Anyone who knows me quickly realizes that being born during the final weeks of the month of June puts me in the center of being a true to life Cancer. Forget the typical description of being creative, compassionate and filled with joy…Cancers are dominated from birth with the horrible disease of fear. We worry so much warts grow on top of warts making us freakishly cool worry wart warts.
Growing up I was constantly accused of being hypo. As in a hypochondriac.
Hypochondria isn’t a person that fears failure, Mom always worried about making ends meet but that didn’t make her a hypochondriac. What about the fear of bugs and thugs, elevators, trains and the fear of meeting people? Nope!
Hypochondria; the fear one has with their health.
A sniff, sneeze or wheezing invites the invasion of horrid nightmares that something far worse is developing in places you can’t see. Like the price of gas…it’s on the increase. A hypochondrium is beginning to run ramped due to the internet with its instant access to free answers without professional guidance.
Swine Flu, Bird Flu, heart attack, cancer, pneumonia and Parkinson’s disease websites are hit by the thousands daily from average people wanting to know what the sharp pain is in the center of their back. Google it sometime, you’ll spend a week reading about how grandmother’s and uncles that ignored it were knocked off the planet for doing so.
Two weeks ago my cardiologist felt a burning need to sit down in front of me and laugh, “Yes your body is talking to you but you’re ignoring the message.”
Yes there was something seriously wrong but it didn’t involve his department. It’s no hidden fact; my life is constantly on the run. If I’m not moving the imagination is generating ideas that’ll create new waves to ride. The moment something begins to slow; instantly I’m at the doctor begging for tests. Hypochondriac…
And then without notice, a stumble into a chiropractors office who just happened to have a sliver of time open asks, “Since you’re here…need a pop?” Scoliosis. I hadn’t heard that word since the seventh grade when they had us bent over touching our toes in the nurses office. Instantly I flew onto the web where it boldly states it injures the heart and production of the lungs. No wonder I’ve been short of breath!
To the normal person…forget about it. To a hypochondriac? Reason number SCOLIO76213 to lay awake at night trying to figure out how you were going to straighten that backbone out. My new best friend is the chiropractor who quickly came clean with me, “This isn’t the reason why you’re having problems breathing.”
Holy lungs with no air Batman!
Sadly when a hypochondriac doesn’t locate answers they’re driven faster toward the edge of insanity; which only creates stress. Another body beating machine that leaves you murky muddy and out of control. Two doctors down and still no sign of relief. The voices in my head couldn’t be wrong! I couldn’t easily give up!
Another call, another doctor…except this time I was taking all the medication with me. Glad I did…after three weeks of unhealthy fear a trickle of hope has risen from the tattered and torn mindset of a hypochondriac on a mission to save his world. Turns out this pill was cancelling out that pill and this itty bitty thingy was melting my muscles to thin shreds of nothingness. The combination of lifesavers assumed to be correcting what I assumed was wrong was in fact taking a toll on my desire to never stop.
I carry a black bag with me everywhere I go filled with every over the counter drug that could, would or might be of importance at any given moment of the day. For someone who wants to be healthy that’s the first step of creating an extremely dangerous unhealthy situation.
The doctors claim I have asthma which is eased into a state of acceptance with prescription inhalers. Not if you’re on beta blockers. For three weeks I’ve been having nonstop asthma attacks and the medications prescribed were canceling each other out completely whacking out the system that keeps me standing up straight. I’ve lost 17 pounds in three weeks. Being a hypochondriac did two things; it kept me on the path to locate peace while destroying the trees and other pretty things because I fear being sick everyday.
Hidden message; your doctor needs to know everything you’re taking. Assuming you know could lead to the final step in the book of you. There are too many over the counter drugs available for relief but not a cure. Meth heads did this nation one great thing; it’s forced pharmacists to keep a closer eye on the really dangerous stuff that’s easily sold to anybody with cash.
What this cold and flu pill does for you might not match the ingredients of the high blood pressure pill that’s saving your life. Makes me wonder how many other people are shooting blanks. It’s like swimming in a 400 foot deep mountain lake with no lifeguard. How willing are you to swim out to the center and get back? You do it everyday with these easy to take meds perfectly designed to free you of a sniff, grunt and ohhhhh.
Get off the web and start asking real questions to real doctors. 100 people are born on the same day you are. Only 2 make it to 50. What’s your safety net?
I will always believe in you first…
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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