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lauradi7dwThe DSM 5 dropped "hypochondriasis or hypochondria" as a name, replacing it with somatic symptom disorder or illness anxiety disorder. You can look it up, but the short medline plus explanation of illness anxiety disorder is good enough "an unrealistic fear of having or developing a serious disease." Somatic problems are about actually feeling symptoms that can't be diagnosed.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001236.htm
nosrednayduj wrote, in response to my posts about fever (or not) and symptoms in general:
>>Stress makes your body do things you wish it wouldn't. Humans find patterns where none exist.
Probably you're both fine.<<
We probably are fine. Our temperatures continue to be non-feverish. In a zoom gathering yesterday, one of Arthur's brothers was mocking his friends who take daily temperature readings. He said "who does that?" We raised our hands. (our real hands, not the little hand pictures that one can raise using zoom).
One of the interesting insights that has come from all this is the difference between Arthur and me about *why* we are worried. Arthur has long had a worry about not being able to breath, and is horrified at the idea of being intubated. I presume that when we get it (are we still presuming 80% infection over time, and just trying to flatten the curve?), we will be able to cope at home, with the usual rest and fluids self-care. My worry is infecting my parents. They are 650 miles away, stable at their baseline level of health (my mother has some sort of chronic cough from postnasal drip, and a treated weirdness with her heart), and seem comfortable and content in the house, but I have to assume that at some point one of the caregivers will get sick, maybe infect others (including my parents?) before being diagnosed, and I'll have to get there and take over some care. This makes me feel that I have to be healthy when that happens. Is that enough stress to cause symptoms? Maybe. I have friends with much more complicated lives right now - parents in locked-down facilities, a person who brought a parent home due to feeling that the assisted living place was not sanitized enough, a person with a parent who is alone at home, frightened and lonely, because a family member is ill and nobody is willing to accidentally infect the elderly parent by going into the house. As is usually the case, I feel that I am astoundingly lucky, but this time, I feel more than usual that their lives will be in my hands if I get sick or the caregivers do, and I have to stop self-isolating to be there.
Arthur's parents and his sister and her partner all live in one big house. His mother remarked yesterday that she has a target on her back (90 years old, pre-existing lung problems). Arthur and I have talked in passing about how many parents we might have in a year. It's amazing to have four (between us) when they are all in their 90s anyway, but now it seems much more like death is waiting to pounce. It doesn't seem to have prompted any heavy conversations among either family.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001236.htm
nosrednayduj wrote, in response to my posts about fever (or not) and symptoms in general:
>>Stress makes your body do things you wish it wouldn't. Humans find patterns where none exist.
Probably you're both fine.<<
We probably are fine. Our temperatures continue to be non-feverish. In a zoom gathering yesterday, one of Arthur's brothers was mocking his friends who take daily temperature readings. He said "who does that?" We raised our hands. (our real hands, not the little hand pictures that one can raise using zoom).
One of the interesting insights that has come from all this is the difference between Arthur and me about *why* we are worried. Arthur has long had a worry about not being able to breath, and is horrified at the idea of being intubated. I presume that when we get it (are we still presuming 80% infection over time, and just trying to flatten the curve?), we will be able to cope at home, with the usual rest and fluids self-care. My worry is infecting my parents. They are 650 miles away, stable at their baseline level of health (my mother has some sort of chronic cough from postnasal drip, and a treated weirdness with her heart), and seem comfortable and content in the house, but I have to assume that at some point one of the caregivers will get sick, maybe infect others (including my parents?) before being diagnosed, and I'll have to get there and take over some care. This makes me feel that I have to be healthy when that happens. Is that enough stress to cause symptoms? Maybe. I have friends with much more complicated lives right now - parents in locked-down facilities, a person who brought a parent home due to feeling that the assisted living place was not sanitized enough, a person with a parent who is alone at home, frightened and lonely, because a family member is ill and nobody is willing to accidentally infect the elderly parent by going into the house. As is usually the case, I feel that I am astoundingly lucky, but this time, I feel more than usual that their lives will be in my hands if I get sick or the caregivers do, and I have to stop self-isolating to be there.
Arthur's parents and his sister and her partner all live in one big house. His mother remarked yesterday that she has a target on her back (90 years old, pre-existing lung problems). Arthur and I have talked in passing about how many parents we might have in a year. It's amazing to have four (between us) when they are all in their 90s anyway, but now it seems much more like death is waiting to pounce. It doesn't seem to have prompted any heavy conversations among either family.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-30 04:47 pm (UTC)I mean, when you're thinking about specific Big Stressors, don't forget that _everyone_ is under a low-level background radiation stress that comes from knowing there are people all over the world right now dying, and worrying who else it's going to happen to, and when.
Living through a pandemic is...not a quiet event, even if it's just your parents you're big worried about.
~Sor