Diseases that have now become trendy

[Balog]

The fear is the kid eating the peanutbutter sandwich will get some on their shirt/hands/face/hair/etc and inadvertently expose the special child to peanuts. 

When I was a kid, peanut allergies were non-existant, I still think they still are in reality.

They may be uncommon, but they are generally among the most severe of the food allergies along with shellfish. There are people who legitmately get extremely sick from any contact with peanuts. Granted it's over hyped and diagnosed, but it does happen.

[Tallpine]

My mother was/is big on the chemical sensitivity thing. Had a great job with the VA (retained her former rank) and after a year, got out on medical. Reason? Allergic to toner cartridges in printers/copiers. Yep. How f'ed up is that? Also claims allergies to formaldahyde (sp), car exhaust, all soaps and detergents, most foods, most medications, household cleaners, and pretty much anything else you can conceive. Oh, and let's not forget me. Allergic to me as well and has been since I was a kid. It used to amuse me to give her a rash.

I have zero patience with those who fabricate or exagerate illnesses or health issues of any kind. If you have a health issue, get treatment or shut the hell up about it.

I know someone who genuinely has that problem, and I had similar issues back about 20 years ago when my asthma was out of control.

The "treatment" is to avoid contact with the offending substances.

[lupinus]

Oh, and let's not forget me. Allergic to me as well and has been since I was a kid. It used to amuse me to give her a rash.

Must have made for a fun time in the delivery room

[BlueStarLizzard]

What, no mention of ADD/ADHD?

Because docters have mostly stopped handing out Adderall like candy.

[RaspberrySurprise]

My mother was/is big on the chemical sensitivity thing. Had a great job with the VA (retained her former rank) and after a year, got out on medical. Reason? Allergic to toner cartridges in printers/copiers. Yep. How f'ed up is that? Also claims allergies to formaldehyde , car exhaust, all soaps and detergents, most foods, most medications, household cleaners, and pretty much anything else you can conceive. Oh, and let's not forget me. Allergic to me as well and has been since I was a kid. It used to amuse me to give her a rash.

I have zero patience with those who fabricate or exaggerate illnesses or health issues of any kind. If you have a health issue, get treatment or shut the hell up about it.

Isn't that like being allergic to arsenic?

[Monkeyleg]

Isn't that like being allergic to arsenic?

Maybe it's more like being allergic to being pickled.

[cordex]

HA!

The bits on asperger's and sociopathy made me think of APS.

[Tallpine]

Isn't that like being allergic to arsenic?

But "allergic" it levels that would not bother most of us.

One of my daughters, for instance - is extremely allergic to chlorine, to the point where she cannot go to an indoor swimming pool or even be in a room where bleach has been used for cleaning.  She is extremely capable and driven (she trains search dogs for one thing) but she struggles with health issues that pull her down.

[lee n. field]

Seems about right, now that being a victim is somehow an elevated social status.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-real-diseases-that-have-somehow-become-trendy/?wa_user1=5&wa_user2=Weird+World&wa_user3=blog&wa_user4=moreon

Chemical sensitivity.  Ay-yup.

La Esposa has had "food allergies" ever since she put herself on some odd diet to attempt to self treat arthritis.  Someone told her "better not eat too much X or you'll get allergic to it."  One thing after another.  These all went away in the mid-nineties when she went on her meds that make the voices stay away.

Curious how that worked.

[MillCreek]

Chemical sensitivity.  Ay-yup.

La Esposa has had "food allergies" ever since she put herself on some odd diet to attempt to self treat arthritis.  Someone told her "better not eat too much X or you'll get allergic to it."  One thing after another.  These all went away in the mid-nineties when she went on her meds that make the voices stay away.

Curious how that worked.

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation, but you still have to wonder, don't you?

[grampster]

An acquaintance of mine, Matt, doesn't have any arms or legs.  So he mostly just lays around.

[MillCreek]

An acquaintance of mine, Matt, doesn't have any arms or legs.  So he mostly just lays around.

Reminds me of asking the patient if she was sexually active: She said 'No, I pretty much just lie there.'.

[Strings]

>I didn't get diagnosed with the crazies until the Marines<

Which pretty much guarantees a diagnosis of crazies... 

[Pharmacology]

A lot of people misuse the term allergy, as it were.

Get sick to your stomach every time you take a med?
That's an adverse event, not an allergy.

[zxcvbob]

"Eww, I don't like Lima beans; I'm allergic"   

[Monkeyleg]

Reminds me of asking the patient if she was sexually active: She said 'No, I pretty much just lie there.'.

That reminds me of a joke in one of Woody Allen's routines that got him sued by his ex. She'd been raped sometime after their divorce. Before an audience, he said, "knowing my ex-wife, it wasn't a moving violation."

[BridgeRunner]

Bipolar is awful. An on-and-off good friend has it, three guesses why it's an on-and-off friendship. Chick can drive just about anyone completely insane with her delightful combination of being totally blind to reality and being competely self-focused.

Fibromyalgia, my sister has it. I have no doubt that it's legit, for all kinds of reasons. But she is also the only one of four kids who hasn't been treated for mental illness resulting from crappy genes and a seriously messed up childhood.  Like emotional pain, psychosomatic pain is real pain. But I suspect she might have less of it if she saw a good shrink.

As for the whole "treat it or shut up" paradigm, my concern is that there aren't many serious health conditions that are really curable.  I'm painfully aware that a couple times I've moaned/whined/rambled incessantly about health issues. Doesn't mean they don't exist or that I'm not seeking treatment for them, just means when something is really worrying or bothering me, I am prone to bitching about it, sometimes more than I should.

[RoadKingLarry]

So far I've been fairly lucky, all my ailments have been physical and more or less fixable

Blew out my shoulder a couple years ago, tendons aren't suppose to be all frayed out looking


They fixed it pretty good



Now my wife on the other hand, some days I think she is just bug *expletive deleted*it crazy.

[RoadKingLarry]

And just for the WTF? and Ewww factor


http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/08/31/placenta-its-whats-for-dinner/?test=faces

[Scout26]

^^^Why I don't eat portobello mushrooms.....

[AmbulanceDriver]

OOOh

Time for AD's Disease Rant of the Day^TM.


Fibromyalgia:  Those that truly suffer from it (about 1% of those who claim to suffer from it) I truly feel sorry for.  It's all kinds of levels of suck.  But about 99% of the time, you claim to have "fiboalgea", you get tossed into the "Drug Seeker" bucket.  Had an aunt who self-diagnosed (because her doctor's just "couldn't figure out what was wrong") with fibromyalgia.  In reality, she just wanted narcotics, because she was also "allergic" to basically all non-narcotic pain meds.  Hell, she's in FL now, I don't need to worry about her anymore. 

Peanut Allergies:  Have a gal in our dispatch center who claims to have a peanut allergy.  The other day, I walked in with a Payday bar or something like that, she freaked out.  I ask her what's the deal, she claims she's deathly allergic to peanuts.  I apologize, take it back out to the lunch room.  Later, the topic comes back up and I ask her if she has ever had to use her Epi-pen. 

*blank stare* "What's an Epi-pen?"

Me:  "I though you said you were deathly allergic to peanuts?"

"I am!"

"Then why don't you have an Epi-pen?  Or even know what it is?  You know, the epinephrine auto-injector that you have to use if you're exposed to peanuts, since you're 'Deathly Allergic'."

*blank stare*......

"Tell you what... Why don't you tell me what your reaction is if you're exposed to peanuts?"

"Well, I get this really bad rash if I touch them, and get really nauseous if I eat any..."

*facepalm*

The next day I brought in another Payday bar....  And handed her a small bottle of calamine lotion, "Just in case a random peanut flies off and hits you, wouldn't want to trigger your 'DEATH RASH!' "

Yeah, I got in trouble, but it was worth it.

[brimic]

"Well, I get this really bad rash if I touch them, and get really nauseous if I eat any..."

Hmm. I get 1/2 off those reactions when exposed to cauliflower/Broccoli. Imust be allergic!

[BlueStarLizzard]

Bridgy, I think the point here is hypocondria is now fashoniable, which makes a lot of sense in our current society.


People have figured out the claiming "i have a DESEASE!" gets them away with a whole slew of behaviors that would otherwise be unacceptable.
Unfortunatly, this puts the burden on those who actually do have these problems, because in many cases its damn hard to tell the truth (especially the mental ones)

it bugs me. I'm very close with my boss, who has lupus (which is thankfully in remission at the moment due to the fact that through some mircle she got pregnent when NO ONE thought that was possible)
I watch katie stubbornly work even though she is in a lot of pain, because she doesn't want to be an invalid. And it pisses me the hell off when someone else, who doesn't even have a problem whines about not being able to do something.

ad the only time we were ever asked to cater to her desease was when her mom made everyone get flue shots (and louise paid for them) which is entirely fair given how closely we work together and one person has a weakened immune system.

[MrsSmith]

As for the whole "treat it or shut up" paradigm, my concern is that there aren't many serious health conditions that are really curable.  I'm painfully aware that a couple times I've moaned/whined/rambled incessantly about health issues. Doesn't mean they don't exist or that I'm not seeking treatment for them, just means when something is really worrying or bothering me, I am prone to bitching about it, sometimes more than I should.

Bad choice of words on my part. I bitch too when something's bothering me. What really bugs me is the person who lays around and whines but does nothing about it. Or when it's used as an excuse for not leading a productive life.

And this:

People have figured out the claiming "i have a DESEASE!" gets them away with a whole slew of behaviors that would otherwise be unacceptable.

[MechAg94]

Now my wife on the other hand, some days I think she is just bug *expletive deleted* crazy.

I thought that was just normal for women?