Are you/have you self-diagnosed while in school?

NSALVADORE · Mar 21, 2010

I've been in the medical field for a few years, before nursing, and yes I've self-diagnosed before. It is definitely nice to have the knowledge!

Nurses and those in the medical field have a common problem of self treating and not seeing doctors regularly and such.. I do not do that, I'm very good about going to the doc yearly and as needed!

Good for you for figuring out your headaches, hope you can get on a good regime to control them!!

pharmgirl · Mar 21, 2010

I dont mean to laugh at this ....it's not you, really. I'm actually really happy you found an answer to your headaches. I'm laughing for several reasons. 1) At any given point, during any given unit, I have thought "omg thats my problem". I have "had" hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, concussions, glomerulonephritis, hypokalemia, hypernatremia, bipolar, heck....I may have even thought at one point I had prostate issues! lmao. The best is the mental health unit where you can diagnoses your whole family. Secondly, I laugh because again, at any given point, during any given unit, we have one girl in our class who really, honestly, thinks she has everything we are studying. She even said she was dead once for 21 minutes and has the death certificate to prove it (honest, I couldn't make that up). We can't wait for the unit on STD to see what she has!! lmao

Anyway, happy you found an answer for your headaches. It does feel good when you can put the pieces together and make it make sense!!

sunluvarn · Mar 21, 2010

Yes I did too... We were studying auto immune diseases, and Lupus fit everything I was feeling - I had given up on the Drs they were making me feel like I was nuts! Long story short - went to the Dr (textbook in hand lol) opened the page and said This IS me! He took one look at the book, Laughed at me - said nursing students always thinking they have what they are studying! (but wrote the form for the pathology). A week later, I get a phone call telling me he needs to see me - Dx was correct! :yeah: :yeah:

My life has changed for having the guts to stand up and say something - my medication controls my lupus fantastically and I have never felt healthier. Good on you for paying attention, but don't fall into the trap of over analysing every symptom you have...

mochamonster · Mar 21, 2010

I agree that this "phenomenon" is humorous. That's why I posted it on AN! I would love to hear more stories about this, humorous or serious.

mochamonster · Mar 21, 2010

She even said she was dead once for 21 minutes and has the death certificate to prove it (honest, I couldn't make that up). We can't wait for the unit on STD to see what she has!! lmao

LMAO! Thanks for sharing!

FLDoula · Mar 21, 2010

I'm doing pre-reqs/co-reqs. I had to laugh at this. Not to make fun of anyone but yes, learning more about the human body and what can go wrong has made me more aware of medical issues in myself and family members. But the reason I'm writing this is that in A&P II when we were doing special senses I stabbed myself in the eyeball with the arm of my glasses and spent my lab class time in the Navy ER across the street. (it wasn't pretty) Then when we did the digestive system in lecture I had a stomach virus. Thank heaven's I've had my tubes tied as the reproductive system is coming soon and surely don't want to end up pregnant! ROFL!! :lol2:

goodstudentnowRN · Mar 21, 2010

While in nursing college...I thought I had all the autoimmune disorders they taught...I was so paranoid..lol

pinkiepie_RN · Mar 21, 2010

I finally got up the nerve to see a psychiatrist during my mental health rotation for a diagnosis of bipolar that I've probably had since I started college. I had been "self-diagnosed" for a while, but seeing the textbook and seeing patients with it, I thought, "This really IS me." :) Now I'm well managed and super thankful I made the decision to see a shrinky dink!

RNROSER2011 · Mar 21, 2010

OH you are so not alone! All of the students in my class laughed about this. I think every one of us thought we had something we were studying. And yes we all laughed with/at each other and ourselves. I think its a way to connect with what we're reading about. In our case also, it was useful for someone who was looking for their own answers to health questions.

Nepenthe Sea · Mar 21, 2010

I went for a gynecological exam the other day, and I haven't been in a couple of years. In the last few months, I've had a friend get dx with breast CA and have a mastectomy, took care of a patient who had post-menopausal bleeding for three years before she went to a doctor (turned out to be Stage IV B uterine CA - she's terminal), and we just studied women's reproductive disorders in med surg. So, I'm a little scared and paranoid that something could be wrong with me since the last time I went. I told the doctor that I was a nursing student with medical student syndrome, and he laughed, but was really nice about it. I have a couple of symptoms that I am paranoid about, and was kept asking, "Can't _______ (random symptom) be a sign of _______ (random disorder)??" Poor guy. I'm sure he thought I was being a freak, but when you learn all of this stuff, you tend to get a bit paranoid!

RNMeg · Mar 21, 2010

I diagnosed myself with shingles. I had been using steroid eye drops for contact lens overwear syndrome, and wound up with these itchy, stinging, crusty lesions next to my left eye (the eye I was using the drops on). It was fun to put the pieces together (and, of course, get it confirmed by my NP).