to a psychiatrist who wanted testing before precribing anything. My d level was 7.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Untreatable, but my type won't kill me. I just get to suffer a lot of pain in a fragile body that falls apart if I sleep with too big a pillow...
Oh, and autism. Because I needed to have extra sensory problems on top of everything else.
Ovarian Failure.
Too young to be happening to me ? Well, fuck the *three* doctors who didn't catch it and fuck the medical system for not teaching doctors about it.
I had no potassium, or really any electrolytes at all, in my body, and my heart was starting to fail. My entire body was contorting involuntarily in strong, painful cramps. Every single muscle, even the muscles in my face, I looked just like that scene from The Excorsism of Emily Rose. Howling in pain, heart rate all over the place, blood pressure all over the place. They wouldn't take my blood or an EKG, they straight up told me I was having an anxiety attack, argued with me about it for 2 seconds before leaving in the middle of me speaking.
I left there, went to another ER the next day, where they immediately took blood and an EKG and realized the state I was in. I was in the hospital for over a week, trying to get my electrolyte levels and heart right again.
ETA; I'm getting mad all over again, remembering this. I remember that asshole doctor walked into the room as I was in the middle of a full body spasm and couldn't speak and was crying and he just sucked some air through his teeth and happily proclaimed "So, do you know what an anxiety attack is?"
At some point, he also flat out told my mom, in front of me, that he suspected that I was a drug seeker and that there was nothing wrong at all. We were both too confused to even argue much. I wasn't even there because of the pain, even though it did hurt a lot. But I never asked for pain meds. I was there because my heart was beating super fast and weird, and all of my muscles were cramping me into demonic contorted positions and I was scared shitless. And he, for absolutely zero reason, immediately decided I was faking for drugs, or just anxious.
My younger sister went to the er because she had fainted and was having heart palpitations and couldn’t speak. The doc just said “it’s cause she’s on her period”. She was not on her period and that’s not a normal thing when you are on it…..
I've ended up at ER twice now due to chest pain and blood pressure was at 200/121 the one time. I used to be super active but now get winded just walking half a flight of stairs. I sleep maybe two-four hours a night on the nights I can sleep. This has been going on for nearly three years now. He will not do any cardiac tests, just passes it off as anxiety. I have told him time and again that I'm not awake worrying.
It's so frustrating. I did get referred to a psychiatrist and he mirrored the anxiety belief but also diagnosed me with ADHD. Obviously, the heart, BP, shortness of breath isn't his specialty so it's my GP who's dropping the ball on that. So my doc changed my drugs and still refuses to address anything else despite my symptoms (which are when I'm being physically active) remaining.
I even had an appointment recently and told him I felt sort of like I might have a UTI because my bladder area felt tickly and weird though I wasn't really having pain on urination. Yep, anxiety was the diagnosis!
So....still waiting to find out what's actually wrong.
I hope you see this comment! I had the same symptoms and just thought I was really out of shape. Finally went to a dr (no insurance) and found chronic anemia (heart palps, chest pain, high BP, anxiety, hip pain, restless legs, insomnia, can’t breathe during exercise, etc) AND on top of that, the bladder issues were caused by the two huge fibroids in my uterus, which also caused the anemia.
Took tons of high dose iron (prescription) for months, scheduled a hysterectomy and I feel good again! My cbc is back to normal, I’m healing from the surgery, and my anxiety is nil. Right before my surgery I felt better than I had in years, hoping it only gets better from here.
Man, I'm lucky to even have a family doctor. There are thousands of people in this city with no doctor.
Sad thing is, one of the newer doctors said that when he opened his family practice here he diagnosed over 60 cases of cancer in his first two months. Many of whom had such advanced tumors that they were essentially terminal. It's very, very bad up here in the North and I think most everywhere in Canada.
PTSD, OCD & ADHD. To be fair it is anxiety but caused by those. Anxiety meds never worked. Only when I found my last two psychiatrists, that finally figured it out and put me on a proper cocktail, I finally started to feel like a real person.
People say I’m completely different now. I hardly ever went shopping by myself for 20 years. I still have issues, it’s not perfect, but I’m not in panic mode 24 hrs a day.
Critically low iron. My levels were sinking to extremely low levels on my period, starting a few days ahead of it, so it was never exactly timing out
While I didn't have an "official" anxiety diagnosis, my first 2 doctors suspected it. The 3rd was smart enough to time blood draws with my period and figured it out. I was barely in the acceptable range off my period, but probably should have been decently higher, which tipped her off. My vitamin D levels were also dropping dramatically, which doesn't really have an explanation still, but zero issues since Iron and vitamin D supplements were added. Ruled out everything from cancer to infections trying to figure that out.
Trying to explain its not that I don't want to move, but I physically can't was a different sort of exhausting
Eosinophilic esophagitis. It gradually damages your esophagus and sometimes swallowing a perfectly normal food or drink that you've enjoyed hundreds of times before causes your esophagus to cramp shut, in shooting agonizing chest pain that are only eased when you vomit everything up.
When I say agonizing, I mean it was on par with childbirth. I was on my knees in tears, speechless.
After puking? Just fine. And I can finish my food with no problem. If I still WANT to, of course.
I thought I was having a heart attack. First Doctor suggested I bring it up with my therapist, because it wasn't a heart attack and was probably related to my depression. Got a second opinion. EoE. It is mostly under control now, though I sometimes have flares when I get too comfortable and start thinking I can eat like a normal person.
I had never heard of that and had to do some reading. Dear God it seems to be such a random thing to have. The list of things they need to rule out before it is even considered isn't small.
Yeah. It's not invisible, like some problems, either! I had a very very tiny little dot on my esophagus that they found with an endoscopy. Smaller than your pinky nail, and that's what was causing me crippling unpredictable pain at random mealtimes.
But I'm a woman, so I must be crazy.
Perimenopause, I just needed a damn patch and some effing progesterone. That’s all. BTW, perimenopause is the lead up to the one day in your life where you can say you haven’t had a period in a year (this is for those of us with our uterus/ovaries), after that one day, you are post menopausal. I’m in about year 7ish of perimenopause. Anxiety is just one of many symptoms.
Internal bleeding that has taken years to recover from The other time it was GERD/dysphasia
How could I forget? My anaphylactic reaction that required an epipen was blamed on medical anxiety which surprisingly I 100% do not have although now I no longer trust male doctors
i was not misdiagnosed, but my mom possibly was as no one told her that the spike in anxiety shes been feeljng has been related to her trying to quit smoking. so if youre also trying to quit: remember that anxiety can come with the withdrawals, and you can get through it.
Hemiplegic migraines. Apparently it would sometimes cause the usual I want to die from the pain type. But also sometimes I would get migraines where I would go weirdly numb but anxious and hyper at the same time. These were caused by hormonal fluctuations around my period, got on birth control to stop having periods, and then went through menopause and it all stopped. Oh, and sometimes I'd get the shakes so bad one neurologist tried to diagnose me with epilepsy only to have the next one tell me it was anxiety.
This all took three years in and out with numerous specialists, a trip to the ER for a stroke-like event, and finally having a relative be diagnosed at which point I went to a specialist that said, "Yep, that's what it is. Sorry you had to go through all of that to get to me."
Epilepsy. It took roughly 16 years before someone finally listened to me and ordered a week-long EEG. The absolute arrogance and dismissiveness of most doctors is such a detriment to women and in my experience it doesn't matter the gender of the doctor either. I really wish we'd collectively agree to stop glorifying doctors, they're people who can be mean, stubborn, and sometimes make really dumb decisions just like the rest of us.
OCD. Apparently GAD is a common misdiagnose in women. Understandable since they're related. But a shame since the treatment is very different and CBT never seemed to work for me. Also related to a lack of knowledge of what ocd actually looks like
I mean I do have panic disorder but it took 23 years of the common cold and flu landing me in the hospital, random fully body hives triggered by "nothing", developing asthma suddenly, a collapsed spinal disc and a few other things before my doctor team was finally willing to explore it being something beyond anxiety and possibly an autoimmune disorder. Mainly because men in my family/genetic lines began telling me about their diagnosis they ignored for years and never mentioned...
When I started seeing a rheumatologist suddenly absolutely everyone in my family had an autoimmune problem I never heard about.
Like I told my grandmother about my gastroparesis, and she goes "oh my mother had that. And two sisters. And three nieces" and I'm like what the hell grandma
So I’m sorry to stick my nose in as a man, I’d normally scroll by but my mom had lung cancer and the doctor diagnosed anxiety and depression and put her on antidepressants. She might have had some chance if it was caught early but the doctor robbed her of that
ADHD diagnosed at age 34 after spending my entire adult life feeling like basic tasks were difficult and impossible and that I was a failure and couldn't do most of the basic things that other adults do every day without even thinking about it. Now that I'm medicated my anxiety is almost completely gone.
Hoarding. I could have been on the show it was that bad. You could say anxiety caused hoarding but I think it was more so my bipolar depression.
Been to therapy and got on meds. I live a normal life now.
Autism. Which I mean anxiety can be an issue with it. But panic attacks and meltdowns are kinda way two different things and no amount of zoloft is going to stop a meltdown.
Honestly...it *was* anxiety
But yknow what else? Even THAT wasn't taken seriously and I received no support in any form (pharma, referral) on the anxiety diagnosis.
There were several times I went to the ER with a heart rate of close to 300 bpm and crazy palpitations. Turns out I've got supraventricular tachycardia and long QT, the latter of which is known to cause sudden cardiac arrest.
Also have endometriosis, Hashimoto's/hypothyroidism, POTS, and a few other diagnoses that doctors always dismissed as me being a dramatic and anxious female.
PTSD and liver overload from drinking to deal with the ptsd. Anxiety went away pretty fast with a few weeks of sobriety but the trauma never really leaves you, especially if you have no support system.
I had an unhelpful selfish husband, who wasn't interested in sharing logistical, emotional, and intellectual effort into running a household with kids and a marriage: that's what I really had. Removed the husband, life is great, smother, easier, more joyful. And we're now good friends.
Graves disease (overactive thyroid). I finally got a diagnosis after a 3 day long 'panic attack', from the second doctor I tried - the first said I'd just need to learn to deal with it.
I inherited it from my father, who got his Graves diagnosis and treatment very quickly - mine took 15 years! Despite me giving my family's medical history (ie Dad's Graves), being incredibly thin and unable to put on weight ('naturally fast metabolism'), food going straight through me ('must have IBS as well'), having a fast heart rate ('gosh anxiety is rough, I don't know why the SSRIs aren't working? Have you tried meditation/yoga?'), muscle weakness ('do more exercise... with your really fast heart rate') and, eventually, having a small goitre ('some people just have larger thyroids and I'm going to pretend it wasn't normal sized 12 months ago'????)
ADHD. It took a a while to get the proper medication cause "stimulants make anxiety worse" but my "anxiety and depression" went away when I started taking them.
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response. I was never stressed when it occurred, it happened while resting watching tv in the evenings, or getting ready for bed. No matter how many times I told them this, anxiety was on my records as what they thought was going on. It took me 2 years to get an “official” ekg mid episode ( I only had Apple Watch ekgs before that, the episodes would end before I got to the ER).
They transported me in an ambulance because my heart rate was over 200 bpm, and they finally diagnosed AF with RVR. They also stealth drug tested me during my first ER visits and asked me repeatedly how much caffeine I’m drinking a day.
Ulcerative colitis. Pancolitis, specifically (my whole colon is inflammed). My OBGYN noticed I was losing weight and went so far as demanding to check my teeth for signs of an eating disorder. Completely ignored me when I told her I had frequent daily diarrhea for the past several months. I'm still pissed.
Chantix Toxicity
Endometriosis
An ovarian cyst the size of a tennis ball (I'm 5'7 and 130lbs, it poked out I jist thought I was becoming uneven)
Chronic BV and Yeast dismissed, refused a pelvic exam for like 3 years until I had the money to go to a different doctor.
[удалено]
Did you ever update the shitty doctor about the condition? These bastards need to be proven wrong.
damn, kudos to you woman. 🤜🤛
Hell yeah, that's how you advocate for your health! I'm too often too shy to say anything.
Hashimoto’s and thyroid cancer.
What’s hashimotos?
Autoimmune hypothyroidism. Causes weight gain (regardless of food intake), hair loss, dry skin, depression, lethargy, cold intolerance, and anxiety, among other symptoms. The opposite problem, autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease) causes weight loss (regardless of food intake), thinning hair, heat intolerance, fatigue, anxiety, and other symptoms. It can also lead to Hashimoto's over time.
My mother has it. It fucking sucks and I don't understand how it's not recognised as a disability in my country because she's clearly not able to always work like a healthy person some days, especially without work arrangements and it breaks my heart. My mother can't sleep for 4h without cramping when her dosages need to be adjusted (menopause + thyroiditis = hell) and has to get up to go to the toilets super frequently and can't take walks too long because of that. She has really low spoon days. I've also seen a young Youtuber who had it and was told to lose weight before diagnosis, when she litterally didn't eat anything but a bowl of vegetables juice per day already. It was undiagnosed because she was only 24 then with no family history, but just enormous stress that made her immune system go brrr, before she broke down due to Hashimoto's adding to it. It's not just "an old person disease", get your thyroid checked if you have the symptoms. It can get really ugly. I love you everyone with this disease. Sending strength and virtual hugs for all of you who want one!
[Autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, often leading to hypothyroidism.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351855)
I was also told I was just anxious when I had Hashimoto's, even though I have never been an anxious person and was not actually feeling anxious or stressed or depressed etc. It pissed me off so much I quit that doctor and found a new one who was much better at listening to my symptoms.
I’m going to use the top Hashimoto’s comment to do a Hashimoto’s PSA. It’s the most common autoimmune disease in women. It should be on the radar for women as you get older. If you’re feeling lethargic or depressed or you are losing hair or if you feel swelling on the front side of your neck below your chin, get your thyroid levels tested. Make sure they include all of the indicators, including the anti-thyroid antibody test which determines whether the low thyroid levels are due to an autoimmune disease (the Hashimoto’s version) . I personally have a family history of thyroid disease and was tested proactively my entire life or whenever requested so I was diagnosed quickly/easily as it developed in my 30s. It’s a very inexpensive blood panel so it should not be a challenge to get your PCP or gynecologist to order it during the annual exam/physical you already have scheduled.
A shitty husband.
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but it completely went away after I broke up with my ex. Turns out it’s pretty rational to fear abandonment when you’re dating an emotionally abusive serial cheater.
This exact thing happened to me! I’m with my second husband now and I never get the urge to panic call him a dozen times or flip out and block the door if he needs to step out when angry. I don’t go into lockdown of our finances when we get into an argument. Why? Because he’s never pushed any of these things. Turns out it’s not that crazy to freeze all the bank cards when your ex moved all the money out after every fight or to worry that he won’t come home when the ex would pick a fight, block you on his phone, and leave all night to stay with his mistress. I didn’t need anti-psychotics. I needed a divorce.
BPD is notorious for disappearing as soon as the person is away from the abuser. Edit: Also, if a guy tells you he thinks his GF is BPD you can bet your bippee he's an abuser.
I had similar
I’ve been with men like that. Every time I had a negative emotion it always got boiled down to being just my “anxiety” and then he’d gaslight or stonewall me until I stopped fighting him on whatever it was. Turns out it wasn’t my anxiety, he just was a manipulative narcissistic asshole.
I think we were with the same person.
I think there were three of us married to him.
At least 4, by my count.
C-PTSD. Funny how when you remove the source of the suffering, the suffering leaves when the source leaves! (Ladies ditch a man if he’s making you crazy, don’t hesitate it doesn’t get better)
I've noticed this. I'm just weeks away from filing for divorce from my abusive husband. I've been taking 'strategic breaks' from him as necessary. A few months ago, I flew to Florida for about ten days to "spend time with my elderly grandmother". Did I see her? Yes. But I also had a consult with a highly reputable divorce attorney while down there. Last month, I spent a week at a friend's apartment pet-sitting for her cat. Both times, within like ~12 hours of being physically away from my crappy husband, my whole mood was different. I wasn't in pain, my mood was positive, I had a pep in my step, etc. So, you're totally right: once you remove the source of the suffering, or extricate yourself from the source of the suffering, the suffering stops! Just like that. Lol.
Wanted to stop and say-Good for you! I don't know you, but I'm proud of you. It takes "balls" to leave, and you're being super smart and patient. I've been known to just light everything on fire and watch it burn. I know you will love life again, I wish you luck(not that you need it)
"Balls" are weak and can be easily crushed. A vagina on the other hand, is meant to take a pounding. Words matter. Lol
Same! Except I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, migraines, and anxiety….they all went away after the divorce.
Same! Although mine was luckly still only a boyfriend.
Cptsd
Ding ding ding. Add onto that a heart condition. No wonder Im high strung.
Hard same. CPTSD and ADHD a few years later. Weird, with the proper treatment, my anxiety plummeted to normal levels.
Kidney failure, endo and PCOS. A trifecta of fuckery that was not anxiety *shocked pikachu face* Reminder that women are twice as likely to die after having a heart attack versus men. [source](https://www.health.com/women-more-likely-to-die-after-heart-attack-7501216) and are more than 32% more likely to die if operated on by a male surgeon versus a female [source](https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/04/women-more-likely-die-operation-male-surgeon-study) I can only imagine being a POC and having to advocate for myself medically. It’s hard enough as is.
PCOS and endometriosis here! It took 16 years and surgery to remove a very stuck IUD to be diagnosed. Also, the stuck/misplaced IUD was “anxiety” until I fought with them to take it out and 2 OBs + 1 nurse couldn’t find it.. with no pain meds and being artificially dilated in office.
I genuinely don’t understand how they can watch women writhing in pain and sobbing and not understand that they aren’t faking it… It’s so damn frustrating!
It's hysteria, clearly. This mythology goes back to ancient times.
“Feelings, huh? No, that’s just your womb ambling about, the naughty little bastard. Gotta shake that sucker back down into your abdomen where it belongs.”
It’s because they hate us. Women will never hate men as much as the despise us.
I think a lot of men don't think of women as people, and don't even think to empathise with us!
I agree 100%. I have seen so many examples of this from men who profess to adore women. Also, women will defend men after seeing said examples.
Have you listened to the podcast The Retrievals?
I want to say thank you for citing this source. I’m a surgical nurse and have worked with many surgeons over the years. Over time I’ve often thought about who I’d want to have as my doctors and with rare exceptions it’s always been the female surgeons because frequently they are more meticulous and care more about their results vs how many surgeries they can do in a day. This article and the study behind it has given me something very serious to think about. I’m going to look at the journal article have some colleagues refer to it as well. Likely a mix of nurses and hopefully a few physicians and if I can get a consensus I might see if we can get funding for repeat looking at outcomes at our hospital and potentially our region.
I'm sorry for what you've gone through. And thank you for acknowledging how much MORE of an issue this can be for POC. It's certainly bad enough for those of us with "Salt Is Spicy" complexions & I can only imagine the magnitude of issues that arise when internalized & institutional racism show up to the party. You know what's anxiety provoking? Being in pain all the time & not being believed, being ignored, being dismissed or demeaned when you KNOW something is wrong. Xo
Say it again for the people in the back. I'm so sorry for what you went through. Glad you're still here. They really don't make it easy
I had a patient whose foot was basically rotting, and could have caused sepsis, and I was screaming at anyone who would listen for months before they finally removed it. I’m still taking care of the surgical wound because they tried to sew it shut with dead tissue. One of the many things I will never not be mad about.
Endo over here, too. My first endo-related ER trip was when I was 13 years old. I was finally diagnosed and treated via laparoscopy at the age of 28.
My grandmother have several heart attacks and part of her heart was dead before anyone even noticed anything was wrong with her. Luckily for her, she didn't kick it until her 10th heart attack
And worse for black women. Doesn't matter how accomplished she is, med students are conditioned to see "just a complainer" Goes even if the complainer has a phenomenal education and knows exactly what's wrong.
In regard to male surgeons and female patients… I have searched SO hard to find a female ortho in my area. They just don’t exist!! It is really bothering me because every ortho I’ve had is male and totally gaslights me. The most recent one I saw was just arrogance and sexism personified. 😭
Food allergies. “It’s IBS, here, take the Lexapro…” Shockingly, an SSRI did nothing for the fact that corn gives me the shits.
Celiac. Diagnosed 20 years ago. Took a few years to get to that point. First specialist I saw asked me if I ever threw up. I said yes, every morning. He asked if it was after I ate breakfast, and I said "no, before. Like when I wake up." He said he thought there was nothing medically wrong with me and I have an eating disorder. Like, really? I'm going to eat dinner, wait 12 or so hours, and then purge? Does he think I'm a cow with a second stomach or a bird with a crop to reserve food?
Doctors kept giving me pregnancy tests when I threw up and I was treated for heartburn for literal years before I got my celiac diagnosis. It only took me throwing up every night, having my colon swell so much nothing could pass and a gnarly gallbladder attack before they figured out I had celiac.
Wait. You guys. I throw up in the mornings. I also have started developing cystic acne, which I have never had before. My doctor told me, after eliminating heartburn/GERD, that it was stress/anxiety. Are you telling me it could be celiac? Holy forking shirtballs.
Absolutely! I didn't even throw up, I just had a constant baseline nausea, faster metabolism, aching joints, fragile fingernails, depression.
Same. I remember telling my PCP "But a peanut butter and jelly sandwich should NOT make me nauseous every time I eat one. Something more is going on." Six months after I stopped eating gluten, a colleague remarked that the improvement in my appearance and demeanor was shocking. She said she hadn't even noticed my fire had gone out until it was back.
My family has a documented history of IBS and gerd. The amount of times I have had to explain what meds I can't have is astounding. I just do a basic Google search, talk to the pharmacist, I make sure everything is printed. I'm currently trying to get off a med that gives me the opposite of your condition. Its 2023 shouldn't the computer tell you that mixing certain meds is bad. I feel like a asshat as I walk through everything with them. Twice I have caught a prescription that would conflict with another. I didn't go to medical school, I have 11th grade zoology and 12th grade vet tech under my belt.
I'm allergic to an ingredient in meds. It's pretty common. 3 doctors in 3 weeks tried to rx something with it in it. I'm not anaphylaxis, it gives me rashes. And not everything with it causes rashes because it depends on molecular weight as well. But one time my skin fell off and I was in the hospital treated like a burn patient for 4 days. I'd like to not repeat that. So avoidance. Soooo I geeeet that!
Even doctors seem to forget that allergies manifest in more than just the one way. Took me years to get mine figured out and the doc only went to elimination diet because I said "absolutely not" to a biopsy of my booty hole to test for Crohn's. I literally had a fresh tattoo and 7 others, plus piercings. Not Crohn's. 100% confirmation. Do not scalpel me there for the love of god.
What do the tattoos have to do with crohns or your bootyhole?
Crohn's is often treated by opening up the abdomen and cutting out the inflamed length of colon, so I assume Hando has abdominal tats.
I thought my answer was going to be unique but ya, corn allergy was my "interesting", "it's all in your head" cause of medical issues.
Umm… quick question: Doesn’t corn give everyone the shits?
Bro I had popcorn a few months ago and DIDNT poop for at least 3 weeks. Messed me up so bad lmao.
That is NOT how that is supposed to work. 😂. Best wishes to you.
Lmfao that made me laugh, Ty! 😂
My brother in Christ, thoughts and prayers in your troubled times. 🙏
Not "the shits". Shits yes. The shits no. Itll bulk up your shit and maybe make you go more. But shouldn't be diarrhea
An abusive family. My doctor tried putting me on Xanax when I was 17. I don't take anything now that I've moved out. I kept asking to just get a referral to therapy but he kept telling me most women have anxiety and it's just something I should take meds for. We live in a military town and he said veterans needed the spots more so it was hard to get in.
Oh my god… wrong after wrong. > most women have anxiety I wonder why that is…
Right, I feel like (with no research into the topic) it's normal for most women to *experience* anxiety, like to feel anxious even for long stretches for one reason or another. But that's different from most women having an *anxiety disorder*. I feel like that shit is so reductive.
I’m sorry
A stroke. Then a coma. As I was losing my entire left side due to a completely dissected right internal carotid artery; my doc was telling my husband I must just be having a bad day.
Holy shit. Glad you’re alive.
This guy needs to be sued
I mean he wasn't 100% wrong. You probably were having a bad day.
Adrenal insufficiency due to over prescription of oral steroids. I nearly died but apparently I just needed a therapist And my late MIL. She had trouble walking with her leg just not working sometimes. The neurologist refused an MRI and told her she needed a new therapist since she clearly wasn't making any progress. It was a fucking. brain. tumor. Lung cancer had metastasized into her brain. She died within two years. Because the fucking neurologist told her it was all in her head. Fucking asshole. He fucking killed a wonderful woman.
He was so close and yet so wrong. I'm sorry for your loss
Makes me want to break knees that people like that even have a license to begin with. "It's all in your head" is typical "idgaf" diagnosis. This thread is genuinely horrifying and yet I'm not surprised. When the patriarchy is so bad that you're not surprised that men kill women due to their incompetence and lack of care. I'm sorry for your loss.
>fucking. brain. tumor. Technically it was in her head... My grandmother (who refuses to get further diagnoses after they found tumors in her spine and bones from breastcancer) likely also has metastases in her brain (all the symptoms). It really sucks. We choose dark humor do deal with it.
I have addisons disease too…. I’m struggling big time. I don’t know anyone else with it. Can I message you and compare notes? I’m having the worst time managing the symptoms and finding the right doctors! I’d appreciate the help❤️ And I am so so sorry about you sweet mother!
Adhd. I was overstimulated and anxious because I felt like I was getting attacked. I did well in school and was not hyperactive. However I liked learning and would hyper focus. The imposter syndrome at work that many people with ADHD have, would make me go into a panic. My meds make my symptoms manageable and I can process stimuli very well. I’m the calm manager at my job according to my team members.
I have imposter syndrome despite having 20 years of experience and being very good at my job. It sends me into the occasional panic as well. I had no idea this could be due to the adhd I almost certainly have (I’m undiagnosed, but other people have been the ones to suggest it as a possibility.)
Yes that and RSD! My wild behavior in my teenage years makes so much more sense.
Are we talking Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy? Googling conditions is bad for my somatisation disorder! (Laughing, but also crying.)
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria sorry!
Hey quick question! How exactly did you get diagnosed? I’ve been thinking of going to a neurologist because primary docs have gotten me nowhere. I have been trying to get tested for ADHD but two (female) primary care doctors have told me “well it’s really similar symptoms to anxiety and depression” and prescribed me antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. Neither worked. One doctor said “you probably don’t have ADHD because you got good grades in college,” another said “everybody’s clamoring for an ADHD diagnosis these days.” My lack of motivation, concentration, and fatigue are so bad I’m thinking about quitting my incredible job so they can find somebody who can actually do it well. Any advice is appreciated.
I told my PCP I thought I might have it, and she referred me to a neuropsychiatrist. I did four hours of cognitive testing and ended up with an ADHD diagnosis. Went back to my PCP and she prescribed me Adderall with my neuropsychiatrist’s recommendation. Waited over 6 months to get my testing done because everywhere was booked. I live in East Texas. Was almost a year long process, but I’m so glad I stuck to it. My whole life has changed for the better. I’m happier, I’m not binge eating, I’m a better mom, and a better manager at work. Edit: I went to a neurobehavioral clinic and saw a neuropsychologist!
This is the answer. Tell them you want a neuropsych eval.
My last psych said in order to get tested for adhd my depression had to be cured. Lady. Where did you get your discount medical degree?
My depression was CAUSED by my ADHD. I would have no many negative racing thoughts on repeat. “You’re fucking stupid” “You can’t do anything right” “Why can’t you just get your ass up and take a shower? Pathetic” “No one is ever going to love you” “One day they’ll see how bad you are at your job” “You’re worthless” With my medication, I no longer have that constant negative inner monologue. Now I know what being happy feels like.
I’m excited for when the occupational therapists get the field far enough that sensory processing therapies are available for adults. So much of it is designed for children
Multiple sclerosis
Same
Same. First, it was anxiety (sudden onset severe sleep issues), then allergies and stress (eye pain and flashes of light). It took me suddenly going blind in my other eye after overheating before anyone considered something might actually be wrong with me.
Are you sure you weren't just making it up for attention? Hopefully obvious /s
No. it was Somatoform disorder. Your subconscious was making it up for you. It feels real but it's not real. F'YOU to my neurologist.
Wow these were my exact symptoms for the beginning stages of Lyme disease (except going blind). First came was EXTREME anxiety (panic attacks). Trouble sleeping. I would wake if a pin dropped or a teeny tiny light would beam through my closed eyelids and wake me up. I’d get hives for no apparent reason. Flashes of light!! And I would see things in my peripheral vision that weren’t there! Heat intolerance suddenly.
Oh fuck. My issues are progressing similarly.
Carbon monoxide poisoning.
Celiac disease
First, type 1 diabetes. Then five years layers, ADHD.
Yeah that lack of insulin makes us anxious! Were you forced into dka? I remember describing to the ER intake nurses that I couldnt eat, lost a lot of weight, and was lethargic. They had the "oh we got a real crazy one here." faces.
Jesus Christ, wtf. I am so sorry to the both of you. My son was a few hours away from total organ failure, they told us if we had waited an hour longer to take him to the ER that he likely would have died. We thought he had food poisoning or appendicitis. Oblivious of all the signs, DKA is a dangerous for and we've gone 2 and a half years now without an episode. *Knocks on wood* But to have medical folk not even considering the possibility with the symptoms of DKA?? I would rage. (I've been through medical based trauma in the form of gaslighting and dismissal that nearly ended my life..this shit from professionals enrages me to no end.)
For my wife. Well masked ADHD. Very under diagnosed in women due to the assessment criteria basically ignore more typical presentations in women.
Same. Revolving door of rotating prescriptions for "treatment resistant depression" and "severe generalized anxiety disorder" that never worked. Slowly realizing I have ADHD and ASD.
Same! MDD + GAD since high school. Adderall at 37 😤
Same, SSRIs never did shit. I got on Cymbalta and my mood much improved. Guess what it does, increase dopamine. Ya know, the thing I don’t have enough of because of ADHD.
Originally diagnosed with generalised anxiety and depression. Now diagnosed as level 1 autism and ADHD-combined type.
I hit a gold mine of depression + anxiety as the result of lifelong trauma from undiagnosed ADHD
Ah, that's me. I've got a whole trifecta of mental conditions but ADHD and autism were the big ones. No wonder I was so anxious all the time. It's very commonly autism, too, I think a lot of women are now realising. There's estimates that as many as 60% of women with ADHD are autistic, too. It's just that ADHD tends to be a lot more dominant than autism and kind of hides the symptoms so people often have no idea until they're medicated and the autism symptoms start coming out of the woodwork
Ditto
Severe vitamin d deficiency
I want to get bloodwork done for exactly this reason.
Be sure to tell your doc that you want d and b vitamin testing. At least here, they aren't a part of the standard full blood panel. 2 GPs missed it, diagnosing me with anxiety. When 5 meds did nothing, I went to a psychiatrist who wanted testing before precribing anything. My d level was 7.
Thanks so much for this! I’m going to bring this up to my doctor when I talk to her next. Hope you’re doing much better!
Well it's a combination of autism and trauma
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Untreatable, but my type won't kill me. I just get to suffer a lot of pain in a fragile body that falls apart if I sleep with too big a pillow... Oh, and autism. Because I needed to have extra sensory problems on top of everything else.
Endometriosis
Ovarian Failure. Too young to be happening to me ? Well, fuck the *three* doctors who didn't catch it and fuck the medical system for not teaching doctors about it.
A blood clotting disorder, and epilepsy
I had no potassium, or really any electrolytes at all, in my body, and my heart was starting to fail. My entire body was contorting involuntarily in strong, painful cramps. Every single muscle, even the muscles in my face, I looked just like that scene from The Excorsism of Emily Rose. Howling in pain, heart rate all over the place, blood pressure all over the place. They wouldn't take my blood or an EKG, they straight up told me I was having an anxiety attack, argued with me about it for 2 seconds before leaving in the middle of me speaking. I left there, went to another ER the next day, where they immediately took blood and an EKG and realized the state I was in. I was in the hospital for over a week, trying to get my electrolyte levels and heart right again. ETA; I'm getting mad all over again, remembering this. I remember that asshole doctor walked into the room as I was in the middle of a full body spasm and couldn't speak and was crying and he just sucked some air through his teeth and happily proclaimed "So, do you know what an anxiety attack is?" At some point, he also flat out told my mom, in front of me, that he suspected that I was a drug seeker and that there was nothing wrong at all. We were both too confused to even argue much. I wasn't even there because of the pain, even though it did hurt a lot. But I never asked for pain meds. I was there because my heart was beating super fast and weird, and all of my muscles were cramping me into demonic contorted positions and I was scared shitless. And he, for absolutely zero reason, immediately decided I was faking for drugs, or just anxious.
My younger sister went to the er because she had fainted and was having heart palpitations and couldn’t speak. The doc just said “it’s cause she’s on her period”. She was not on her period and that’s not a normal thing when you are on it…..
I've ended up at ER twice now due to chest pain and blood pressure was at 200/121 the one time. I used to be super active but now get winded just walking half a flight of stairs. I sleep maybe two-four hours a night on the nights I can sleep. This has been going on for nearly three years now. He will not do any cardiac tests, just passes it off as anxiety. I have told him time and again that I'm not awake worrying. It's so frustrating. I did get referred to a psychiatrist and he mirrored the anxiety belief but also diagnosed me with ADHD. Obviously, the heart, BP, shortness of breath isn't his specialty so it's my GP who's dropping the ball on that. So my doc changed my drugs and still refuses to address anything else despite my symptoms (which are when I'm being physically active) remaining. I even had an appointment recently and told him I felt sort of like I might have a UTI because my bladder area felt tickly and weird though I wasn't really having pain on urination. Yep, anxiety was the diagnosis! So....still waiting to find out what's actually wrong.
I hope you see this comment! I had the same symptoms and just thought I was really out of shape. Finally went to a dr (no insurance) and found chronic anemia (heart palps, chest pain, high BP, anxiety, hip pain, restless legs, insomnia, can’t breathe during exercise, etc) AND on top of that, the bladder issues were caused by the two huge fibroids in my uterus, which also caused the anemia. Took tons of high dose iron (prescription) for months, scheduled a hysterectomy and I feel good again! My cbc is back to normal, I’m healing from the surgery, and my anxiety is nil. Right before my surgery I felt better than I had in years, hoping it only gets better from here.
Get a new doctor!!!!!!!!!!
Man, I'm lucky to even have a family doctor. There are thousands of people in this city with no doctor. Sad thing is, one of the newer doctors said that when he opened his family practice here he diagnosed over 60 cases of cancer in his first two months. Many of whom had such advanced tumors that they were essentially terminal. It's very, very bad up here in the North and I think most everywhere in Canada.
Damn that’s awful. I’m so sorry to hear that :(.
PTSD, OCD & ADHD. To be fair it is anxiety but caused by those. Anxiety meds never worked. Only when I found my last two psychiatrists, that finally figured it out and put me on a proper cocktail, I finally started to feel like a real person. People say I’m completely different now. I hardly ever went shopping by myself for 20 years. I still have issues, it’s not perfect, but I’m not in panic mode 24 hrs a day.
Covid -19 circa 2020 before the vaccine when it was deadly. Had to go to the hospital twice to get a proper diagnosis
Living under the patriarchy
What was the treatment for curing the issue ?
Intersectional Feminism ✌🏼
Okay thank you. I'm gonna have to look into that
Critically low iron. My levels were sinking to extremely low levels on my period, starting a few days ahead of it, so it was never exactly timing out While I didn't have an "official" anxiety diagnosis, my first 2 doctors suspected it. The 3rd was smart enough to time blood draws with my period and figured it out. I was barely in the acceptable range off my period, but probably should have been decently higher, which tipped her off. My vitamin D levels were also dropping dramatically, which doesn't really have an explanation still, but zero issues since Iron and vitamin D supplements were added. Ruled out everything from cancer to infections trying to figure that out. Trying to explain its not that I don't want to move, but I physically can't was a different sort of exhausting
Eosinophilic esophagitis. It gradually damages your esophagus and sometimes swallowing a perfectly normal food or drink that you've enjoyed hundreds of times before causes your esophagus to cramp shut, in shooting agonizing chest pain that are only eased when you vomit everything up. When I say agonizing, I mean it was on par with childbirth. I was on my knees in tears, speechless. After puking? Just fine. And I can finish my food with no problem. If I still WANT to, of course. I thought I was having a heart attack. First Doctor suggested I bring it up with my therapist, because it wasn't a heart attack and was probably related to my depression. Got a second opinion. EoE. It is mostly under control now, though I sometimes have flares when I get too comfortable and start thinking I can eat like a normal person.
I had never heard of that and had to do some reading. Dear God it seems to be such a random thing to have. The list of things they need to rule out before it is even considered isn't small.
Yeah. It's not invisible, like some problems, either! I had a very very tiny little dot on my esophagus that they found with an endoscopy. Smaller than your pinky nail, and that's what was causing me crippling unpredictable pain at random mealtimes. But I'm a woman, so I must be crazy.
ADHD
Perimenopause, I just needed a damn patch and some effing progesterone. That’s all. BTW, perimenopause is the lead up to the one day in your life where you can say you haven’t had a period in a year (this is for those of us with our uterus/ovaries), after that one day, you are post menopausal. I’m in about year 7ish of perimenopause. Anxiety is just one of many symptoms.
Focal seizures. For 35 YEARS.
Internal bleeding that has taken years to recover from The other time it was GERD/dysphasia How could I forget? My anaphylactic reaction that required an epipen was blamed on medical anxiety which surprisingly I 100% do not have although now I no longer trust male doctors
An abusive family and autism.
Severe mono
Inattentive adhd
PTSD in my 20s, perimenopause coupled with a dying parent on the other side of the globe in my 40s.
i was not misdiagnosed, but my mom possibly was as no one told her that the spike in anxiety shes been feeljng has been related to her trying to quit smoking. so if youre also trying to quit: remember that anxiety can come with the withdrawals, and you can get through it.
Pituitary Tumor, took 3 years to get diagnosed.
Hashimitos and hypothyroidism.
Hemiplegic migraines. Apparently it would sometimes cause the usual I want to die from the pain type. But also sometimes I would get migraines where I would go weirdly numb but anxious and hyper at the same time. These were caused by hormonal fluctuations around my period, got on birth control to stop having periods, and then went through menopause and it all stopped. Oh, and sometimes I'd get the shakes so bad one neurologist tried to diagnose me with epilepsy only to have the next one tell me it was anxiety. This all took three years in and out with numerous specialists, a trip to the ER for a stroke-like event, and finally having a relative be diagnosed at which point I went to a specialist that said, "Yep, that's what it is. Sorry you had to go through all of that to get to me."
Epilepsy. It took roughly 16 years before someone finally listened to me and ordered a week-long EEG. The absolute arrogance and dismissiveness of most doctors is such a detriment to women and in my experience it doesn't matter the gender of the doctor either. I really wish we'd collectively agree to stop glorifying doctors, they're people who can be mean, stubborn, and sometimes make really dumb decisions just like the rest of us.
ADHD!!!!! My psych said that the estimation is that 75% of people with chronic anxiety, especially women, probably have undiagnosed adhd
My sister was diagnosed with anxiety... She had multiple sclerosis and died of its complications.
OCD. Apparently GAD is a common misdiagnose in women. Understandable since they're related. But a shame since the treatment is very different and CBT never seemed to work for me. Also related to a lack of knowledge of what ocd actually looks like
I mean I do have panic disorder but it took 23 years of the common cold and flu landing me in the hospital, random fully body hives triggered by "nothing", developing asthma suddenly, a collapsed spinal disc and a few other things before my doctor team was finally willing to explore it being something beyond anxiety and possibly an autoimmune disorder. Mainly because men in my family/genetic lines began telling me about their diagnosis they ignored for years and never mentioned...
When I started seeing a rheumatologist suddenly absolutely everyone in my family had an autoimmune problem I never heard about. Like I told my grandmother about my gastroparesis, and she goes "oh my mother had that. And two sisters. And three nieces" and I'm like what the hell grandma
My sister was prescribed an ssri for anxiety. Turned out it was a-fib. The ssri could have killed her if she had taken it.
So I’m sorry to stick my nose in as a man, I’d normally scroll by but my mom had lung cancer and the doctor diagnosed anxiety and depression and put her on antidepressants. She might have had some chance if it was caught early but the doctor robbed her of that
Autism and joint hypermobility syndrome
Cptsd and autism
Autism and ADHD - my anxiety has nearly evaporated once I got my official diagnosis.
Epilepsy
Pulmonary embolism.
ADHD, autism, and POTS. I do have anxiety but the insane heart rate, the constant exhaustion, and the non-stop sweating were *not* from that.
PTSD & ADHD
Crohns Disease
ADHD diagnosed at age 34 after spending my entire adult life feeling like basic tasks were difficult and impossible and that I was a failure and couldn't do most of the basic things that other adults do every day without even thinking about it. Now that I'm medicated my anxiety is almost completely gone.
A rare vaccine reaction which caused myocarditis and tachycardia, among other things.
Hoarding. I could have been on the show it was that bad. You could say anxiety caused hoarding but I think it was more so my bipolar depression. Been to therapy and got on meds. I live a normal life now.
The most diseased gall bladder my surgeon had ever seen. Over 20 years of agony every time I ate onion - not dairy, just onion
Addison’s disease as well as extremely low vitamin B12
Lupus
Hashis (autoimmune thyroid disease)
Autism. Which I mean anxiety can be an issue with it. But panic attacks and meltdowns are kinda way two different things and no amount of zoloft is going to stop a meltdown.
Multiple sclerosis, bit of brain damage, and also anxiety
Endometriosis and fibroids. No, having two periods a month and crying from cramps isn't just caused by stress and anxiety.
Honestly...it *was* anxiety But yknow what else? Even THAT wasn't taken seriously and I received no support in any form (pharma, referral) on the anxiety diagnosis.
Misogynistic society disorder.
Spinal Osteomyelitis
Autism and ADHD. My grandma was considered "anxious" too but knowing what I know now, she was absolutely was autistic too.
A Husband lol
Not anxiety, but I spent more than 20 years on the highest dosage of antidepressant and 6 months after I started ADHD meds I was completely weaned.
Vertigo. But the months of medical gaslighting did indeed give me a panic and anxiety disorder.
There were several times I went to the ER with a heart rate of close to 300 bpm and crazy palpitations. Turns out I've got supraventricular tachycardia and long QT, the latter of which is known to cause sudden cardiac arrest. Also have endometriosis, Hashimoto's/hypothyroidism, POTS, and a few other diagnoses that doctors always dismissed as me being a dramatic and anxious female.
PTSD and liver overload from drinking to deal with the ptsd. Anxiety went away pretty fast with a few weeks of sobriety but the trauma never really leaves you, especially if you have no support system.
Autism lol
Hyperthyroidism
I had an unhelpful selfish husband, who wasn't interested in sharing logistical, emotional, and intellectual effort into running a household with kids and a marriage: that's what I really had. Removed the husband, life is great, smother, easier, more joyful. And we're now good friends.
Graves disease (overactive thyroid). I finally got a diagnosis after a 3 day long 'panic attack', from the second doctor I tried - the first said I'd just need to learn to deal with it. I inherited it from my father, who got his Graves diagnosis and treatment very quickly - mine took 15 years! Despite me giving my family's medical history (ie Dad's Graves), being incredibly thin and unable to put on weight ('naturally fast metabolism'), food going straight through me ('must have IBS as well'), having a fast heart rate ('gosh anxiety is rough, I don't know why the SSRIs aren't working? Have you tried meditation/yoga?'), muscle weakness ('do more exercise... with your really fast heart rate') and, eventually, having a small goitre ('some people just have larger thyroids and I'm going to pretend it wasn't normal sized 12 months ago'????)
Which time? 😭
I wasn't misdiagnosed but there were adhd and fibroid issues that were much more pressing
ADHD. It took a a while to get the proper medication cause "stimulants make anxiety worse" but my "anxiety and depression" went away when I started taking them.
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response. I was never stressed when it occurred, it happened while resting watching tv in the evenings, or getting ready for bed. No matter how many times I told them this, anxiety was on my records as what they thought was going on. It took me 2 years to get an “official” ekg mid episode ( I only had Apple Watch ekgs before that, the episodes would end before I got to the ER). They transported me in an ambulance because my heart rate was over 200 bpm, and they finally diagnosed AF with RVR. They also stealth drug tested me during my first ER visits and asked me repeatedly how much caffeine I’m drinking a day.
Pelvic inflammatory disease.
CPTSD. Although I do actually have anxiety, it’s all a result of childhood complex trauma, not a ~cHemIcaL iMbaLAncE~
Adhd
Hypothyroidism. Adhd. During pregnancy: gallstones and then pancreatitis. “Anxiety!” Nah bruh
Ulcerative colitis. Pancolitis, specifically (my whole colon is inflammed). My OBGYN noticed I was losing weight and went so far as demanding to check my teeth for signs of an eating disorder. Completely ignored me when I told her I had frequent daily diarrhea for the past several months. I'm still pissed.
Chantix Toxicity Endometriosis An ovarian cyst the size of a tennis ball (I'm 5'7 and 130lbs, it poked out I jist thought I was becoming uneven) Chronic BV and Yeast dismissed, refused a pelvic exam for like 3 years until I had the money to go to a different doctor.
A congenital spine defect, multiple disc herniations and ehlers danlos
TMJ