Hypochondriac

27 February 2008


Friends have always teased that I have a tendency to become a hypochondriac. And I somewhat agree. I have conjured in my head countless of medical conditions and critical illnesses which, if had any semblance of truth to them, would have made me a permanent mainstay in hospitals.

When I was around 6 years old, I suddenly surprised my parents because for 2 days, I couldn’t walk! It feels like the muscles in my legs were paralyzed. Then after a few days, my legs were back to normal. I read in an article that sometimes, lupus patients feel this kind of temporary debilitating conditions.

When I was 9 years old, I thought that I was going to die, after learning that Julie Vega died of unknown reasons. I saw her a month before she died, so I felt a very strong connection towards her. I had fainting spells and felt dizzy all the time. So when she died, I imagined myself to suffer the same fate as her. I think that was just anemia.

When I was a freshman in college, I thought that I had parkinson’s disease (remember this, Rozie?). I had problems controlling mild twitching in my legs. I read about twitching, and came across pakinson’s disease. So I assumed that I had this disease. Looking back, I think it was a lupus induced condition. Now, I feel this kind of sensation all the time, especially at night.

In 2006, in Penang, I thought I had vertigo. I had these dizzying spells all the time. I never thought that this was just lupus-induced anemia.

Last year, I was telling Marjo and Gibo that I might have carpal tunnel syndrome – my fingers hurt so much that it was very difficult for me to work in front of the computer and type. I never realized that I was having lupus arthritis already.

A few months ago, I’ve felt this stabbing/pricking sensation on the soles of my feet. It feels like my bones were being stabbed by a really big needle. But I ignored this sensation, I had too much lupus-related diseases to think about. I should have not ignored the pain.

Today, I learned that I have osteopenia. It is the condition where one’s bone density is below the normal or the ideal. This condition, when untreated, usually leads to osteoporosis. Usually the following people are at risk of having osteopenia:
- thin people (not me)
- steroid users (that’s me)
- those with eating disorders (is overeating considered a disorder?)
- inactive lifestyle (no comment)
- smokers (ahhh… I’m a quitter!)
- excessive drinkers (again, I’m a reformed woman)

So my doctor prescribed more medicines for my bones.

Grabe, kakapagod na to ha! Pahinga naman muna ako...