Does your specialist check your emotional an... - Vasculitis UK

Vasculitis UK

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Does your specialist check your emotional and mental health?

Ayla profile image
AylaVolunteer
7 Replies

I have been reading about the evidence that stress is linked to disease flares, as well as initial disease onset, in all auto immune diseases.

I think I can vouch for that personally but how many of us agree and does your medical care ever involve checks on how you are feeling emotionally and whether you are feeling stressed or depressed, etc.? For me, can't say it has ever been raised.

Ayla

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Ayla profile image
Ayla
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7 Replies
vivdunstan profile image
vivdunstanVolunteer

Not my specialist, but my GP has asked about it a few times. More recently I started on anti anxiety medication, and he commented that he would be amazed if I hadn't developed anxiety living with my diagnosis.

Jann profile image
Jann

No not a question that comes up reguarly but to be fair my anxiety was acknowledged in the eary stages of treatment.

John_Mills profile image
John_MillsVolunteer

John has never been asked.. but I know his consultant would help if he knew there was a problem... when John was very ill in the early days and also when he relapsed and also later he suffered a DVT... I was so anxious and distressed, and John's consultant helped me a lot..also his specialist nurse... They did not offer to help from the outset...but when I asked or contacted them... they were brilliant and so supportive as was Paul Pegg and his wife Jill...who were responsible for the Stuart Strange Vasculitis Trust back then... especially Jill... sometimes you just have to ask...

Susan

LynneJ profile image
LynneJVasculitis UKVolunteer

My consultants and doctors always ask how I am first and listen to how I am feeling. Like Susan when I was first ill, my doctor supported Sam and even gave him time off work as he was more stressed with worry than I was.

I was too ill to be worried.

That says something, as I can stress and worry for England normally. Actually this has lessened since being ill. I think finding out more and more about the illness has helped a lot.

Things get put in perspective when you have been that ill.

Lynne

magcor profile image
magcor

When I was first diagnosed with cnsv, I had been alot of stress due to close family members death. Before my relaplse I was again much stress. I did ask my consultant was it because of sress. He said under no terms did stress cause or aggravate the condition. hand on my heart in my opinion stress does not help.

My childtren were very young when this first happened neither them, my husband or I were offered any assistance

Bobs profile image
Bobs

I have been out of touch because my Cerebral Vasculitus has affected my eyesight and I have to limit my computer use, but would just like to add that I am convinced, and my doctors agree, that my illnes was brought on by stress. Prior to becoming ill I had been physically very well but going through an intensely stressful period, both career and personal. The situation became worse one night when the stress escalated. The next morning I woke with crippling head pain and wrenching abdominal pain. The abdominal pain subsided after 5 days but the head pain continued for 8 to 10 weeks before I was diagnosed with CV and I began treatment. I am still living a fairly stressful life but I have just had a weeks holiday over Christmas and I noticed a reduction of symptoms during that period of being away from stress.

vivdunstan profile image
vivdunstanVolunteer in reply to Bobs

I'm convinced my illness was caused by stress too. I lived through a very traumatic parental divorce (really really bad situation at home) in 1994, and in late 1994 I started to fall ill, aged just 22. I now avoid stress like the plague, in case it leads to any relapses/flares.

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