Why Every Time Someone Is Told They’re A Hypochondriac, It Could Really Be An Autoimmune Disease

This was my 3rd visit to the ER. The ER workers were looking at me like “Here we go again.” My irregular heart beat is driving me absolutely crazy, I can’t breathe, I’m constantly lightheaded... I feel like I’m dying for goodness sakes! But everyone keeps looking at me like I’m crazy! I’m not crazy! Something is wrong with me and none of my doctors can figure it out. All their tests say I'm normal. Normal?!! Is this normal for my heart to be doing this and I can't breath right? So since I'm not magically cured by them telling me that "I'm normal" now they're calling me a “Sue The Hypochondriac”.

The term hypochondriac seems to get thrown around pretty easily when you have symptoms that no can explain. For some reason, it’s supposed to be normal to be over-weight, always tired, have memory loss, depressed, can’t sleep…These symptoms are so common in today’s society that they are seen as normal and not something that should be of concern. This is why when you go to a doctor with these symptoms and they can’t figure out why you feel the way you do, you are told things like:

“Eat fewer calories.”

“Exercise more”

“Everyone is stressed, you just need to relax”.

“That’s just a normal part of aging.”

Sue was told that all of her lab tests were normal. “You’re fine”, her doctors would tell her, “You’re probably just over-worked and need a vacation”. All the while, she never felt fine and she continued to get worse and worse. She kept getting prescribed prescription drugs that weren’t stopping her symptoms. No matter how many prescription drugs she took, she still felt bad. Sue continued to talk about her symptoms to her doctors, family, and friends. Everyone thought that she was over-exaggerating so eventually she got labeled as a hypochondriac.

I find the Mayo Clinic’s definition of hypochondria interesting:

Illness anxiety disorder, sometimes called hypochondria or health anxiety, is

worrying excessively that you are or may become seriously ill. You may have no

physical symptoms. Or you may believe that normal body sensations or minor

symptoms are signs of severe illness, even though a thorough medical exam

doesn't reveal a serious medical condition.

The word “normal” and “common” are often used interchangeably when they shouldn’t be. Normal is to feel good and be symptom-free. Common is when a lot of people experience the same thing. Unfortunately, a lot of people have weight gain, brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, and depression so this gets called “normal body sensations” or “minor symptoms”.

What if your “hypochondria” is really your intuition telling you that something is wrong? What if your intuition was right all along and they just couldn’t figure it out?

In my professional experience, I find that a good majority of people who are labeled as hypochondriacs actually have an autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity is when the body attacks itself and causes organ and tissue damage. Once there is enough damage, symptoms will occur. Do not ignore your symptoms. Your symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Listen to your body!

It is not standard of care for a doctor to check for an autoimmune disease. In fact, autoimmune diseases are actually hard to diagnose. On average, a person will see 5 doctors over 4.6 years before the correct diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is given.

Autoimmune diseases affect 50 million people in the United States. In the US, the number of people who have an autoimmune disease is higher than the number of people who have cancer and heart disease.

If you’re a woman reading, this is especially important for you because more than

75% of those who have an autoimmune disease are women. So if you’re a woman who is experiencing symptoms that cannot be explained by your doctor’s testing and medical exams, you may have an autoimmune disease.

The most common autoimmune disease in the United States is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a disease in which the body is attacking its own thyroid gland.  More than 35 million Americans have Hashimoto’s.  In fact, Sue is one of the many Americans with Hashimoto’s.  Sue’s case is a great example of why every time someone is told they’re a hypochondriac, it probably means they have an autoimmune disease.

Hashimoto’s is a disease that must be addressed because the thyroid gland is so important to the body. Almost every organ in the body requires thyroid hormone to properly function. Having your body attacking your thyroid gland is horrible for your health!

In conclusion, your symptoms are a blessing! Don’t ignore them! And don’t let your doctor convince you that it’s all in your head. Listen to your intuition. Your symptoms are not just a figment of your imagination. It's an alarm telling you that something is wrong. A good majority of people with an autoimmune disease, have a thyroid autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s. Getting tested for Hashimoto’s is a great place to start when trying to figure out what's wrong with you.

References

1. O’Bryan, Tom. (2016). The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That

Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease. Harlan, IA: Rodale Books.

2. Women & Autoimmunity. Retrieved from https://www.aarda.org/who-we-

help/patients/women-and- autoimmunity/

3. Wentz, Izabella. (2017). Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms

and Getting Your Life Back. New York, NY: HarperCollins.