“Sausage Fingers”: 40 Symptoms People Realized Weren’t Just Weird Quirks
Interview With Expert
According to the CDC, over 20% of adults in the United States live with chronic pain. And while many try their best to ignore pain to avoid trips to the doctor or to simply accept that it’s never going away, it’s probably wise for us to listen when our bodies are trying to tell us something.
Redditors have recently been sharing about the interesting quirks they had that actually turned out to be mental or physical health issues. From being burdened with annoying headaches to believing that they could see the future, enjoy scrolling through these responses, and keep reading to find conversations with the person who started this thread and Dr. Shahina Braganza!
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Nearly every period, I would get a terrible pain in my backside, like a stabbing pain which would make me stop wherever I was. I also had a twisting back pain on the left side of my back. The doctors dismissed it as "periods are painful" and "there's a wide range of normal". Finally had an MRI in my 30s and I have Stage IV endometriosis with deep infiltrating lesions. Adhesions had stuck my bowel to my uterus and also strangled my left ureter so that my kidney couldn't drain properly and was swollen. On the mental health side, I got so used to feeling like I was a hypochondriac with a low pain threshold that, to this day, I automatically assumed I'm being melodramatic when I'm ill.
I could hear my eyeballs move in my head, it sounded like light sand paper. I could also hear other body noises, such as digestion and my heart bea. I was medicated for decades due to my " hallucinations."
Turns out I had a little hole in my skull between my inner ear and my brain. It caused a "third window" that amplified my internal body noises. After surgery, I no longer hear my eyes move, and I'm no longer on medication.
I hate how when some doctors don't know where to look further they just turn to mental health issues. It's horrible for people actually suffering from mental health problems just as much as for those who get told "it's all in their head"- (irrespective of the fact that it actually WAS in OP's head - just physical not mental :D)
Constantly got yelled at by teachers for not listening and got spanked at home for it. Everyone thought I just didn't care or that I was stupid. One day, a doctor decides I need a hearing test, and it turns out there is a bunch of fluid built up in my ears, and without tubes, I'd be completely deaf.
The only person who apologized to me was my mom, and that took 15 years.
To find out how this thread started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user u/minbye, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about what inspired them to start this conversation. "I myself have a few health issues that influence my day to day life, so I think about them a lot," the OP shared.
"For one, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety three years ago. Now I’m on medication and going to therapy to work through my problems," minbye continued. "Even though I’ve been in therapy for so long, I still learn a lot of new things. And the topic of my thoughts, feelings and reactions being just symptoms, and not actually me or my 'quirks,' is a big one in my life."
As a kid I wanted to be carried everywhere (like piggyback rides, etc) for way too long. Like I was an almost 5’ tall 8 year old asking to be carried on vacation. My feet hurt after walking more than like, two blocks. My mom took me to a podiatrist to prove there was nothing wrong with me and it turns out I had severe fallen arches and plantar fasciitis and needed corrective insoles to fix my gait. She took me for ice cream after that appointment.
My small daughter always had breath that smelled of sweets. So yeah, I always thought- ah she's sweet inside and out! Nope, she had type 1 diabetes. I'll kick myself forever over that one.
Diabetes is really scary, someone I’m very close with had it. One day they got really pale and just passed out.
"I found out that it’s very important to understand the difference [between quirks and symptoms] in order to be successful in battling the problem," the OP continued. "So as I was trying to fall asleep, I was just reflecting on my day and thinking about this when I thought that it might be interesting to hear what others have to say about this. I honestly didn’t think I would get so many answers."
Growing up, when I got my first period at 15/16 they were extremely painful to the point I would pass out and couldn't walk properly. My dad refused to talk about periods and my mum and sister said I was exaggerating and that I was making it up so I figured it must just be me. Fast forward to today and five GPs later who didn't take it seriously, turns out I have endometriosis.
My inability to focus in school on subjects I didn’t care for, chronic lateness, poor impulse control… ADD, of course. Unfortunately, no one considered that possibility when I was young, because supposedly “only boys had that.” 😐
We also asked minbye why they believe so many of us assume our health problems are actually just quirks. "We often normalize the things we live with — being scared to talk on the phone, not having the energy to get out of bed, regular migraines or even lack of appetite," they noted.
"I often see posts where people share their stories saying, 'don’t we all?' about the things that they do or feel, and learning that they are not actually a universal experience," the OP continued. "As Dostoyevsky said, 'Man grows used to everything, the scoundrel.' For that reason, I find it almost impossible to understand that something’s wrong even if it’s obvious, as long as it’s not a sudden change."
Growing up my mom's side of the family always claimed the women were special and like witches. We could see ghosts, hear their voices, etc. I have so many stories of seeing ghosts, or watching things move that shouldn't have. I hear a lot of random voices, once someone whispered in my ear "can you hear me?" When I was alone. Turns out we're all either bipolar (me, with added depression for fun!) Or schizophrenic. The ghosts are more fun though.
Currently considering the possibility that I'm bipolar now. My uncle had it and I've seen my fair share of ghosts so that's fun.
I thought I had just a bunch of bad habits—I could never stop rolling my eyes or making weird throat noises no matter how much I tried. Tourette’s, ladies and gentlemen. It got a lot worse once I got to college and was under more stress.
"Reading the answers to the question was actually a great experience — seeing the stories of people changing their lives after finding out what’s wrong, sharing their experiences with each other and realizing they’re not the only ones," the OP shared.
"I still think about many of the answers, but the one that really stands out for me is the comment by u/lemonlemoncherry. They told about how they would always have irregular periods and didn’t think much of it. Turned out they had a brain tumor," minbye noted. "Thankfully, it was benign and shrunk with medication, so they’re fine now."
I would let all my friends feel “the ball in my boob” in high school. One day I told my mom - she immediately called the doctor. Fast forward the next month and I had surgery to remove a tumor. It ended up being benign.
Rehearsing conversations and their potential branches before speaking to someone, being obsessed with textures and touch, *needing* to shave every hair from the neck down. Otherwise, I could feel them being moved and compressed by my clothes.. oh, and using quotes and references in 90% of my conversations. Turns out they're not 'quirks', and coupled with my 'issues,' they make me rather autistic. I wish I knew 20 years ago!
The OP also says that they'll be more willing to book doctor's appointments after reading through all of the experiences on this list. "I was always quite anxious about my health, but now I can’t stop thinking about tumors and stomach problems," they told Bored Panda.
"I’m genuinely glad I posted that question," minbye added. "I learned a lot myself, and I watched people share important information with each other in the comments, so I really hope it helped someone."
Repeating words in my head since I was a child. Then one day I went to the ER and I was extremely anxious and the doctor gave me an anti-anxiety pill and I noticed that ended the repetitive thought and words.
I thought I could see the future. In fact have bipolar 1 with psychosis.
That’s how a genuine prophet would get diagnosed — a trope of SF (say, Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys or Linda Hamilton in Terminator).
We also were lucky enough to get in touch with Senior Emergency Physician Dr. Shahina Braganza to hear her thoughts on this topic. She shared a few odd quirks that can sometimes mean medical issues are present.
"For example, extreme flexibility or hyper mobile joints [can be] part of a connective tissue disorder (e.g. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) or episodes of odd behavior (e.g. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy that manifests not as jerky limb movements but affects a part of the brain related to memory and emotion)," Dr. Shahina explained. "Or beige cafe au lait skin spots, which can be related to a condition called neurofibromatosis."
I didn’t like eating as a very young kid. I was underweight and anemic.
Turns out my tonsils were huuuuuge and once they got removed, I could eat!
I had the same problem. I was 9 when I got my tonsils and adenoids out. Not only could I now eat, I stayed in school instead of being sick in bed every two weeks.
I was always annoyed at the other kids my age because they were so childish. And I always got praise from my teachers for my problem solving skills and they all used to say the same thing: that I was "thinking outside the box". It was such a weird concept for me to receive praise for something that just seems like an obvious solution to a problem, and people reacted as if I was some kind of genius, I just couldn't fathom that other people would miss the details that were obvious to me.
This, coupled with not picking up on social cues, hardly ever showing body language or facial expressions, monotone voice, staring a lot, more advanced vocabulary than my peers, not understanding sarcasm, analyzing jokes to death because sometimes jokes aren't logical and people found me annoying for doing this, treating plushies as if they had actual feelings, preferring to play with pets rather than other kids, reading non-fiction during the morning readings when all the other kids read like mystery books, severely disliking certain fabrics and textures, being hypersensitive to noises and light....
I'm surprised that people don't usually notice that I'm autistic.
"These quirks can be interesting on their own, but if they are connected to a diagnosis, they can be related to other concerns," the doctor continued. "For example, people with connective tissue disorders can be prone to organ or blood vessel abnormalities. Because each human body is so wonderfully unique, there are no real trademark signs."
When I was about 13/14 I used to complain about stomach aches and sore throats A LOT. My parents thought I was faking it to stay home from school and the doctors blamed everything on anxiety/periods.
Turns out I have a hiatal hernia. My stomach acid was leaking into my throat when I was lying down at night and was starting to damage my oesophagus.
Sometimes if I was really tired or jetlagged I'd wake up and for a few seconds the room would look larger than it actually was or I wouldn't recognise things that were totally familiar even know I knew they were things I'd seen before (jamais-vu, reverse Deja vu). Turns out I had epilepsy without realising for years. I later developed other types of seizures.
Jamais-vu teach you a lot about how your brain can lie to you. You KNOW you can't have seen those things before, but you FEEL so sure, you'd bet a 6-month-salary on it. So much for all the people running around saying they know something is true because they are SO SURE of it. Brain, chemistry, darling.
While it may not always be necessary to take a trip to your doctor, Dr. Shahina does believe it's important to get curious about your body. "The 'something different' may just be part of your make-up and you may otherwise feel great, or you may also notice other features or changes e.g. energy levels, tendency to bruise or bleed more easily, or change in your mood. Definitely seek professional advice if you are concerned," she explained.
I had headaches for several years. I was basically told it was nothing. Nope, baseball sized brain tumor.
Needing constant naps. I was already on a stimulant for my ADHD but my body demanded that I nap for two hours just four hours after I woke up in the morning (after receiving a full ten hours). Turns out I’m narcoleptic!
Dr. Shahina also noted that it may be useful to look for patterns or trends once you notice a quirk. "Are you more tired than you used to be? Is it getting worse? And as for the quirk itself, e.g. if it’s a lump or a skin lesion, is it changing in appearance, is it getting bigger in size, is it getting painful?" she asks. "How your quirk is behaving over a period of time is vitally useful information to share with your doctor to help them work out how concerned we need to be, what tests to conduct, and how closely to monitor the person."
My ability to exercise was suffering. Even a couple of warm up sets would make me so queasy I'd feel like I could puke. I thought it was poor sleep and diet.
My urine was a little dark. I thought I wasn't drinking enough water.
I'd wake up covered in sweat. Like, soaked to the point that it looked like I took a shower in my pyjamas and crawled back into bed. I thought I was just hot.
Eventually I briefly passed out while walking around at a Dave and Busters with my girlfriend. An ambulance was called. They didn't see anything wrong but offered to take my to the hospital which I declined.
My girlfriend *demanded* I make a Dr appointment the next day. If not she threatened to call my mom and get her to berate me too. So to make her happy I made an appointment. Dr didn't see anything out of the ordinary but ran some blood tests to be sure. The next morning, I was at work and the Dr called to tell me my RBC count was reading "3", which he assumed must have been a mistake because I shouldn't even be capable or walking with it testing that low but I should go the the ER to be sure. I told my boss what was up and he gave me the go ahead to leave and I drove myself to the ER. Told triage the result of the test, and they too said it sounded like the test was faulty and they ran their own. The test was right, and everyone was shocked that a person could be so anemic while still able to stand upright.
My spleen was "cleaning" my blood of my red blood cells as it apparently thought they were faulty. It was also over 3 lbs in size (a normal spleen is roughly a quarter lb). The sweating and dark urine was caused by my kidneys failing due to the extreme anemia. My inability to exercise was due to there not being enough red blood cells to carry oxygen through my body under the increased load. The doctors I saw in the hospital told me that had I continued to ignore the symptoms I'd have likely died of a heart attack within a week or so.
Holy s**t I was just talking to my mom about this. I thought I was just bad at sports and very specifically any sort of sustained activity.Think track, soccer, basketball, etc. Just thought I got more tired faster than other people cause I was lazy or whatever.
Went running with my mom one time in my early twenties in the cold and she heard me wheezing afterwards
Asked if it was always like that to which I said yes. Took me to a doc and turns out I have exercise induced asthma.
I do indeed get winded faster than other people but it's not a laziness thing. No idea what would've happened if I found out during like middle school or something.
My boss found out he had exercise induced asthma when he was told that wheezing and pains on your chest after running were in fact not normal. He went in to have his heart checked and came out with asthma medication (his heart was fine).
The expert also wants to assure readers that not every quirk is medically concerning. "It is tempting to think that if you have a quirk, it needs to be checked out immediately. And sometimes it does - please see above!" Dr. Shahina says.
"But if your health care professional had a knee-jerk response to extensively investigate every quirk, first, our healthcare systems would run out resources to treat the seriously ill among us," she continued. "Second, some investigations require exposure to radiation, dyes or surgical procedures and these can cause harm themselves. And finally, the scans we do may show up a whole heap of things that were never going to cause us any problems, but now we need to work out what to do with them, potentially exposing us to procedures we didn’t need."
My whole life, I have dealt with becoming “obsessive” over new things - like when I hear a new song I like, I will listen to it hundreds of times on repeat and not get tired of it. New hobby? It consumes my being.
I have also had a running “daydream story” since about middle school. It’s an ongoing story with characters I made up (and a self insert of course), and I used to listen to music and imagine fight scenes and things like that.
It turns out, both of those things are symptoms of ADHD, especially in women. I never got tested as a kid because my mom believed that “none of her kids have a mental illness.” 🤷🏻♀️
My parents thought I ignored them a lot because I often didn’t listen as a young child. Turns out I had severe chronic ear infections that caused a surge of ear wax to clog up my ears and put pressure on my eardrums so bad that I was practically deaf. I had to have surgery to fix it.
Another thing I have experienced. You have to really be careful with chronic ear infections because it can cause a whole lot of issues later on. I've lost 75% of my hearing due to chronic ear infections and the required surgeries (tubes).
"Having said that, if your health care professional doesn't seem to be getting how worried you are about your quirk, then listen to your gut and keep escalating your concerns," Dr. Shahina shared.
"Perhaps seek another opinion, until you feel that your health is safe. The patient-doctor relationship is always a partnership," the expert added with a smile.
My handwriting was terrible, balance sucked and I would have tremors especially in my hands after vigorous exercise.
I thought I had Parkinson's.
It was just mild cerebral palsy, which is non progressive, and I'll have it for life. Definitely beats having Parkinson's, especially as a teen.
Sometimes it's not a "good' diagnosis, but it still beats a "you'll die young" diagnosis.
I used to make sure that any sentences I said were a multiple of 3 . It then evolved to 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96. I would say words to myself to round them to those numbers.
lookoutitspam:
OCD gang, lol. Just diagnosed and put on meds last week. My special number is 10. Steps have to be in multiples of 10, can’t cross from carpet to tile, etc. without having taken a number of steps that’s a multiple of 10. Gotta tap my fingers on stuff 10 times.
Bipolar here. I used to be able to stay awake without being tired and people always were amazed by that at work, turns out I was just manic.
When you think about it, an episode of depression is almost an inevitable consequence of that. Used to live with a boyfriend who lived that pattern but couldn't see it. He only had a diagnosis of depression because to him the ups were just him being on form and having a great time.
My grades would drop every winter/late spring. I live way north and get severe vitamin D withdrawal.
Food cravings that went beyond just silly little hankerings and became extreme to the point of damaging my teeth, causing rapid weight gain or giving me kidney stones.
Turns out food hyperfixation is a symptom of ADHD. Once a food hit just right at the right time, it was all I could think about and wanted eat for weeks or months.
Also I always felt like there was a TV on in my head. You know those old TV’s where you know it’s on because of the low-volume high pitched ring? I constantly had that. Turns out I have tinnitus.
I remember one time talking with a friend of mine when I was about 13 years old. Something in the conversation made me take notice, so I asked her, "When you're lying in bed at night, and it's quiet, what do you hear?" She said nothing. I said, "So you don't hear a constant 'EEEEEEE?'" That's when I found out that tinnitus is abnormal.
My arms bent backwards and would freak other kids in my classes out sometimes. It was a silly party trick until I got diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and couldn’t walk after I became an adult.
Oh no, that sucks.It's a connective tissue anomaly and it affects the joints, the skin, and other organs.
I was a fidgety kid and would do odd things like whisper words under my breath every time I spoke, say certain words a lot, tap things, make sounds. I mostly grew out of it but when I woke up in my 20s with sudden onset motor and vocal tics (by which point I'd almost forgotten what an odd kid I was) I went to a neurologist and it turns out I have Tourette's syndrome. It was only when he asked if I had any unusual habits as a child it clicked that I'd had it all along.
My friends and I thought my basement was haunted but I was the only one who really believed it, because I had seen figures there. Yeahhhhhh... house wasn't haunted, lol. Somehow it took me years of mental illness before I made that connection.
I apologize for disappearing; honestly I never expected anyone to see this silly little story and the interest freaked me (and my anxiety) out for a sec. I mentioned this further downthread but wanted to answer your question directly as well.
I have been "diagnosed" with schizophrenia, depression, GAD, etc. etc. I have had a long history of evolving signs and symptoms of mental illness and don't feel connected tied to a particular diagnosis. At a certain point, when you're sick enough to have basically a treatment team of therapist/psychiatrist/GP, etc., they tend to address things symptom-by-symptom instead of giving one med for one diagnosis (which is not sufficient for some people), so it's not something that's specifically on my mind much. I do have a diagnosis for insurance and record-keeping purposes that is kind of their best-guess categorization and as someone downthread guessed, it's Bipolar 2.
All my life when I was growing up I was always uncoordinated. I had no balance (I was never able to skate), my coordination was terrible, I had scoliosis, and hearing loss and a hand tremor. My whole body was just “not right”. I fought against all that very hard - I became a bike racer, I’ve done Ironman triathlons, I’ve hiked the AT. (Yeah, I am sure I was compensating). But finally in my 50’s, after a bout of severe foot neuropathy, I was diagnosed with a congenital neuromuscular disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth or CMT which demylenates the peripheral nerves and really screws with the body’s biomechanics. I was fighting a huge uphill battle the whole time.
My late husband had this. As he walked his ankles started to turn inward and he was walking on the sides of his feet. To open a a door with a set of keys… he stuck his finger in the key ring and turned his entire hand to open the door. He couldn’t use his fingers to grasp the end of the key. CMT is no joke.
Just thought I was a tired, sleepy person. Always amazed by how much energy people had every day, but I have always enjoyed couch potato activities so I assumed it was a “me problem” and I was just built that way. Thought I must be lazy.
Well. It was a me problem. A stomach problem. My body was using all my energy trying to digest food and draining me of vitality. I went on a simplistic diet and just BOUNCED BACK. Oops. Turns out stomach dysfunction runs in the family. Now I’m trying to get fit, I got a new job with all that energy, and I’m making a cross country move!!
Hey you reading this, the person with no energy for anything. Maybe you’re depressed - but maybe there’s a physical problem!! Get checked out!!
In the Reddit thread the OP expands on this a bit more. Here's the first and last paragraph that sums it up: "Okay, so YMMV. Every digestive system is wildly different. My issue was specifically FODMAP digestion. Basically my gut microbiome is poorly calibrated, and does not digest complex carbohydrates/sugars correctly." "I gotta go right now but there’s your hint. If youre exhausted with a broken b******e, look into it"
As a kid my hands would hurt like needles stabbing me when I wrote and in gym class my feet would feel like I was walking directly on bone. Nobody believed me. I did in school suspension for refusing to participate, even Saturday school for all the missing class work cause my hands would hurt so bad. Everyone thought it was just an excuse. Took a neurologist, rheumatologist and my primary care doctor to finally diagnose me with a rare autoimmune disease called Mitchell’s disease. It’s extremely painful. I never got the apologies from the school faculty but my mom finally understood why when she woke me up for school I would cry that my hands and feet hurt.
I don’t know if this counts as physical health but some days I’d just be really clumsy, drop things, spill things, get my words all mixed up and say the opposite of what I mean - mum tells me I was diagnosed with dyspraxia when I was 12, told me when I was 30.
My toenails used to frequently split. One time my wife witnessed this and said "that's not normal".
Yadda yadda yadda, I had been iron deficient for like 12 years. Within two weeks of supplementing iron, I became much less disabled.
While I was pregnant with my twins I started eating ice. After I had them I continued.....I was bringing a huge cup of ice to work then I'd get more during my lunch break. When home I'd chew ice all day. I wasn't feeling well so I went to the doctor and I got blood work done and my iron levels were very low. Doctor told me to take an iron supplement and within a week not only did I stop chewing ice but just the thought of chewing it made me cringe. I chewed ice for about 5 years straight and I ended up ruining my teeth because of it. The ice chewing is Pica and my body was trying to tell me I needed more iron.
Crying over not being able to understand most math no matter how simply it was explained to me -> dyscalculia
Growing pains, twisting my ankles and spraining my wrists often, legs giving out etc -> EDs
Bullied but unaware that I was being bullied half the time basically just struggling a lot socially, being labeled and “old soul” and “mature for my age” because I only knew how to talk to adults -> autism
Not me, but I helped someone on reddit get diagnosed with EDS. They posted a picture of their fingers bent in a strange way and said they didn’t know why they could do it when others can't, so I asked if they had it. They responded saying they took a survey and had 80% of the symptoms and had made an appointment to get formally screened.
I played volleyball as a kid and was a great server. When I was 13 I served the ball and immediately felt horrible lower back pain. I went to complain to my mom and she totally blew it off since my dad and grandpa both suffer from low back pain. Fast forward through the volleyball season and I was still suffering with pain everyday. My mom finally took me to the doctor since I was complaining so much and one x-ray proved I have spondololisthesis which is common in gymnasts, football players, and other people where they extend a lot. Turns out I needed a spinal fusion and months of physical therapy.
Athletes in general need to care for their bodies, but especially young athletes who are still developing. Take care of yourselves! And parents/guardians, believe them if they say something doesn't feel right.
Note: this post originally had 85 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
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There is so much here of children being labelled as liars/disruptive and women as hysterical. Attitudes haven't changed much, have they??
Honestly, it's not just them. Doctors ignore what men complain about too. I complained to the new GP (my old one had retired) that I was feeling incredibly exhausted and every time I tried to exercise I was just wrecked for a few days. He palmed me off saying quite literally "you're fat and you need to exercise more". I told him I was well aware of how I should feel after exercise and this was different. But he wouldn't hear it. By dumb luck I saw a specialist a few weeks later about something unrelated and talked to him about it. He sent me for a blood test and turns out it was Ross River Virus. Which in rare cases causes over 6 months of joint pain and fatigue. YAY!
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I got a beautiful tan one year, and I had been losing weight. When my primary saw the tan and how much weight I lost since my last visit she took some blood and ran some tests. Turns out I have an autoimmune disease called Addison's disease (primary adrenal insufficiency). The tanning and severe weight loss were symptons and I am forever grateful to her for figuring it out! It can be fatal if untreated. JFK also had this disease.
My sister was the same....it was weird on her face it looked like she had a pregnancy mask and her doctor thought it was hormonal due to being perimenopause. They didn't diagnose her correctly for ages though because she also had a thyroid condition that was also undiagnosed and she put on weight so they didn't immediately jump to Addisons.
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I was considered a hypochondriac by my GP because I kept complaining of abdominal pain. I ended up reaching the point where I was unable to keep any food or drink down and lost enough weight to become a walking skeleton. Finally I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, had surgery, and have now been in remission for a few years.
There is so much here of children being labelled as liars/disruptive and women as hysterical. Attitudes haven't changed much, have they??
Honestly, it's not just them. Doctors ignore what men complain about too. I complained to the new GP (my old one had retired) that I was feeling incredibly exhausted and every time I tried to exercise I was just wrecked for a few days. He palmed me off saying quite literally "you're fat and you need to exercise more". I told him I was well aware of how I should feel after exercise and this was different. But he wouldn't hear it. By dumb luck I saw a specialist a few weeks later about something unrelated and talked to him about it. He sent me for a blood test and turns out it was Ross River Virus. Which in rare cases causes over 6 months of joint pain and fatigue. YAY!
Load More Replies... I got a beautiful tan one year, and I had been losing weight. When my primary saw the tan and how much weight I lost since my last visit she took some blood and ran some tests. Turns out I have an autoimmune disease called Addison's disease (primary adrenal insufficiency). The tanning and severe weight loss were symptons and I am forever grateful to her for figuring it out! It can be fatal if untreated. JFK also had this disease.
My sister was the same....it was weird on her face it looked like she had a pregnancy mask and her doctor thought it was hormonal due to being perimenopause. They didn't diagnose her correctly for ages though because she also had a thyroid condition that was also undiagnosed and she put on weight so they didn't immediately jump to Addisons.
Load More Replies... I was considered a hypochondriac by my GP because I kept complaining of abdominal pain. I ended up reaching the point where I was unable to keep any food or drink down and lost enough weight to become a walking skeleton. Finally I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, had surgery, and have now been in remission for a few years.
