Multiple health problems: Thankful & Fearful what future holds

Posted by popcorn369 @popcorn369, Feb 12, 2024

I have bipolar illness and am on a cocktail of meds that control the illness. I was diagosed at age 28 and hospitalized 4 times. Now at 62, the illness is under control...also have stage three kidney disease due to lithium and am off now. Have had breast cancer and early stages of macular degeneration. I don't even tell people about my story because its too unbelievable to have all these health issues. However I am thankful that I have a supportive husband and feel there is so much to live for. Cognitively I know this however these health conditions hang heavy and my shoulders everyday and don't know how to manage emotionally. I fear of going blind someday, dialysis, cancer, etc Never was a hyocondriact but starting to feel this was. My therapist does a great job and bipolar meds are working. I am afraid of what the future holds for me and my health. Always thought I have a good handle on life.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

@SusanEllen66

@cdesharn I understand GERD.
Over the last year, I thought I had bronchitis because I was coughing all night, and bring up thick mucus.
My doctor told me that my lungs were clear and he didn’t know why I had the cough.
I decided to go to my Ear Nose, and Throat doctor. He looked up my nose and down my esophagus.
The problem was stomach acid. The acid was coming up and burning my throat and vocal cords. The thick mucus was my body’s way of protecting itself. Unfortunately, it made me cough up all night.
The ENT told me to take liquid Mylanta just before bed, and raise up my head with a 10” wedge pillow.

I am doing better now.
I hope this helps.

Jump to this post

I’m glad to hear you’re doing better. Thanks for the information. I never thought about going to an ENT. That sounds interesting. I’m waiting for a callback from my doctor and I’ll discuss more options with him. This feels impossible to beat right now so thanks for giving me hope!

REPLY

Clearly I'm here seeking ideas on how to better my mindset, but here's my list of things I have done that I believe has helped this far:

*Limit social media to 30 mins per week. I don't interact with post/comments that would be unrealistic if said/done in the face to face public.

*I don't entertain politics or political commercials. This has been super easy, especially during election time. "Mom, from now on you can talk about what your political party is doing to better everything, not bashing the other side. (Birds chirping)

*No longer watch murder mysteries or the news.

If I want doom/gloom/horrifying reality, I'll just stop taking my thyroid meds. For the long 11 months of gaining weight (120lbs in total) while having numerous Drs- tunnel vision, shove psych meds down my throat, as the previous years worth of repeated MRSA abscesses, forming under my just healed hysterectomy wound, it being cut back open, wound vac and home health twice, meant depression, was it, nothing else. Oh plus the last 5 of 11 months, had antibiotics added to the psych med cocktail, due to my metabolism unknowingly being shut down, how could it possibly be anything else. So, my TSH was 42 by the time a Dr said, how about blood work?!?

This was after my cervical cancer diagnosis, radical hysterectomy, the year of MRSA, and finally my radiation treatments, at the age of 33, with a 11yr old daughter and 4yr old twin boys.

That was 5 years ago, and recently spent a year rebuilding my strength and stamina back up, was back to working full time, being completely financially independent again, to helping my dad throw bags of mulch around at 8am, to a fever of 104 by 8pm the same day. It took far longer than it ever should have to figure out that I had an abscess behind my bladder, pressing against my rectum (What the heck!)

I feel like an unknowingly participant in the, "Psychological, person relationships, and financial affects research trials for those receiving good news, bad news, good news x 2, bad news x 4, good news x 1 years, rebuild mental and physical wellbeing, followed by bad news again x 6 months, repeatedly, over a prolonged period of time, has on ones over all well being."

REPLY
@bebecca

Clearly I'm here seeking ideas on how to better my mindset, but here's my list of things I have done that I believe has helped this far:

*Limit social media to 30 mins per week. I don't interact with post/comments that would be unrealistic if said/done in the face to face public.

*I don't entertain politics or political commercials. This has been super easy, especially during election time. "Mom, from now on you can talk about what your political party is doing to better everything, not bashing the other side. (Birds chirping)

*No longer watch murder mysteries or the news.

If I want doom/gloom/horrifying reality, I'll just stop taking my thyroid meds. For the long 11 months of gaining weight (120lbs in total) while having numerous Drs- tunnel vision, shove psych meds down my throat, as the previous years worth of repeated MRSA abscesses, forming under my just healed hysterectomy wound, it being cut back open, wound vac and home health twice, meant depression, was it, nothing else. Oh plus the last 5 of 11 months, had antibiotics added to the psych med cocktail, due to my metabolism unknowingly being shut down, how could it possibly be anything else. So, my TSH was 42 by the time a Dr said, how about blood work?!?

This was after my cervical cancer diagnosis, radical hysterectomy, the year of MRSA, and finally my radiation treatments, at the age of 33, with a 11yr old daughter and 4yr old twin boys.

That was 5 years ago, and recently spent a year rebuilding my strength and stamina back up, was back to working full time, being completely financially independent again, to helping my dad throw bags of mulch around at 8am, to a fever of 104 by 8pm the same day. It took far longer than it ever should have to figure out that I had an abscess behind my bladder, pressing against my rectum (What the heck!)

I feel like an unknowingly participant in the, "Psychological, person relationships, and financial affects research trials for those receiving good news, bad news, good news x 2, bad news x 4, good news x 1 years, rebuild mental and physical wellbeing, followed by bad news again x 6 months, repeatedly, over a prolonged period of time, has on ones over all well being."

Jump to this post

@bebecca, good tips. If you would like to help support others dealing with a cervical cancer diagnosis, you may wish to join the discussions in the Gynecologic Cancers support group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/gynecologic-cancer/

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.