Am I ill “enough” for a diagnosis?

[@jennifers5560]

Jessica is so right about having multiple diagnosis’. My wife’s Dr. kept upping her diabetes meds when her numbers starting going all over the place. She kept telling the Dr. that it was not her diabetes. My wife manages it quite well with diet and her regular medications. The Dr. would not consider that it was anything but Diabetes. She was not listened to, so she went to a different doctor. The new Dr. examined her and was like “How long have you had this goiter?” News to us. She ordered a scan, then a biopsy. Biopsy showed it was thyroid cancer. She had her thyroid taken out. All is well, it was caught before it spread. If she would have not changed doctors who knows how long it would have taken for that first Dr. to realize it was cancer. If something is going on with your body, please get it checked out. ❤

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

For everyone suffering with health issues: it's ok to TAKE UP SPACE. You deserve to be heard and taken seriously, no one deserves shame or suffering for what your body is going through.

[@mind_palace]

Me in bed in tears for hours now, because my uterus is tearing down its walls, having taken tylenol, naproxen natrium, heavy bleeding, changing pads every hour, in bed for 2 days, and having been told it's fine by both male and female doctors...I'm tiiiredd of medical gaslighting

[@jennifers5560]

❤

[@rachelm5478]

That sounds awful, I'm so sorry.

[@tam9639]

I am exactly the same- I’ve thrown up and passed out from the excruciating pain I experience on/around my period, but I’ve just been told to take ibuprofen and use a hot water bottle.

[@astrobookwormsinger]

Me when my old doctor told me I have symptoms but not "enough" for PTSD

[@jennifers5560]

What the heck?? So sorry. ❤

[@megdelaney3677]

I feel like I'm in the same situation. I hope soon we can both get proper care.

[@Emjjjj]

Medical gaslighting is so awful, I'm sorry you went/are going through that. Sometimes doctors can't seem to see past their own prejudices enough to bring themselves to diagnose someone with a condition THAT THEY HAVE and believe that they're doing you a "favor" for not "labeling you" :///

[@sams1982]

That sucks, I’m sorry. I hope ‘old’ in your comments means ‘former’ and that you have better care available to you now

[@channlerharu5569]

That is so dumb doctors are dumb sometimes 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@emie_2682]

gawd I feel like this all the time. always wondering "am I really ill or am I just being dramatic?"

[@VirgoLunaris]

You're discussions around invisible disability is how I found your channel, I can't express my gratitude enough for your advocacy, wisdom, and solidarity...Took 18 years for my eds diagnosis and I found a lot of solace in your videos for the past 7 years of this adventure in medical incompetence and stigmatization.

[@KingBowserLP]

As someone whose medical trauma is very much rooted in familial abuse (doctor father and nurse mother), I can heartily recommend to get a second, third, fourth or more recommendations and to talk about things with friends. Turns out it wasn't growing pains. Turns out I'm not just a lazy, flawed asshole. Thankfully I have pain meds to lessen some of my symptoms now, but I still don't have any sort of diagnosis - turns out, having ADHD and EDS (at this stage, it's very unlikely to not be, and it took a long time to accept this) is not very conducive to getting a diagnosis in a system where you have to follow up and chase doctors for answers. If they take you seriously to begin with.

[@cindabearr]

*TW Graphic Content* When I was 32, I was driving my mom in my big, bouncy truck, and she was stiffening at every bump, then at one particular dip at an intersection, she grasped at her breast and audibly cried out. After asking her each time earlier if she was okay, this time, I sternly said "Mom, WHAT is wrong??" She played it off and said she was just a bit sore. When we got back to her house, she took me all the way into the back bedroom and closed the door (no one else was even home) and told me, "Now. I'm going to show you something, but you CAN'T tell your sisters (I have 3)." She proceeded to pull down her bra fabric to reveal some medical gauze pads that were stained black. Pulling those aside she revealed a large, blackish, open sore on her breast that was oozing. I was *horrified* that she hadn't been to the doctor, and kind of a little bit maybe yelled at her gently that it needed care, then helped her make appointments and get the proverbial ball rolling. She had stage 3 metastatic breast cancer, but literally "didn't want to bother anyone." I still believe that she would have lived had she sought treatment sooner. Please, PLEASE don't do this to your loved ones. Take care of yourselves - we ARE worth it, we are NOT being too much, and we DESERVE competent, compassionate CARE.

[@jennifers5560]

I’m so sorry that happened. ❤

[@DAYBROK3]

🫂🫂

[@LampjePockelé]

Redheads wearing green velvet is an absolutelt unbeatable combo

[@shadowphoenix9731]

The phrase 'It's all in your head' is very interesting, because they act like your head is detached from the body and thus not effected by anything in it. When in fact it is a part of your body. A very important one. Almost as if it's the control center.

[@onceuponamelody]

When actual MEDICAL PROVIDERS just blow off your symptoms so much, you really start to feel like your pain isn't real. It can feel like banging your head on a brick wall to keep asking for care and keep being told "oh you just need to exercise/lose weight/take vitamins" and get refused testing or imaging. Keep. Fighting.

[@electric.pants518]

THIS. I've been in the loop for over a year now after finally realizing that my symptoms weren't something that everyone experiences and I'm just handling them worse. I'm so tired but I can't stop. I gotta keep fighting.

[@AynneMorison]

My most heard one "just loose weight" Eventually a cardiology test found a small scar from a minor infarc.

[@asterisk5054]

OMG REAL I've been having HORRIBLE symptoms of reflux since January and a doctor told me to lose 60kg in three months. ok cool

[@erinemberly2962]

My family doctor here in Canada refuse to diagnose me with two things. One I have ADHD he told me women do not. He also said that I got to the age of 45, then I am fine. So you’ve lost some weight he says after I went in with an application 😢 disorder clinic after being diagnosed with anorexia. But I have to be thankful because here in Nova Scotia there are no family doctors and if you have one, you are lucky.

[@socialjusticeworm3820]

Long covid sufferer here. Excited to watch this

[@nanulala7925]

After being told it's all in my head when my wrist bone was dying, when I seeked my autism and adhd diagnosis, when I had lost lung capacity because of covid and so on, I got a few great diagnosis that helped. Only to tell my doctor three days ago that I have shortness of breath when I go up the stairs or do certain physical activities and him to have the AUDACITY to tell me maybe I have "stairs related trauma" and that's why I feel faint. I have to fight every doctor for every single thing even after being proven right like with my hand. If I hadn't found one doctor to listen to me I would have lost the bone and hand function, they literally diagnosed me as the bone had a paper thin outer layer and was all dead inside, another year and my wrist would have collapsed. I had to fail university 4 times and literally cry because I just can't do the stuff I want to do to 3 psychiatrists and 2 doctors before I was given the order to get an adhd assessment and finally get meds. It sucks being told it's anxiety because you express worry over your symptoms to the person who is supposed to be trained in diagnosing and helping you as a patient.

[@tinkerbelle_belle1980]

I just spent over a month of denying how bad of an UTI and kidney swelling I had, because it happens all the time. This time, though, I was the lucky winner of the "You get to have a one week stay in the hospital" sweepstakes. Not only that, the only bed available for me at the time was in the neuro ward. This meant that my attending physician not only did not understand how painful "just" a UTI can be (especially with renal swelling), but it also meant that he had no true knowledge on how to treat acute breakthrough pain with a patient who already has a diagnosis of chronic pain. All of this lead to him denying me pain relief that took better care of both kinds of my pain than just my typical meds could do (because I wasn't just experiencing acute or chronic pain, but both), because I wasn't asking for my typical meds...that weren't working on all my pain, which is why I went to the ER in the first place. He then "graciously" (re: he was a total a$$ about it) gave me a weaker pain med, that sorta helped, but not entirely. THEN he took me off the new medication, because apparently there can be issues of it causing kidney damage. Need I remind you, I was in the hospital for not only a MASSIVE UTI, but a massive UTI that causes renal swelling, which can cause kidney damage. So, I was left with the medication I usually take, but knew it wouldn't help with the acute pain I was in, so it wasn't helping either my acute pain nor my typical pain. He also made a heartless joke during team rounding on Friday about how it's the weekend, so he's going home, and then pointedly said, "but you can't." Tasteless, cruel, unprofessional, and traumatizing. I already have a great deal of medical PTSD, so I was trying to mask and work with my triggers, but that meant that when something frustrated or made me feel "less than" I could no longer control the panic attacks that kept coming. This is the second time I have been hospitalized in that particular hospital for exactly the same thing (only difference was this one responded to typical antibiotics, and the other time it was a MDR strain), and both times came with a terrible experience. I refuse to return there, unless I have no other options. Sorry for the diatribe, this is all still so fresh in my mind. I discharged only 5 days ago.

[@jennifers5560]

❤ I hope you are feeling better

[@tinkerbelle_belle1980]

@@jennifers5560 thank you so much, that's very kind of you. Thankfully I am on the mend. It may take ne a little while longer to bounce back than most people would, but I'm lucky enough to have an amazing support system that will help get me through this. I hope you have a lovely day!

[@moonkenzie]

God, so much this. I have diagnoses, but I do the whole thing where I don't feel disabled enough to apply for government assistance. Side note, LOVE the bangs!

[@Polytektone]

Can you please do a sequel to this covering how to deal with medical fatigue after you've started the diagnosis process? My illness started a bit over 2 years ago, and I only recently got a tentative/incomplete diagnosis. I've nearly given up on doctors appointments because I'm simply too exhausted to keep digging

[@michaelnewton5873]

I love my British creators, all of them are so real and upfront about themselves. My American ones are so worried about getting stalked etc

[@makakachaput]

Ive been having this struggle with a couple of things, especially with possible EDS. Especially since I've done gymnastics for SO many years of my life, its really easy to brush it off as "oh, of course I have tons of joint problems, I've done an intense sport for over a decade" and "oh, of course im flexible, gymnasts are meant to be flexible" (even though even my other friends in gymnastics can be a little freaked out by how flexible I can he). And on top of that, it feels like I'm simply not allowed to try getting a diagnosis, because its not like I CAN'T do things in my daily life. I'm just in pain when I try to do stuff, but that feels like a matter of needing to suck it up. I feel like this video will be quite helpful, haha. 😅

[@TracyD2]

I hope the health care system can actually help you even though you now know you’re not the only one feeling like isht. I think we are all being poisoned steadily.

[@DoktorDry]

Wondering if I'm actually mentally ill or just not traumatized enough to qualify is such a wild feeling

[@noexpensespentstudios]

Chronic pain (and more, because there's always more) for twenty years here, and only recently with a new doctor and losing yet another job to it and the fatigue, have I been taken seriously. Now stuck in referral limbo and an NHS waiting list so long they didn't even give me an estimated time scale for an appointment. Your next video may well be helpful with the next stage of this journey, because this one has all the things in it that I had to do to be taken seriously this time around. It's exhausting having to advocate for yourself when you're ill and least able to fight.

[@jenniferw392]

The subtext of the inner saboteur having bangs/fringe! 🤣

[@aaronsmith9209]

Very solid advice in this video. I sometimes wonder if how most of us dismiss the many minor health problems we face is why this country is so sick now. The worse the waiting lists have got at the NHS in recent years, the more likely we are to put off seeking medical advice. Let alone the large cuts to many public services and benefits which people relied on. After how my grandad died, I will always take it seriously if something health wise is worrying me, even if it's small. My grandad had a boil, he ignored it and it went away on its own so he thought it was fine. A few months later, it came back and mutated into something far worse, in the end without sharing the horrible details, he was basically poisoned from the inside and eventually caused heart failure after a few weeks in hospital, he died and on Christmas Day as well, so we'd never forget in my family! He would probably still be here, had he gone to the doctor quickly. He was barely 60, so didn't even get to retire! This was over 20 years ago. Point is, don't worry how what others think, if your body is trying to tell you something, don't ignore it! A small problem doesn't have to become a big one, if you seek help! That's what the doctor is there for!

[@EquilibriumTales]

Getting an actual diagnosis can be very challenging for anyone these days, sadly. It's always great to see people raising the awareness on that, thank you for contributing to positive changes being made for everyone. 10 years + of struggling with bad female health issues here, 5ish years to trying to get a basic health check for it in the UK other than a nurse touching my stomach and announcing there can't be anything wrong there since she can't feel anything wrong with her fingers, etc. Happy to prescribe a 5th type of pills and wish me luck with them though. It can be so hard not to question the validity of what I'm experiencing even though it's the sort of pain and issues Ik well can't be normal. It's always good to hear at least when somebody else has actually managed to get the help they need. Hopefully things can be better for everybody one day.

[@fionasgardeningchallengeye1386]

This is good message here thank you. I’m currently in hospital hooked up to fluids after a week of scans and tests all coming back as totally normal but blood results suggesting things are not good and I wonder if it’s all in my head and just not trying hard enough. Our society has warped our brains to not take our health and physical condition seriously. And the shame of having time off sick and having to rationalise yourself to all the judges is crazy. Not to mention sickness demonisation of benefits lazy people in the media, how dare you be sick and not contribute to society?! It’s a much needed subject your covering

[@jennifers5560]

❤

[@LoraK31]

I have type 1 diabetes and basically that exact story happened to me! But the doctor who told me my symptoms were just stress also had type 1, which makes the medical gaslighting even more unbelievable. Always listen to your body first

[@Picklescape]

Clicked on this video so fast. It was Jessica's channel that helped me realise that it was worth pursuing a diagnosis for myself, as I was really grappling with 'am I ill enough'. Thank you Jessica!

[@mind_palace]

One very specific thing: doctors, especially gynaecologists REFUSING to do an internal scan, and doing an abdominal scan only, because I haven't had intercourse yet... I'm going to lie the next time if that's what it takes to do a proper check-up. I'm 27 and never once felt like having sex, so for us on the ace spectrum, or being demi and not having found someone yet, we just don't get the opportunity. This is the Netherlands btw. I called the clinic and they confirmed it was going to be an internal scan, went there, and the doctor refused. Even though i told her multiple times that I'm okay with doing an internal one, multiple times. 3 days ago, when i went to get an abdominal scan, because they were convinced it must be an inguinal hernia causing the pain. The hernia they couldn't find, just like my right ovary, it wasn't even visible, only the left ovary...imagine a person, male, missing their right ball, everyone would take that seriously, but when it's an ovary...no actions taken

[@andromedaspark2241]

I'm sorry that happened to you. Gynecological issues are a minefield when dealing with doctors. They're still inclined to be paternalistic and dismissive of patients reporting symptoms. You'd think female bodies were aliens with as hard as it is apparently everywhere to get a diagnosis. You're right; if you had a male body, it wouldn't have been as difficult for you, and that's too absurd to be so in this day and age.

[@mayammink]

girl I love the bangs!!! ❤

[@blue_anime_cat2526]

And please: a good work-out plus enough sleep and water doesn't cure everything. Everyone told me: nah just work out more at the gym Reality: got a second heart issue and the training could have worsent everything. Don't let others tell you that you're just lazx and find a doctor believing your words. This is the way better help for yozr body&soul/mind/psyche ! ❤meow❤😻 Thank you Jessica for bringing this important topic up!❤❤❤

[@andromedaspark2241]

I am now terrified by doctors. They are too often arrogant and narcissistic, and have too much power over you if they choose. They can ignore you or focus excessively on you, harming you either way. They call hypochondria 'somatoform disorder' now, at least in the US. I had a doctor absolutely trash my medical chart being two faced and ignoring what I told him I bodily felt. GP not a specialist or psych doc in any way...he put in his notes I had somatoform disorder and bipolar (when I complained that I wasn't being helped, naturally a complaint is a mood disorder in his mind? He'd seen me twice before that, in no way he saw enough for what he stated.). He refused to run more than the basic tests. Let me just say, you don't want to go to the ER with a psych condition on your chart, they will continue to gaslight that it's in your head. I couldn't eat due to pain, and have already had my entire colon removed prior to seeing him. He wanted to make me take a medication to increase appetite, and my refusal triggered him to act against me. My knee was locking up and I'd lost mobility. It wasn't in my head. However they put me in the hospital on a 72 hour hold. The psychiatrists concluded the other doctors were wrong and I didn't have a psych issue. DIdn't stop them from holding me against my will. I ended up having knee surgery a month after when I switched hospital systems. I'm on a biologic (rinvoq) which fixed my inability to eat easily. But now I'm truly traumatized by doctors. They have TREMENDOUS power over you if they choose to mischaracterize your symptoms. It takes a huge labor to get them to correct their records if another doctor makes poor diagnoses. Other doctors shook their heads at his notes, and deleted them...but they're still there. An anesthesiologist added the psych conditions back after seeing me for 5 minutes before surgery...so had to get them removed again. I'm chronically ill and terrified going to the doctor.

[@georgiabarke3072]

I am loving the fringe🥰

[@HollyOly]

I had been dx’d with MS for 15 years and still didn’t believe I was sick “enough!” It took realizing I needed a cane to admit that all my “laziness” (not showering daily, not dressing in anything but jeans & tee, not cleaning the house, not LEAVING the house, etc) are my disease not my moral failing. Internalized ableism, capitalism, and misogyny are a helluva drug. 😢

[@jennifers5560]

❤

[@emilygleeson2018]

I have a really weird relationship with my chronic illness disabilities because I grew up being told there was nothing wrong with my by my parents and then when the depression kicked off the snowball downwards of health issues, mainly mental health at the time, I was treated like I was just acting up But then when I would go out seeking diagnoses once I was an adult and able to schedule doctors visits myself, I started getting a lot of immediate response because yeah something very clearly was wrong. Even when I had the 1 thing that was a long diagnosis progress, it was because I didn't have the typical presentation for it - PCOS but without a single cyst which is just hilarious considering it's a condition with cyst in the name - and then I got the diagnosis because I responded to treatment and my doctor was the best - love her so much but then I got an autism diagnosis within like 30 minutes of talking about it to the doctor, going yeah I have a lot of stuff that I do even while feeling so uncomfortable because of my parents shaming me for expressing them, and then I got my disability application accepted without needing to appeal it which was basically the route you had to take in Ireland because so many disabled people were denied the first time and accepted on appeal, but I got accepted right away and that was before even more stuff came out about my health but yet my family still has the underlying attitude that I'm not disabled because I'm not in a wheelchair - which I attribute in part to my father losing a leg about 15 years ago so that's kind of their view of disability, not me, the problem daughter whose disabilities often came out in the behaviour they hated when I was younger and this is my opinion after a few years of therapy, I don't think they can mentally combine the fact that all the behaviour they hated was symptoms of the disabilities I was not being treated for at the time and my seeking out a name for what was wrong with me wasn't actually funny but me knowing that there was something deeply wrong but no one could name it to me but I was still doing something WRONG and couldn't figure out why

[@blu_heron]

At the most difficult parts of my health journey not only did diversifying my care team, but also keeping a journal of symptoms and feelings to report back to each person in said care team was a huge help. This takes a lot of labor on the patient’s end, but it began filling in the gaps that the medical system could not provide for me. Also, it’s so interesting to me that so many of us experience the same sides of a problem: I don’t want to be a burden, I have to be capable always, I can’t let down the people who depend on me. I have so much compassion for people who have these feelings because it can be a lonely place to be when help is not sought after.

[@AstridSouthSea]

I was thinking about how I could explain my conclusions to my doctor, or even if I should bother, and then the universe plopped this video's notification in my lap. Ah, question answered. ❤

[@Nelya_Anonymous]

you just gave me the courage to ask my mom for an official motoric tic disorder diagnose, and for that, *i'll be thankful frfr*

[@kingferret]

your videos have helped me feel confident enough to actually get a doctors appointment :) ive been feeling light symptoms since i was born but only this year did i go through an extremely physically taxing event which made them horribly worse. ive started tracking my symptoms and sometimes i feel like my experience isnt severe enough compared to others to be taken seriously, but i know thats plain wrong. having reoccuring experiences in general, even if they dont cause fainting or dislocating bones, should be checked out. thank you for this video, it makes me feel even better that i decided to make an appoinment! gonna start figuring out what is wrong with my body in february and im relieved i might get some answers

[@mynameisnotcool8426]

when i read the title i just had to watch the video - i feel this too much!

[@gwendolynrobinson3900]

I love how Jess always has a "bad guy/ignorant" character to highlight how silly the arguing is❤

[@BerinKinsman]

TIL that in addition to all of her other talents, Jessica can pull off bangs.

[@TheQueenOfStupidity]

Jessica with bangs is too powerfull!

[@neo5802]

Jessica nothing I can write here will sufficiently express how much the world needs your content. How much *I* need your content right now. Thank you.

[@carissafisher7514]

The thing is hypochondria is more easily treated than chronic fatigue! It would actually be better, I am really suffering. I keep seeing doctors but, still can't find a cure for my chronic fatigue.

[@Moraca101]

Look into thyroid conditions! I went over a decade wondering if I had chronic fatigue and was talked out of it by family and doctors. If Id gotten help the first time, it wouldve been easily treatable. But I instead got diagnosed after I started going through the final stages of hypothyroidism. Thyroid conditions are treatable, and easy to check for. If they refuse to test, ask them to document the refusal and make sure to mention that you'll need that printed for your documentation at home. ;) suddenly you could *totally* get some bloodwork done. If you have chronic fatigue, Im afraid most conditions with that symptom can only be managed and relieved, but not cured. The earlier they find the source, the better your chances of feeling back to normal. You just might have to get a pill organizer if you dont already have one.

[@andromedaspark2241]

I have autoimmune issues, and fatigue comes along with it. Chronic fatigue and chronic pain have a source. I am so sorry that they dismiss it as all in your head. Do they forget the head is part of the body, and perhaps dismissing it as essentially a personal failing of the patient is cruel? Yes, yes they do. It comes down to it being easier to dismiss female patients in particular as emotional than to do the work if they don't immediately understand the cause.

[@carissafisher7514]

@@Moraca101 my TSH is 3.4, I have had hyper and hypothyroidism in the past, it isn’t that this time!

[@dcseain]

Thank you for speaking to the issues women face in the medical world intersecting with enculturation.

[@staceyhunt6769]

Got discharged from my (male) cardiologist after a 24hr ECG which said in the letter that my heart rate "Averaged at 194 bpm" and acknowledged that I have got palpitations with my issues of symptoms as well as the heart rate not pacing well. Then goes on to say that there is "Nothing of concern" and for GP (Female, sent me to A&E in an ambulance when I was getting my kids flu vaccine) to see if it could be psychological or hormonal. I think we both wanted to headbutt the wall after this letter. He also didn't actually clarify if he was discharging or not - We're just assuming until she can get hold of him (This letter took 4 weeks!) And get clarification. My pulse is often above 150bpm if I dare to move at all and I almost always just ignore it and keep sat down as much as I can. I have 3 neurodivergent kids, oldest is 7. And 4th is due in less than 2 months. I can't keep living like this. I am barely functional most of the time. GP HATES that I have a "walk it off" mentality for so much. 😅 She's seen a flare up in person now. She knows something is DEFINITELY going on. But she's not sure what more she can do at this point. We're all VERY concerned what having this baby will do to my health. Especially given I hemorrhaged 2+l with my oldest kiddos. And the youngest 2 came in under an hour. My mentality is still "Well, the medical staff are all aware so at least I'm in the right place if something happens. 🤷‍♀️" I HATE being in the hospital. I hate having to go to the GP. I just wish I could magic it away. It's exhausting and debilitating. My quality of life just drops as time goes on. This video couldn't have come at a better time for me. ❤ So many years of chasing health issues up for it to be "Nothing" or get a "We don't know" and dismissal with no help or answers, horrible upbringing having fainting and blue lips/nails being called dramatic... It makes a huge mental impact to be reminded that actually I should pay attention to my symptoms and keep fighting for myself with the same persistence I do for my children (Which is relentless).

[@witchyvicar]

Jessica, I love you and your content, but one huge thing you've missed here (and in some other videos around these topics) is body size. Fat people, like myself, give up going to the doctor because doctors basically diagnose you as fat, tell you to lose weight, or try to bully you into bariatric surgery. Seriously, I've been to a doctor for a sinus infection, and because of my BMI, I got 20 min lecture about losing weight and they nearly forgot I had a sinus infection.Or how about the time I went to an endocrinologist to get a diagnosis for my PCOS, but then was told I had PCOS because I was fat and that I'd be better off starving myself to lose weight. Oh, and the gynecologist who was bullying me to get bariatric surgery while she had her hands in me just to check my IUD. It took me 4 times telling her "I don't want to talk about that. It's not what I came for!" and being in tears before she stopped (I actually reported this one, but of course, nothing happened). And then there's pretty much every doctor that assumes you're going be non-compliant because you're fat so you must be stupid and have no self-discpline (which then usually brings things around to bariatric surgery again). Or not being able to get any surgeries that would help you get out and move more or even fix a disability because you're too fat or they don't have mobility equipment because you're too big or the equipment costs hundreds or thousands more. So yeah, everything you talked about in this video becomes a million times harder if your BMI is anything over 25. (Generally, but you get the idea...)

[@jennifers5560]

❤ relatable

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

It’s so true and completely ridiculous and dangerous this happens. My body weight fluctuates a lot, I’ve been fat, I’ve been skinny, everything in between and rarely have I done much to cause it, it’s just part of my disabilities, but the treatment from health care professionals when I’m fat or even just a little bit chubby, it’s as if I’m worthless and stupid and did this to myself on purpose and my concerns are all dismissed. When I’m thin they take my concerns seriously (if at all, but more likely to). Really weird and uncool.

[@goatsfordays2451]

I've had such a long road to getting an EDS diagnosis. When I finally got it, so many things fell into place. And yet I still ask myself if it's even real, if I'm not exaggerating, or maybe I'm lying? These thoughts tend to ignore that I am in constant pain, which my brain kind of forgets abouts like it's a smell you've grown used to.

[@lyndanickerson1373]

I suffered horrible period pains since I was 13, I was only prescribed naproxen which didn't really do much. It wasn't until my uterus prolapsed and I had to have a hysterectomy at 40 that I found out that I had andometriosis, it's a gynecological condition that occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. The only real way to cure it just happens to be a hysterectomy. I'm worried that my 13 year old daughter will have it as well now that she started her period.

[@goldenapple3952]

7:39 YOOO THATS ACTUALLY LITERALLY WHAT I THOUGHT IN THAT SECOND OMGG im trying to get a pots diagnosis but i dont faint so i was literally thinking about my experiences where i felt like passing out but never did :'D and was like woww she was ACTUALLY sick unlike me 😅

[@ZombiPatient0]

I don't faint and I am diagnosed with POTS. I do sometimes get very dizzy and completely lose vision, but I've always been able to intentionally just sit down, on the floor if I have to, till it passes. First time I told a doctor at 15 about the dizzy spells I was told to just stand up more slowly. Took over 20 years after that to get it diagnosed

[@gabriellenicholas6532]

Same here, I'm like "well I ALMOST passed out, so meh, it doesn't count" lol. Didn't help that my doctor was like "Drink more water 🤷‍♀️". (I drink lots of water) 😐 I believe in you though! I hope you get some help with your symptoms. 🙂

[@JuMixBoox]

The "Is it just the heating?" felt almost too real. I always had horrible perception of my body and how it should be feeling and have genuinely thought I had hot flashes when the heating was on too high multiple times. To be fair, it feels the same. That's also pretty much the only thing I'm afraid of when going to a doctor: That I just missed the memo on how to do life right that everyone else got and wasted everyone's time because I misunderstood. I'm starting to care less though and go for answers however silly I might feel because at least things might get resolved one way or the other and you deserve to feel better even if it turns out it wasn't medical.

[@jwb52z9]

I know the US is the only first world nation that has this problem, but a lot of times , Americans don't go to the doctor because it'll send us into massive debt that we'll never live long enough to pay off.

[@Alex-uy3ph]

The intro to this video was like someone was reading my mind!

[@11sanarose]

hey, Im in nursing school - so obvi double check anything I say, but your facial twitch thing sounds kinda like Chvostek's sign, which means you have hypocalcemia, maybe? just a thought. BTW - it took me over 15 yrs of complaining about my lower back pain (have you tried yoga? just loose weight!) before I was diagnosed with severe spondylolisthesis requiring surgery.

[@marianneshepherd6286]

I kept persuading myself that I didn't have depression because I was comparing everything to my husband, (he was diagnosed with depression since he was 12 and regularly takes medication) it took multiple people to convince me to speak with my GP and get on medication. I was very much in denial about how I was truly feeling and how it was affecting me. I'm thankful for the medication I'm now taking and the work I'm doing with an experienced counsellor ❤❤❤❤

[@iluvlyricsNmore]

Im so PUMPED for this video!

[@crowlowin4330]

Shout out to the doctor telling me the lesions in my brain will go away if I lose weight…. Taking your own symptoms seriously is only the first step, you’ll have to fight and fight and trust in your body despite constant medical gaslighting. Sending good vibes to anyone else going through that, it’s rough❤

[@TheMonarchofMonarchs933]

I'm Non-binary but I'm afab. Which matters to the story. I have no idea if anyone will believe me. Does anyone know what this is? There's something strange that's been happening to me. For some reason, I can't move for random times. A strange paralysis that comes with no warning on or around a period. Where I'm stuck for a for several minutes to a half hour. I could have got hit by a car during the most recent period. Had that paralysis started a minute earlier. I haven't found anything related to it when goggleing it. Nor has anyone heard of anything like this. Since its tied to the period I've added to a list to try for a hysterectomy.

[@bemysty]

I've given up ever being taken seriously for anything because... well, I'm overweight, whatever I have is due to that, according to basically every doctor ever. Even though I doubt the size of my ass affects my connective tissues, but sure.

[@MissingRaptor]

That inner voice character is a little too relatable 😅 . . . 😢

[@teri2466]

You're a precious jewel! I love your humor and way of explaining serious topics. I would suggest anyone dealing with these issues check out a channel called "Medical Secrets." He's a US anesthesiologist and in addition to helping people get though surgery (in ways you'd never imagine), he talks about medical gaslighting and how to get the care you need. His "Talking to Doctors" playlist is chef's kiss. 😊

[@prettytira5077]

Yay, new video

[@Cinderbloom]

Ah yes, but Jessica, consider: I might not think my symptoms are cause I am crazy, but if my family and doctors keep telling me that it sticks 💀

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

Please everyone if you have been dismissed or misdiagnosed or you’re not completely satisfied with the care you recieved, you are allowed to request a second opinion! I encourage you to do so, it is worth the effort. You can also ask for or get a trusted person to be a medical advocate for you - this is a person who can ensure your preferences and needs in regards to your medical care are being met appropriately. It is especially useful if you become particularly unwell or are in hospital.

[@littlecr3atur3]

I feel really called out right now

[@hiddenshadow0723]

Definitely feel this sometimes, even though I've had a diagnosis for a decade. My fibromyalgia - or at least how it impacts my functioning - is absolutely impacted by my mental state, and sometimes it's hard not to jump from that interaction to "I'm just an imposter and lazy."

[@seeleunit2000]

This was very informative. This makes me feel a little bit bad about when I'm dealing with my own physical issues.

[@AlkemyFrost-ju4hx]

Relatable, i've heard all kinds of dismissive and inaccurate things, many of which from doctors! Others from family to random people wanting to start fights online. The health care system is such a mess that it only feeds into society discouraging people from getting care because it proves their fears right so much of the time. I'm lucky i've found some good doctors to go to but i know going to Urgent Care or the ER is generally a waste of time if I don't have a visibly broken bone or something like that, they tend to just get upset and tear people down. Part of that is also care fatigue so there's also that that needs attention to make things better.

[@Back-in-Time-to-Cook]

I only sought help recently because things got a lot worse. I thought ah now i have “bad” symptoms they will help. Even then i waited a few weeks to confirm it was serious just in case it got better and i wasted peoples time. I am having an mri soon and every time i feel a bit better i panic becuse being better would mean the appointment was a waste. Almost praying i am still ill for the appointment so I dont look silly. Which is mad. The anxiety is real. Thanks for a much needed video.

[@ellieval206]

I'm so freakin early for this

[@sams1982]

6:49 I don’t see any timestamps?

[@fortywolves]

I deal with this kind of self talk a lot. But even when I DID have status migrainous, I still didn't feel valid. It wasn't a severe enough migraine to render me unable to leave the house, most of the time, and it was 100% invisible to others - so I just felt desperately alone. Very few people know how to react when you disclose, even reluctantly after a great many questions, that you never stop having a migraine. Like, a real migraine? - they say. Yes, like a real migraine. It's hard to deal with how bright it is, or loud, and my vision is full of little speckles of light so it's pretty darn real yeah. Then, the migraines got better, and through extensive scientific research that I, naturally, had to put together on my own cause doctors stop caring about the cause the minute you hit 'migraine' territory, I understood my diagnosis. In fact, it was a diagnosis I had pursued a decade earlier and been told wasn't 'bad enough' to be causing 'all that pain'. Each imaging I received pegged my chiari malformation at a stubborn 3mm, no compression, nope can't be causing my back pain or anything. The sweaty, shaky, nauseous dizzy spells I had also stubbornly couldn't be diagnosed. At one point, I had my glucose constantly measured for an entire day to try to understand why I was so weirdly 'hypoglycemic' despite having normal blood sugar. Years later, years and years, I had yet another MRI due to my intractable constant migraine. They casually disclosed, hidden in the notes they don't print out for you but you have to dig 3 directories deep in the your own health records online to find, that I have a clearly defined Chiari Malformation of 7mm, with minor compression. Oh. Oh do I? How effing weird, never could've guessed, certainly didn't have a half dozen frustrating conversations with doctors until I gave up pursuing that exact diagnosis cause it so unerringly fit my symptoms. LOVELY, THANKS DOC. I brought it up at my next neuro appt, because you see Chiari Malformation can cause dysautonomia, because basically the brain stem and cerebellar tonsils (the two parts of the brain most intimately involved with the autonomic system) are mutually compressing each other. You know what's weird about dysautonomia? Besides sweating, cold spots on your skin, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and shaking - besides all that, it also CAUSES MIGRAINES. INTRACTABLE MIGRAINES ARE A SYMPTOM OF UNCONTROLLED DYSAUTONOMIA. AAAAAAAAHHHH! So yeah, spent 9 mos with a 24/7 migraine, the migraine got better on it's own without the aid of any of the many treatments they tried on me to no success, and in the end when I went to THEM with the entirety of my life's struggle neatly tied up with a little diagnostic bow the only response I got was "oh". Just "oh". Not like the migraine meds made me drop 10% of my body weight and develop bizarre hallucinations or anything. Not like I hadn't asked if maybe it could be chiari at multiple points. So, when my brain says "is it bad enough to get brain surgery, living within a constant maelstrom of vertigo, nausea, tremors and sweat?" I have the perfect reply of "well, it wouldn't matter anyway if it wasn't, so might as well bite, claw, scratch and scream to get anything you can cause whether you 'need' it is absolutely not part of the equation for THEM. It wouldn't matter anyway."

[@DebiG1057]

I was concerned with my frequent falls. I went to a neurologist who knows my family history. It turns out I have motor neuron disease. Nice to know I'm dying before I could get ready.

[@victoriab8186]

Have just realised that 8 years on, I am still dealing with symptoms that were bad enough as a teenager to go to the GP for, but which they told me would ‘probably get better after puberty’. One rare, one not so rare, one might have got better but it’s sure not solved, and the other has if anything got worse. The one that’s got better (as in, I am only periodically symptomatic and it’s much less common nowadays) is still something that when I am having symptoms could potentially put me in hospital should I not be able to deal with it quickly. Thankfully, I generally can deal with it. But I still have no diagnosis, because - it’ll probably go away at some point? Looking back at my medical notes from the time, though I know we had a detailed conversation, the only thing recorded was a code for a very common, very generalised symptom, with no typed notes, so I don’t even have a record of being told it would probably clear up. But it feels like a waste of time to go to another GP about it, because I can deal with it, I know what it is (if not exactly what causes it) and I know the GP probably won’t be able to give me any further information. Plus, appointments are hard to get. So I’ll probably wait another decade and see whether it’s cleared up by then

[@victoriab8186]

Like I realise I sound exaggerated, but realistically that’s more likely to happen than me actually making an appointment any time soon, and the same argument could be made of pretty much any point in time, so… yeah

[@brigittaalbares3417]

FINE. I’ll figure out how to find a physical therapist or something to help me prevent my neck/spine/shoulder/hip/knee pain better and maybe get a better diagnosis figured out than my current “it’s okay, I’m just put together slightly wrong.” I’ve just always figured they won’t be able to really tell me much or do anything because I’m not going to have anything specifically diagnosable besides flat arches and bunions.

[@MossyBear]

Ugh... Yeah. Thank you for this, I'm really struggling after getting COVID twice, which gave me some new shit symptoms. I've been medically gaslit so often that even seeing my PCP provokes so much anxiety

[@jennifers5560]

JESSICA!! Please listen to your own advice and get that face nerve numbness checked out.

[@rebeccabartley5061]

I love watching your vids, they really are informative and fun. Next time would you mind talking a little slower tho? I have no issue with your speech, I just can't keep up! LOL 😂 😂 🥰🥰🥰

[@scaredyfish]

I constantly wonder if I really have ADHD, particularly because there is a large contingent of doctors who believe it’s over diagnosed. I was largely dismissed because I was mostly functioning, with a full time job. Of course I got a second opinion, and got a diagnosis, but I had to go to an online psychiatrist, and I worry he might have been a bit too accommodating. I feel like I may not fit 100% into the diagnosis, because I have a ‘primarily inattentive’ presentation, and almost completely lack the impulsive traits. So not so much primarily as entirely inattentive.

[@Speilbilde]

Honestly, going and being told it is or isn't something is scarier than just living with it. I prefer to keep the cat in the box. ✌️

[@katwitanruna]

Oh you’re not in bed screaming because of that monthly pain you’ve been having for years? You don’t really hurt. 🤯

[@isadoracostahamsi163]

0:20 madam, I just got here why such a targeted attack?

[@MyrnaBarton]

I live in the US and healthcare here has always been terrible. I've been treated for a life- threatening abscess on my face. often it's not easy to place what's really wrong or what's going on. And unless there's health insurance to fall back on it's always an uphill battle to place what needs to be done to get better. And after listening to doctors who do care my main complaint is that hospitals are intented to treat major problems but not to prevent major problems. And yes! Capitalism is to blame for that. I agree it's worse for women and people of color. Especially trans people.

[@fdd8747]

I know it's unrelated but I love the bangs

[@DoktorDry]

You'll probably be sick forever. The money for covid research ran out a long time ago, and we'll probably wait a few more decades until they decide to study the effects of a rushed vaccine just for funsies.

[@calciumstealer2448]

Just got more blood tests back, apparently everything is clear but I'm vomiting every other day and feel nauseous 24/7 🫠 this video couldn't have come at a better time

[@Alejandrapark97]

After my last horrible visit to the psychiatrist I prepared a ducking essay on why I suspect having audhd, I was treated like I was less than a human for even think I could have one of both and I'm just probably just depressed 🫠

[@Moraca101]

For autism, you really gotta unmask, which is rough. I consider myself an honorary autistic because I cant get a diagnosis due to... the legal consequences in my situation. I had a now diagnosed friend ask me where I went to get my diagnosis. And then later was being like "hello other diagnosed friend, isnt this funny that they thought I was diagnosed?" And that friend responded with "you didnt know?!?" Apparently what tipped them off was how I keep my music. I dont like ads and dont have money to get rid of them on apps, and I like having the lyrics scroll as I jam out. So I screen record them. My playlists are camera app albums. It started as a "fuck this shit" thing and became "this is how it must be done" I could just download the music and google the lyrics, but no, I must devise the perfect method of screen recording with lil transitions and everything.

[@cwgl418]

My doctor always never diagnosed me and only said: “U have symptoms of Autism, Social Anxiety, OCD, and depression” or “Oh well, depression happens to a lot of ppl this season” and mostly brushed it off. I liked his personality, but I'm glad I'm going to a diff and bigger hospital so I can finally get diagnosed❤️‍🩹

[@buffienguyen]

Damn Jessica you really hit a bunch of us straight on with that title huh 🥲 i had a physical reaction to the beginning section where "evil"(?) Jessica said stuff that my brain said to me frequently. i am slowly getting diagnosed for my various things so the anxiety has lessen, but i do wonder how i would perceive myself if my symptoms would never fit into any diagnoses (like a lot of folks').