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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Intuition or Imagination?

Have you ever considered yourself a hypochondriac?

I don't know that I truly suffer from the true definition of the word hypochondria but I exhibit tendencies from time to time.

Especially when it comes to my children. I start putting together the symptoms and imagining the worst. I disguise it well, though, as "mother's intuition."

You all know what I'm talking about, don't you?

Or, maybe it's just me.

It has served my children fairly well, though. We've caught a couple of cases of pneumonia, some urinary tract infections and disorders, among other things in our 7 years as parents due to my, ahem, "mother's intuition" (aka hypochondria tendencies or overactive imagination - whatever you want to call it).

However, I do it to myself also. My "intuition" on myself is not always so accurate, though.

I began having migraine hedaches several years ago. I remember the first one like it was yesterday. I was facilitating a summer Bible Study with some girl friends and it started toward the end of our time. Thankfully I rode with a friend that night because I felt like I was going to throw-up the whole way home. I have never experienced such pain before or since. If I'd had any sense about me, I would have had M take me to the emergency room for fear of a stroke (see, I'm doing it even now... and it's all over).

Since then I have self diagnosed myself with a brain tumor causing the headaches numerous times. However, my doctor assures me that everything that I have experienced with my headaches is within the bounds of being normal and me just getting older.


I'm not that old, mind you.

And my husband says in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, "It's not a toomah."


Oh, and then there was the time that I had a really weird pain in my chest. It hurt worse as I inhaled and I was totally seeing myself with some kind of heart problem that had been around since birth that nobody ever found and it was just then presenting itself. I was going to drop dead at any moment, you see.


So I drug my friends that I was going out to dinner with that night to the ER. Only to find that I had pulled a muscle in my chest wall. Or in Ray's words, I had "pulled a boob," because that's right where it hurt.

I ask you, do you think I'm ever going to live that one down?


So with the ailment that I have been plagued with over the last week, I have taken to self-diagnosing again.


I have single handedly diagnosed myself with Fifth Disease when the two doctors I saw were not able to. See, I should have gone to medical school.


NOT.


The blood and violence involved with needles would have been a problem. I get a little queezy from time to time.


The one thing I found on the WebMD description was that adults can often experience joint stiffness with it, which is what I'm experiencing now.


However, me and my "intuition" of course have to take things a step further.


I started getting a headache and noticing some stiffness in my neck when I tilted my head from one side to another (not that I'm being "stiff-necked" or anything - think Israel and Moses for a minute). And since WebMD says that this is one of the 6 symptoms to never ignore I must call my doctor's office. Because the internet told me to.


And we all know that if it's on the internet... let's say it together now... it must be true.



The headache and stiff neck can be an indication of menengitis. Not that I really think I have menengitis... but what if I did. I mean, it could be serious. Even though I no longer have a fever, nor am I having seizures of any kind. I still could have it, you know.

So, cooler heads prevailed when I called my doctor's office (yes, I really did call) and I'm to go to the ER if it gets worse. Which it won't. But what if it does?

Intuition, or imagination?

You make the call.

2 Comments:

Michelle V said...

I have those tendencies sometimes too. Two weeks ago my youngest, who is 12, just suddenly came down with a fever and I was prepared to give him Advil and liquids and put him to bed until he said his back hurt too. Dr. Mom had him diagnosed with menegitis and was rushing him to our clinic, where they checked him out and said.....it's just a virus, take him home, give him Advil, liquids, and put him to bed. Oh well, better safe than sorry, right?

Michelle

Beth Cotell said...

Well, I always say "better safe, than sorry" so if you are going to worry about something you should have it checked out.

I'm sure it's nothing though!