tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062705091831264026.post1174068484578160683..comments2023-04-05T02:08:51.360-07:00Comments on Mixed Mania: Physical symtoms and their mental causeslababuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09870234361069719516noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062705091831264026.post-9178482224636534932014-03-17T13:26:31.889-07:002014-03-17T13:26:31.889-07:00I had a thyroid blood test and they said it was bo...I had a thyroid blood test and they said it was borderline. Bipolar and thyroid problems seem to happen together a lot. <br /><br />I hope the bipolar stablises too. Right now it is constant up and downs! Just trying riding the wave at the moment and hope I don't get pulled under. lababuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09870234361069719516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062705091831264026.post-19235278446992489832014-03-17T11:33:38.313-07:002014-03-17T11:33:38.313-07:00I think it's very common to ascribe physical a...I think it's very common to ascribe physical and mental symptoms to your 'owned' illness. I'm seeing it all the time on thyroid support forums. It's particularly difficult when there are so many cross-over symptoms.<br /><br />I hope your bipolar will stabilise and episodes become less frequent. Mine has over the years although the thyroid fuss unsettled the bipolar and caused that to fuss a bit too. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062705091831264026.post-14808630718660783062014-03-17T07:27:02.733-07:002014-03-17T07:27:02.733-07:00Thanks for your comment! It just goes to show how ...Thanks for your comment! It just goes to show how confusing physical symptoms can be when you have a mental illness like bipolar. You end up putting everything down to that and ignoring what most people would see as obvious signs that they are physically unwell. <br /><br />Collapsing in the street from exhaustion and not being able to breathe would have been horrible. I can imagine if that happened to me I would put it down to anxiety and bipolar too (just as I do with everything pretty much). I am sorry to hear you have had such a bad time of things both mentally and physically. It is really great that you finally got the right diagnosis and treatment. <br /> <br />Having one illness does not preclude you from having another and so hopefully myself and others will remember that next time. Thanks for sharing your story.lababuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09870234361069719516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8062705091831264026.post-65792963946023211392014-03-17T06:19:32.622-07:002014-03-17T06:19:32.622-07:00It's not only doctors who ascribe physical sym...It's not only doctors who ascribe physical symptoms to stress or mental illness. I've been bipolar for most of my life, since diagnosis in my late teens after tests to rule out physical causes, including thyroid disease. Undiagnosed and untreated thyroid illness can cause severe depression, psychosis and has led to suicide.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I managed to misread signs and symptoms and failed to seek help for at least 10 months, assuming my distressing and debilitating symptoms and 13kg weight loss were due to stress following 2 bereavements and a serious car accident and were, therefore, bipolar related. You think I'd have realised that collapsing in the street with exhaustion and shortness of breath wasn't typically bipolar but I didn't.<br /><br />As soon as the lump appeared in my neck I presented at the GP's. I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's). Five months later I had surgery to remove a large nodule compressing my windpipe and causing the breathlessness I put down to anxiety.<br /><br />Histology showed the tumour was Hurthle cell carcinoma and surgery was scheduled 3 months later to remove the remaining thyroid lobe. I was lucky, the cancer hadn't spread and prognosis is good if recurrence doesn't occur in the first five years.<br /><br />The moral of the story is that having one chronic illness doesn't preclude one from having another.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com