this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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Chronic Illness

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A community/support group for chronically ill people. While anyone is welcome, our number one priority is keeping this a safe space for chronically ill people.

This is a support group, not a place for people to spout their opinions on disability.

Rules

  1. Be excellent to each other

  2. Absolutely no ableism. This includes harmful stereotypes: lazy/freeloaders etc

  3. No quackery. Does an up-to date major review in a big journal or a major government guideline come to the conclusion you’re claiming is fact? No? Then don’t claim it’s fact. This applies to potential treatments and disease mechanisms.

  4. No denialism or minimisation This applies challenges faced by chronically ill people.

  5. No psychosomatising psychosomatisation is a tool used by insurance companies and governments to blame physical illnesses on mental problems, and thereby saving money by not paying benefits. There is no concrete proof psychosomatic or functional disease exists with the vast majority of historical diagnoses turning out to be biomedical illnesses medicine has not discovered yet. Psychosomatics is rooted in misogyny, and consisted up until very recently of blaming women’s health complaints on “hysteria”.

Did your post/comment get removed? Before arguing with moderators consider that the goal of this community is to provide a safe space for people suffering from chronic illness. Moderation may be heavy handed at times. If you don’t like that, find or create another community that prioritises something else.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

“Great news, your blood test results are normal so we won’t be giving you any of the support you need!”

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Fucking hell, I told a doctor that the blood test will very likely not show anything, but they wanted to do one anyways. When the results came back, they told me I was healthy. Thanks, I'll relay that info right to my fucking body, so it can stop producing pain.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It took nearly 12 months, an emergency visit, and being lucky enough to get a Dr who listened before "the tests look normal, idk, do some stretches?" became "oh no, your arm's blood supply is compromised, we have to do surgery."

So glad I didn't listen to the other Drs, or I'd never have found I have the lucky combination of arterial and venous thoracic outlet syndrome. On the downside, they're going to cut my rib out, but it definitely taught me to trust my body when something seems wrong.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I am so glad you found the diagnosis of your problem! Amazing!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Thank you <3

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

When I got sick it took me a month to realise I might have had what my grandma had. That got scary for a moment because her tests were always normal and my whole family, myself included, thought she was a druggie. I got dead set on getting to the bottom of it and therefore got diagnosed in likely a record time despite being seronegative.

If you want to put a cherry on top then you can add referral to a psychologist in the last panel XD

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I got told to drink warm milk before bed as a response to fatigue, unbalance, and dizziness. That was a great $35.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

They didn't even run a test and told me to drink Gatorade

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Psychologists and physical therapists are the favorite referrals of doctors who essentially tell you “it’s your fault and/or you’re making it up.” Glad you got Dx’d quickly though!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I went through diagnoses of burnout, anxiety, FND, health anxiety, depression, before I finally met a doctor who did the right tests and diagnosed my illness.

The medical system has an obsession with psychologising illnesses they can’t explain. it’s scary.

The paradigm is, meke them do therapy and exercise, and everything will magically get better. Which, well when you have an underlying undiagnosed medical condition, just isn’t the case.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 weeks ago

Rule Number 1. Treat the patient, not the lab results.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago

never felt so targeted in a meme

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

At least insurance didn't block the test?... Unless had to pay out of pocket :(

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe get a different kind of "lab". I know not necessarily helpful with the illness but maybe psychologically.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

My problem isn't with the lab results, it's insurance unable to do anything productive unless you go through there steps to "make sure" your not faking it. I have chronic pain and first step is physical therapy which makes it worse so I Physically can't do it. But in order to get "ahead" on figuring it out I have to do it. But it's ok my lab work is fine though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Physical therapy? Really?

I can't imagine getting through PT. I can't microwave oatmeal without taking a rest in the middle.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

I had a different, fun experience. My lab work was actually what got me diagnosed, but to make sure I'm taking the right dose and my medication is being effective, I need to get labs done about every 3 months. Insurance decided that nobody could possibly need lab work done more than 3 times a year, so I got a nice $2,000 surprise bill in the mail for the last labs of the year.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

"Your spleen is enlarged but blood work is fine so guess it's okay"

Uhhhhhhhhhhh

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Hopefully it doesn't do more spleen things!

Same with this dental abscess, gotta hope it holds together until September 26th! Soonest appointment!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Thankfully that was not my experience at all. The doctor saw my bloodwork and called me himself and was like 'Holy shit we need to take care of this RIGHT NOW or you could die.'