Sunday
25Oct2009
Hypochondriacs Anonymous: I'm a Member.
Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 5:28PM
I am such a hypochondriac. At any given moment I have pancreatitis, a stomach ulcer and of course, cancer. I currently believe I have burst my spleen and that I'm bleeding internally and yet....I put off going to the doctor.
During my childhood, my militant father took me to the doctor's at the military base. In case you don't know, a military hospital is under perpetual construction. And you'll rarely see the same doctor twice. Heck, he might not even BE a real doctor.
For a fine example, Dear Blog Readers, check out the time my mother took me to see a doctor while I lived in Baltimore. We drove to the nearest base (Fort Meade? - my memory escapes me). I was about 12.
Reason for my appointment, you ask? My hands and feet would NOT stop dripping. Yes, it was sweat, but it wasn't stinky or anything like that. I would literally have to sit on the couch in the evenings with a towel to rest my hands on and another on the floor for my feet. It was absurd.
So off to the military doctor we went. I saw a Chinese doctor who proceeded to ask me how tall I was. 5 foot 4 inches (at the time. I am now 5 ft 6 in). My mother is 6 ft 1 in and very skinny. She was there with me that day.
The doctor was perplexed. He got out his reference manual. He started measuring me.
After a few minutes my mom asked him why he was measuring me. He said he was measuring me for Dwarfism.
We both tried to keep a straight face (no offense to any dwarfs out there) because I was so obviously NOT a dwarf. I was a normal looking kid and I was standing next to my mom who was 6 ft 1 in.
My mom realized we were wasting our time and we got out of there as fast as possible.
After several years the condition seemed to go away and I didn't have to worry so much about that ailment anymore. Because of all the military hospital visits, I began to dread seeing doctors. My father would drill me along the way:
You'll tell them this, this and this? You hear? Now repeat it back. What are you going to tell them?
Yes, I'd say. And I'd repeat what I was supposed to say. WHY he couldn't just tell them, I have no clue.
And that's Yes Sir to you, he'd say.
He even tried to get me to salute him at times. Crazy. No wonder I have issues.
So I get nervous in my adult life going to see doctors because of those times. Even though I constantly think I have a disease or ten.
Daily Gratitudes:
1. We had a fabulous weekend together. Went to a small quaint town about 100 miles away.
2. The kids have been good this weekend.
3. Mr. V was off today. I have NEARLY convinced him to start his own blog. I'll keep ya'll informed.
4. It rained today. It's getting colder. I LOVE the fall. My favorite time of year.
5. I've started eating healthier. Finally. Stopped the diet pepsi - cold turkey. I have willpower.
During my childhood, my militant father took me to the doctor's at the military base. In case you don't know, a military hospital is under perpetual construction. And you'll rarely see the same doctor twice. Heck, he might not even BE a real doctor.
For a fine example, Dear Blog Readers, check out the time my mother took me to see a doctor while I lived in Baltimore. We drove to the nearest base (Fort Meade? - my memory escapes me). I was about 12.
Reason for my appointment, you ask? My hands and feet would NOT stop dripping. Yes, it was sweat, but it wasn't stinky or anything like that. I would literally have to sit on the couch in the evenings with a towel to rest my hands on and another on the floor for my feet. It was absurd.
So off to the military doctor we went. I saw a Chinese doctor who proceeded to ask me how tall I was. 5 foot 4 inches (at the time. I am now 5 ft 6 in). My mother is 6 ft 1 in and very skinny. She was there with me that day.
The doctor was perplexed. He got out his reference manual. He started measuring me.
After a few minutes my mom asked him why he was measuring me. He said he was measuring me for Dwarfism.
We both tried to keep a straight face (no offense to any dwarfs out there) because I was so obviously NOT a dwarf. I was a normal looking kid and I was standing next to my mom who was 6 ft 1 in.
My mom realized we were wasting our time and we got out of there as fast as possible.
After several years the condition seemed to go away and I didn't have to worry so much about that ailment anymore. Because of all the military hospital visits, I began to dread seeing doctors. My father would drill me along the way:
You'll tell them this, this and this? You hear? Now repeat it back. What are you going to tell them?
Yes, I'd say. And I'd repeat what I was supposed to say. WHY he couldn't just tell them, I have no clue.
And that's Yes Sir to you, he'd say.
He even tried to get me to salute him at times. Crazy. No wonder I have issues.
So I get nervous in my adult life going to see doctors because of those times. Even though I constantly think I have a disease or ten.
Daily Gratitudes:
1. We had a fabulous weekend together. Went to a small quaint town about 100 miles away.
2. The kids have been good this weekend.
3. Mr. V was off today. I have NEARLY convinced him to start his own blog. I'll keep ya'll informed.
4. It rained today. It's getting colder. I LOVE the fall. My favorite time of year.
5. I've started eating healthier. Finally. Stopped the diet pepsi - cold turkey. I have willpower.
tagged My militant father in The Blog
My militant father in The Blog
Reader Comments (15)
Good luck with the Cold Turkey on the diet pepsi. Gave me headaches so bad when I tried going off the diet Dr. Pepper and diet Cherry Coke that I gave up and kept drinking it. I know I should stop... but I am weak.
As for the doctors... thank goodness I have had good experiences in my life. So far (knocking on wood) I have had great doctors (and dentists) that have giving me hope that all is right with the medical field as I know it.
Which makes me wary of this universal health care idea. Heck they can't balance the budget... can they keep us all healthy? I wonder about that. A LOT!
You see? I have a bit of the hypochondriac in me as well.
But hardly any Democrat. :) haha!
That's a'ight, Deb. Mr. V has hardly any democrat in him either, and we're married. And still together. So there is hope yet. =)
I know, it's SO hard to stop drinking the soda. Cherry coke/pepsi is my fav.
What is up with all you people getting "healthy"???? I will just stay fat and happy. Just like a stuffed turkey. Wait... they are dead so probably not so happy. Well whatever. I will just stay fat then. ;-)
What's unhealthy about diet pepsi? It's essentially water.
My favorite season is fall too! I'm addicted to diet cherry pepsi and there is no way I will give it up. I've tried before. I just get super crazy and it's not a pretty sight.
I have an aversion to going to doctors, too (which is funny given my husband's occupation). I have some health issues I have had my entire life that I never bring up to a doctor, even when I do go in. The only reason I've seen a doctor since I've been married is because I'm having a baby or hoping to avoid having a baby. More ironic? My husband has been in to see one EVEN LESS than I have.
At one point I convinced myself I might have prostate cancer. Apparently hypochondria isn't even bound by gender specific diseases.
.-= Charlotte´s last blog ..http://latermom.blogspot.com/2009/10/where-i-admit-i-never-intended-to-be.html" rel="nofollow">Where I Admit I Never Intended to Be the Halloween Family =-.
Steve - diet pepsi IS unhealthy isn't it? The artificial sweetener? So I've heard/read.
Charlotte - That's hilarous. You're married to a doctor and neither of you are that frequent on check ups. And a hypochondriac so that makes it more funny. If Mr. V were a doctor he'd give me full diagnosis each day to make sure I was still healthy. He'd definitely lose his patience with my requests for blood pressure checks and all that.
Gabrielle,
The artificial sweetener in sodas, usually aspartame I believe, is not unhealthy in any way. It's actually much better than sugar or HFCS, in terms of calories. I prefer HFCS for taste though. It's just an urban legend. One of the amazing things about our country is that anything used in food is tested extensively before it is allowed to go to market. If something so widespread like an artificial sweetener was really unhealthy, the FDA would be all over it. Personally, though, I prefer real soda with real calories :)
Here are some good links:
http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/aspartame.html
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
Steve - thank you! I will check those out. Have been feeling guilty for YEARS about my diet soda drinking. Maybe it was for nothing, lol.
I also like real soda better. I am a Mt. Dew junkie. JUNKIE. Love that stuff.
No problem. Im also a sucker for Mountain Dew, but my fav might be wild cherry pepsi. and glad to see youre not one of those mormons who doesnt drink caffeine. its a tad better i guess :p
Steve - Yes, the idea behind not drinking caffeine is to not have an unhealthy addiction to it. I suppose caffeine got the bad rap - but it was really meant to be ANY substance which causes addiction. I'm sure you recognize this without my saying, but we people could have an unhealthy addiction to anything, really. LOL - MY BLOGGING for example. A lot of mormons DO drink soda (twitter - many mormons sort of poke fun at how much they like soda). People who don't like soda - mormons who fiercely don't drink soda, I suppose, is that it has caffeine and sugar - thinking it's not good for young kids. I think there comes a point, though where it becomes cultural vs. REAL.
And that's a reason I like doing funny things - like the sniffing glue quote - because I think it's funny that some people are scared of stuff like that. But it's just being funny.
Mr. V once brought decaffeinated fake coffee to our friends house. The woman was liberal the man wasn't - he was literally scared. I could see him just thinking EVIL, EVIL, EVIL like a red alert. His fear/view on that was cultural I think.
I think the point, which was made long ago, was to keep it in moderation. It's called "the word of wisdom" because it's "wise" to not drink alcohol (it is), or get addicted to coffee, etc. And think about that - it IS wise, especially these days. Think of the mistakes people make drunk (I should know) and those $5 lattes at starbucks - those can break you, lol.
My point is that it's not A beer, or A soda, it's the people who just abuse it and drink it to the point of hurting their bodies - THAT's what those rules were written about. It wasn't to say "you people can never drink a coke, ever!" But SO many people take it so literally as to believe we are sinning to simply have a coke with a cheeseburger or something. But they eat chocolate because "no one ever said anything about chocolate". That to me seems very hypocritical. And silly. Doesn't make sense. Like some religions where you can't dance. I don't think God said "don't dance". People take it literally. It's the concept of staying healthy that I believe God would want from us I guess, not a literal "you're going to hell if you have a soda." You probably realize these things already, but I get windy over it (with anyone - ask Mr. V) because it's a hot topic in my book.
Gabrielle, I would have to agree with you that in moderation, all of those things are fine. As you could probably tell, I'm not mormon and have no problem with caffeine, coffee, tea, or alcohol, although I choose not to drink. It's just a personal choice, not religious. The problem, I would say, is if you were to ask Monson, or any of the quorum, etc. what is the intent of the words of wisdom, I can assure you they would say it's strict abstinence. Not a suggestion to use in moderation, or with care to avoid an addiction. Like you said, you can get addicted to anything really. But then again, according to the LDS church monson is a prophet, and his word is god's word. So i guess scripture isnt really open to interpretation. haha living in salt lake ive seen many mormon people i know dash into 7-11 for a red bull and have to ask for a bag to hide it in so they wont get caught.
I truly believe moderation is the key. A glass of wine never killed anyone. Neither did one cigarette. The problem starts when people begin to abuse whatever it is they're using. If someone gets drunk and kills someone while driving, that's abuse of the substance and terrible. But it's important to remember that wasnt the USE of the substance, it was the ABUSE. alcohol isn't to blame, the person who chose to drink too much and drive is. i dont really believe an inanimate object can be good or evil. its just a thing. it's how its used.
I'm so a hypochondriac. I always think I have some horrible disease, but the thing is I HATE going to the doctor. So I basically complain about being sick but do nothing about it! Cold turkey on the Pepsi? I'm impressed!