Stress?

[Joseph]

Hello!

I had a few bad weeks lately and I believe I started to somatize. Right now I am dizzy, I feel cramps in the lower abs and I feel nauseous. I was out for a walk and the symptoms come and go, like a wave. My eyes are cloudy..

Last night I woke up with nausea, cramps and gases in the abdomen and dizziness. I had short breath and my heart had a faster beating speed.

How would you diagnose these symptoms?

Thanks!

 

[Banned]

Hi Joseph,

Sorry to hear you've had a rough go of things lately. No one here at Psychlinks can provide a diagnosis online for either physical or psychological symptoms but I would definitely encourage you to see your doctor. It is well known that stress will play out on the body in a physical manner but it is still important to rule out any physical illnesses and receive proper treatment for whatever is going on.

Good luck - I hope you feel better soon. We can support you here by listening and providing feedback but again we cannot diagnose or speculate on possible diagnoses.

 

[Joseph]

Thank you for your reply. You are right, I know that. Maybe I used a too big of a word when I asked for a diagnosis. I was just curious what is your perspective. I don't think it is a medical problem. I am a psychotherapist and my hunch is that it is somatization. Unfortunately, at this point in time I do not have money to seek therapy so I'll have to postpone it and handle the situation alone (well, almost alone), in the best way I can.

By the way, are you a therapist? Where do you go for therapy? I know personally most of the therapists from here, I am in the board of a professional association, so.. it is a bit hard to find someone who I do not have met before.. I guess I'll just have to go to someone unknown.. So, where do you go when you need to talk to someone?

Thanks!

 

[Banned]

I'm not a therapist, no. You can identify therapists on this site as they have the title of "practitioner" under their user name. I go to a therapist I researched and found and am comfortable with.

Even if your doctor rules out a physical diagnosis that's not to say that treatment isn't available for your symptoms. I would still encourage you to see him or her as they can be treated and if they are causing you distress you needn't suffer.

 

[Joseph]

Thank you for responding.

I don't like pills and I don't like to treat symptoms, I treat cause. Maybe a homeopatic treatment would be a solution but not classical pills. At least not for me. I do my best not to put chemicals in my body.

 

[Retired]

Joseph,

As you well know, as a medical professional, that attempting to diagnose and or treat oneself is counterproductive because one cannot possibly be objective about oneself.

Self diagnosis and delaying when experiencing severe or debilitating symptoms can be dangerous.

I know personally most of the therapists from here, I am in the board of a professional association, so.. it is a bit hard to find someone who I do not have met before.

Are your local professional colleagues known for ostracizing a colleague seeking a medical consultation, or are you concerned about your professional pride?

What would you advise one of your own clients/patients facing a similar dilemma?

In most medical communities, there are physicians in whom other physicians and medical professionals feel comfortable in whom to confide. Is there no such therapist in your community?

In your own interest, I would urge you to consider your own medical healthcare first, and seek competent care.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I don't like pills and I don't like to treat symptoms, I treat cause. Maybe a homeopathic treatment would be a solution but not classical pills. At least not for me. I do my best not to put chemicals in my body.

Spending your money on homeopathic remedies is a like pouring money down the drain. All you are buying is water.

There is no scientific basis for the so-called theory of homeopathy and there never has been. And there is no evidence and never has been any evidence that homeopathic remedies have any benefits whatsoever beyond placebo.

 

[Joseph]

That might be true. My point was that I prefer not to take pills. I am not a homeopathy fan neither.
Any thoughts about my symptoms?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Nothing to add to what's been said above, including your own observations. However, the general principle of ruling out physical etiology first is always good advice. It may well be stress/anxiety related or IBS but you'd probably have some of the same symptoms with a whole range of physical conditions or diseases, up to and including cancer. See a doctor.

 

[Retired]

My point was that I prefer not to take pills

Joseph,

Because you are a modern medical professional I'm curious about your aversion to medication. Would you care to share your rationale and what treatment protocols you employ with your own clients / patients in a medication free environment?

I don't like pills and I don't like to treat symptoms

Is it your contention that all medications only provide symptomatic relief and that the mechanism of action of medications that target specific areas of the body to alter their chemical structure have no healing potential?

I would follow up by asking, isn't symptomatic relief a rational form of therapy when combined with supportive psychotherapy in dealing with certain types of psychiatric disorders?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

isn't symptomatic relief a rational form of therapy when combined with supportive psychotherapy in dealing with certain types of psychiatric disorders?

Not to mention that when it comes to anxiety disorders and mood disorders symptomatic relief may be necessary to get the individual to a point where learning non-medical coping skills is even possible. For example, a patient experiencing 5 to 10 panic attacks a day is hardly in a position to focus on acquiring anxiety management skills is at all realistic - most of the time s/he feels like s/he is fighting just to survive.