Anyone else wonder if stress has contributed to their MPN?

[Doggy1903]

hello I am interested in mental health, and how health affects our emotional well being.

Also fascinated by genetic tendencies, family tree history of illness and personality.

[Aneliv9]

I strongly believe it. I have chronic stress and i remember a time in my life with so much stress,that i said to my mother: i can't stand so much anxiety and worry anymore. Its like running poison through my veins. (I didn't know anything about my ET then). Also, my platelets were 400 when first diagnosed 5months ago ( i just had slightly enlarged spleen, bur otherwise in my most calm period in my life). From there, anxiety kicked in and my platelets are steadly slightly increase. Sorry for my English,i am from Europe

[Mwalimu]

I personally feel that I am more subject to stress than I used to be and that this is related to my ET. Whether it is the condition or the medication (HU) I don't know. However, I do know that I do not cope with stress as well as I used to in what was a very busy working life. (I am retired now.) Sallie

[socrates_8]

Hey Doggy...

I can recall asking a similar question myself some time ago...

You are right, in that it is a very interesting question as to whether or not stress, general anxiety, (or even mental heath per se), are hereditary?

Some time back, I also made a Post concerning that there seems to be a growing pool of evidence that MPNs too might have a greater incidence of being passed on... However, not everyone agrees, of course...

I was wondering myself, if certain stressful incidents in one's life might somehow be connected to making one more prone to chronic conditions, via causing certain mutations at a cellular level?

In my own case, there were a few very stress–full occurrences prior to my eventual diagnosis...

In other words, in my view... it seems stress has had some part to play in all of this...

Best wishes

Steve

[Searcher56]

Hello Doggy,

I am interested in your approach. I was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 60 with ETJAK2+ and ever since then I have been looking for a cure. My husband became ill in January 2013 and spent 3 weeks in hospital. During the summer I had heart palpitations, went to see a doctor and as a result I was investigated for overactive thyroid. I did not make the connection between my husband being ill possibly causing the heart palpitations. He died in 2014. Nothing wrong with my thyroid but I kept the test results and looking back my platelets at the time were 500 and nobody said anything about it. So this says the medical profession is happy with 500 if there is no other medical conditions. In 2016 my platelets were over 900. So maybe stress, who knows. My life is relatively stress free now but that does not get the platelets down.

I have been finding summertime year by year increasingly difficult to tolerate and I believe sunshine exacerbates the effect of air pollution, so there is another stress factor.

Please keep the rest of us posted of your thoughts and observations.

[Alfie1234]

Hi Doggy1903,

I have often wondered about stress and my diagnosis of PV. I had 2 very stressful events and have often thought if stress could be connected to the development of my illness. I am very interested to read studies around this. Are there any relevant studies that you know of?

[LuckyPaul]

Morning!

Personally, I believe there HAS to be a connection between the mind and pretty much all physical illness. Without going 'full hippy' (ha ha) we have all seen, read and heard the 'mind over matter' approach to many things where people can ignore a sore ankle enough to finish a race...or get full-on 127 Hours about what physical issues they can overcome.

With that in mind, the opposite must be true to some extent. Stress/anxiety/etc causes your body to react in a number of ways, releasing adrenaline and cortisol particularly. Most people know that adrenaline increases your blood pressure and cortisol:

"Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues."

Notice the mention of 'blood' in both of those - there simply HAS to be a chemical adjustment to the area in which we are all somewhat susceptible.

But on a personal level, right now I am not stressed - I am terrified. I will admit to being scared. To me, fear and stress are two very different things. I have gone through years and years of feeling stressed, but never before have I felt so 'afraid'. And to me that's the real question - am I compounding the very thing I am afraid of?

[Cja1956]

I’ve always believed stress affects us physically. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in my early 30’s, which was exacerbated by a stressful marriage and job. In my 40s I developed arthritis, and finally got divorced at age 48. And at 52, diagnosed with ET. Oh, and my mom had brain surgery when I was 22 and she survived a terrible car accident when I was 26. This is an extremely brief summary of my life for the last 40 years, but you get the general idea.

[Wyebird]

I’m afraid I don’t believe stress contributed to my ET. I had retired almost 3 years to the day prior to diagnosis. I was absolutely loving life. Every second was stressless. Now I suffer with fatigue in turn I get very anxious then more fatigued ~ more stressed- then cry uncontrollably for a few days~ then I start to feel a little better and start climbing out of a deep black pit😳. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Faith33 in reply to Wyebird]

Hello,I am new to this group and saw your post 2 years ago about stress. I believe stress is very important to our bodies and minds. But we are all different. I am sorry that you were going through such a difficult time 2 years ago. I just wish that things are better for you now.

[Borage]

Hello Doggy1903

If stress is related to the onset of MPNs I would fit the description.

NHS Midwife,

Night shifts,

Sleep deprivation,

Food and water deprivation,

Chronic back pain from lifting people and equipment.

Too many patients,

Too many visitors,

Not enough beds,

Not enough delivery rooms,

Serious staff shortages,

Staff cracking up,

Increased workload, everything dumped on Midwives.

Endless paperwork,

50,000 emails a day, with one important one somewhere.

Litigation claims

If you make mistakes people die.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

[Doggy1903 in reply to Borage]

Sorry to click like but having worked for the nhs since 1974, I am very understanding.

Bless you, an ever giving lady. Wish I could help . Your working life sounds just crazy with stress. Amazing that you have survived all this.

Please feel welcome to communicate as I work as a health visitor, used to be a midwife.

[Doggy1903 in reply to Borage]

How are you keeping? I remember we messaged each other a few months ago. So hope you have had one vaccine by now.I am hoping to get back to some visiting in May after second vaccine. How is the MPN side? i have my next check up in April so will post the outcome.

[Borage in reply to Doggy1903]

Hello Doggy,

We are doing well thanks. DH has just collected the weekly Asda grocery order from their car park.

We had our first vaccinations four weeks ago, I went along when DH had his appointment, took my Haematology appointment letter, and said I had blood cancer and could have a vaccination please? It was a bitter cold day with snow and they had lots of cancellations.

I felt rather guilty about it but the rate in our area was one of the highest in the country and there were several active cases in our street and a neighbour has been in ITU, but is home now. A Covid testing centre was set up in the village.

I have my appointment for the second vaccination at the same place, with DH in April.

I had my telephone appointment with my Haematologist and she agreed that all blood cancer patients should be vaccinated in group 4, and she agreed to write to my GP. I may yet be put on the Shielding List!

I get my bloods done every four months at the small local hospital. It is very efficient now with no waiting around, everyone wears masks and gloves. My blood forms are handed to me in the corridor outside the Outpatients’ department. I go straight into a cleaned cubical to have blood taken and I am outside in less than ten minutes. A week later my consultant telephones, then the next day DH drives to the local hospital drop off point and the Pharmacist comes out and throws my medicines through the car window.

We have lost one friend with blood cancer very quickly to Covid in February, one of the home carers brought it into the house when she visited his elderly Mother in Law. They had shielded very carefully for a whole year, and were so near to getting the protection of vaccination. The carer must feel like a Typhoid Mary.

It is such a relief to be vaccinated with the excellent AstraZeneca vaccination. We have been following the You Tube reports on Covid by the retired Nurse and University Lecturer, Dr John Campbell which have been much less stressful that the alarmist BBC News reports.

We continue to follow all of the regulations, and take our vitamin D, and we look forward to seeing our grandchildren, out of doors, some time in early April, if all goes well. They went back to primary school on Monday, much to the relief of our daughter.

I hope you are keeping as safe as possible in the community. It must be very scary going into homes where everyone could have Covid, especially in Winter where all the doors and windows are shut so the virus levels are as high as possible.

Where my niece works in Scotland, a small community hospital has been re-opened, run by the District Nurses, for patients to attend for treatments.

Keep safe,

Borage

[Borage]

Hi Doggy1903

I started in 74 too, when third year students were left in charge of 36 bed wards medical on night duty!

Australian lifts, two hand lifts with back bent and a sideways movement, single person transfers, and heavy metal beds with no height adjustment, which gave off static shocks!

I got pensioned off at 56, twisted back and neck - I kept walking sideways into the corridor walls and tripping over, got stress related angina, and ET, and still get the nightmares after 7 years.

Health visiting is even more challenging, I did the required community stint and never felt so vulnerable.

[clubdino]

It's an interesting question. Stress can manifest itself in odd ways. MPN can be hereditary. I have ET and my aunt has PV.