For the last few months I've seen up to now 5 doctors, (3 GP and 1 GE and 1 PN). It started around june with a fever after taking a stomache anti-parasite medication, followed by some vomiting, followed by constipation, and then it stopped for a week, and then back pains started, difficulty breathing, more constipation, severe heart burn. I quit smoking, after 7 years smoking a pack a day, 13 days ago, and since then I've coughed up some flems with blood... but my blood tests, x rays, and hopefully my spirometer say that I don't have cancer or COPD... for some reason ulcers have been ruled out, the only thing I have been diagnosed with is type 1 obesity, colitis and gastritis, and apparently a depresive anxiety disorder. My meds aren't really helping, and I've run out of money for now so I can't go switch docs again. I don't feel terrible, but I'm a long ways from feeling good. COPD hasn't been totally ruled out, my spirometer test will determine that. I'm desperate, I need some support of some kind, and this is my last resort. I usually take more time to write things but I'm just writing it as it flows, a good number of people have abandoned me in these times, and I'm scared. I'd post longer, but I am at work atm and can't stay on for more than a few mins.

Sounds like you're a crazy fatty and doctors are throwing things at you hoping they will stick. Don't drink the water.

...really dude? Learn when to shut the **** up.

Umm... he's clearly histrionic. He smoked a pack a day for seven years? He started out smoking by smoking a pack a day. Believable. He sounds like every hypochondriac ever. "All of these things are ruining my life but I can't take the time to explain them. I'm at work and can't stay online." If you are gravely sick, you're not posting to an obscure internet forum and throwing out buzzwords in the (apparently) two minutes you have to sneak online at work. If you are, your priorities are severely ****ed.

I don't care if Gold is in America or some ****ty hospice in Mexico city, this behavior is simply attention seeking.

I can get you guys a good deal on a vacation to Mexico.

Needing to frequently change doctors is also a sign of this. Not that I'm necessarily agreeing with you.

I'll take it.

does anyone else see a thinly veiled request for money in this?

Dammit Gold, I'm a Reverend Jones, not a doctor!

(Long and opinionated post therefore elided.)

So, I just give you vibes.

Nobody's perfect.



Hope you can get to the bottom of this, Gold.

You know, I don't really know what it is, because I don't really think I can figure someone out from some ****ing forum posts. The amount of armchair clairvoyance here is astounding. You're not that ****ing perceptive.

"Hey, this guy said dumb things a few years ago on an internet gaming forum, now I'm going to just assume he's some kind of attention whore not deserving of human empathy."

Jesus **** find a new ****ing hobby. If this is all some stupid ruse, who cares? Who gains anything out of your stupid posts? It serves no purpose other than for you to laugh at someone else. YOUR priorities are ****ed.

Emon you're an alright person, but coming back once a quarter just to lambaste someone for their behavior isn't as constructive as you think it is.

Gold, assuming your post is genuine, which I wouldn't have thought to doubt if not for some of the responses (and still have no legitimate reason to), best wishes. I can't think of anything substantive to say that might help you. Generally, being as positive as possible and knowing that you are your own best asset is good advice but when faced with health concerns those things only go so far. I'm always available to anyone in the PM or email (username at gmail).

You really gotta do this on a daily basis to be effective, am i right?

Not giving a **** can go a long way toward reducing anxiety. You're mortal. At best, you have 50 more years. At worst, you're dead before you take your next breath. You've already had 25 years on this rock which is more than a lot of people got. Scrambling for more time doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

Pro Freelancer Crank-Hermit Tips Vol. 6924

Also, try to quit smoking (you can still use a nicotine patch)--as many times as needed. Don't be ashamed if you relapse, since nicotine is one of the most addicting substances. OTOH, going cold turkey won't kill you like it can in the case of other addictions like alcohol addiction.

Hello people, first of all, I want to thank everyone for their support and advice.

I've calmed down quite a bunch since making that post, where I think I was at my peak of anxiety. I didn't have anxiety issues like these before I started getting sick back in June and realized that my doctors didn't have a clue as to what I have and how to treat me, evidenced by completely ineffective treatments. Currently, my treatment seems to only manage my colitis and gastritis, and my anxiety (my GE wants me to see a Psychiatrist). Today is day 15 since I quit smoking, and I'm now having smoking dreams (last night I smoked a pack in my dreams). It seems like the spikes in my heart rate are going away, perhaps initially a side effect of quitting cold turkey, which is good. I start exercising on Monday, just 30 mins walks, and will start jogging a week after that, including other exercises every week. I'm gonna wait two weeks for my spirometer test, so that I can afford it and also so that I don't get any weird readings in the test. I'm quite sure my lungs will have a noticeable difference in function from when I was smoking 15 days ago, to two weeks from now.

I wish there was more to add but that is about it. This post was probably amazingly dull, I really feel uninspired these days, but I felt that it was appropriate to make an update, and let everyone know that it looks like everything is getting better.

Again, thank you for your support.

Relax, guy!

I'll mention that stress can do terrible things to the body. Even perfectly healthy people can be sent into a downward spiral if they allow stress to affect their health, leading to more stress, leading to worse health, ad infinitum.

In the beginning, please go easy on the exercise. Even the healthiest people experience a slight dip in health before their body has a chance to build itself up again, and it doesn't sound like that's what you need. More to the point, there have also been out of shape people who've killed themselves by doing too much too soon. If you are overweight, you are already exerting yourself just by moving around. Don't give yourself a heart attack by embarking on some gung-ho regimen--just moving around and going for daily walks, preferably in a relaxing setting like nature, and sleeping well can put you in a much better place. When I was in the hospital, just going for a walk around the perimeter of the balcony was all that I could handle, but I'm certain that doing this rather than staying immobile in bed made my recovery faster.

And don't be down on yourself for craving nicotine. I imagine it will be a while before you'll be satisfied without it. If you succumb to this craving, please get the nicotine without smoking.

And yeah, a lot of doctors won't be able to help you, beyond recommending a healthier lifestyle. Be wary of throwing treatments at something that will improve over time given the right adjustments to your life. I'd say that the doctor is more important for ruling out things like cancer by doing tests.

"Type 1 obesity" is doctor for "obese because he eats too much" so I'm pretty sure they've all had some idea of what your problem is.

Good to hear you're doing something about it, and I'm guessing the rest of your problems will start clearing up as you lose weight too because everything you've mentioned is comorbid with obesity. So, good luck!

Hey, man, hope you feel better soon! I know anxiety can make things a lot worse. Try prioritizing taking extra care to yourself, physically and mentally, for a while. Also, webMD does recommend high dosage of over the counter Massassi Vibes(tm).

There are types of obesity?

Yes. You know all of those people who claim they're overweight because they have a endocrine disorder? About 1% of those people are telling the truth.

Your comment amused me, but a visit to Wiki showed there are many 'classes' of Obesity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity

There's 3 classes (class I, II, III) and the 3rd class is sub-divided into: severe, morbid, and super. I would have never guessed that 'super' would be the most obese.

Is super the last one before they collapse into a singularity?

aka ham-planet