[wiretwister]

do you ever have trouble telling where your physical symptoms end and your mental illness begins ....

ex ... my sinus issues drag me down so that I am very tired and anxious which can depress me .... conversely my depression can make me tired and anxious ... when my sinus are not acting up ...

[vjdragonfly]

Never really thought about it, good question though. My sinuses are kickin my butt right now and I do feel drained and out of whack, my anxiety is kickin too. Never put the two together, made me think.

[~Christina]

I have Chronic pain and it does effect my Bipolar. Sucks but it happens

[WibblyWobbly]

I have fibromyalgia and it has caused me a lot of depression and anxiety, which in turn makes my fibromyalgia symptoms worse.

[ozzy1313]

I rarely feel good physically. I have gone to doctors since I was a kid for stomache aches, headaches, tiredness, etc. Nothing is wrong with me. I am physically healthy. I feel all my emotions in my body I think. I have had near constant stomach issues in the bathroom for the past few months and I have had lots of anxiety through this time- I think that causes the stomach issues. When I start to get a cold or earache, or my back goes out (the one true physical issue I have) it stresses me out and I worry non stop about it.

[faerie_moon_x]

When I'm having really bad anxiety I become physically ill, primarily with stomach problems. I also can't eat when I'm having bad anxiety. Food is like acid or poison. Then once the anxiety goes away I'm starving. I try to force myself to eat when I'm anxious but it makes me sick... yay for anxiety.... (not really)

[Ripose]

For years I thought I was feeling so unwell all the time because of a physical problem of some kind. My doctor did every test imaginable and everything came back fine. Not once did any of the doctors suggest my issues could be caused by side effects of my meds. I finally figured it out on my own and of course no doctor would admit that the meds had any side effects. Before I figured it out my pdoc thought it was just more Bipolar issues so he kept changing my meds, which just caused more physical issues. I didn't know what was what anymore.

My new PCP is a lot better and unlike the idiot pdocs she is actually trying to help me now.

I really do believe that it goes hand in hand, each feeding the other beyond normalness. If I'm sick, the depression makes it feel 10xs worst, or the mania clashes with the illness, or visa versa.

All in all, I become miserable.

[LettinG0]

Definitely. I have chronic pain, among other physical illnesses, and it is definitely difficult to tell what is causing what and which is making what worse. Everything is cause and affect.....

[*Laurie*]

Yes, wiretwister, I sure do. Mental illness, physical illness, and med side-effects all get mix-mashed together.

I have chronic pain (neck and back surgeries) and it does drag me down, at times. I don't take pain meds and just do my best.

They are all the same, IMHO. The brain controls the body.

[Capriciousness]

I don't know that I do with illness type symptoms but I feel it happens with fatigue all the time for me. Does that count?

[HeavyMetalLover]

Originally Posted by LauraBeth

Yes, wiretwister, I sure do. Mental illness, physical illness, and med side-effects all get mix-mashed together.

I totally agree with this statement! This is another reason I've become my
own advocate with docs, pdocs & T's throughout the years..... especially the last couple of years!!!!