Since I'm in nursing school, I've diagnosed myself with about ten different diseases. Here they are.
1. When I was having heart burn, I thought for sure I was suffering from ventricular tachycardia.
2. After I ruled out v-tach, I was positive that I was in the beginning stages of GERD....that kept me from drinking soda for a few weeks.
3.Once after I drove to school and had to stare into the sun for a while, I began seeing flashes. I was very worried that some sensory problem was beginning to manifest itself. Could it be a detached retina? Am I suffering from a brain tumor? This made me slightly paranoid
3. The other day, I rubbed my contacts and when I tried to look at the computer screen, everything appeared blurry. I therefore logically concluded that I was begining to show signs and symptoms of nearsightedness. I wondered how I was going to explain bifocals as a 27 year old.
4. I've also diagnosed myself with the stomach flu many times. Today for instance, my stomach started acting up because I was so nervous about my final exam. I even made an escape plan in case I became violently ill in the middle of my final. My stomach was fine of course..I just had to settle down a bit.
5. I think I've also diagnosed myself with OCD. I've become very obsessive about washing my hands. I even sing the ABC's and scrub vigorously to the jingle going through my head. I won't tell you what else I do to make me think that I have this disorder. You may think I really do have a problem. Just because I microwave my washcloth (in order to kill off germs) at least once and many times 2 x during a dish washing session..doesn't mean I'm crazy...right?
6. Sometimes I think nursing school CAUSES me to have health issues. How am I supposed to sleep, exercise, eat healthily, keep my house clean and organized, remain socially active AND maintain a good GPA in school?...They teach us to tell our patients to be sure and do all these things...but I guess it doesn't apply to us nurses.
