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Stress and physical illness

Take5

Does anyone have a theory on the connection between mental health and stress/anxiety and actual physical illness or health issues?

Up until 3 years ago I had escaped illness and have made up for that since. I just wanted to say the following diagnosis was given but an actual cause or underlying reason has baffled doctors and consultants as no cause was found.

I have had many many scans and been hospitalised 4 or 5 times in the last 2 years, my last attack was 8 months ago which is good when it was usually 2-3 months apart. 

I was diagnosed with Hydronephrosis which is an inflammatory condition of the kidneys where they do not drain normally sometimes, this causes chronic pain and each time has resulted in being admitted to hospital via ambulance. I am otherwise fit and healthy with all my vitals in order.

This may not be relevant but I have been free from pain since being on antidepressants, are they connected or are they not who knows.

I just wondered if anyone has experienced anything similar or am I overthinking things and coming to crazy conclusions?

Thank you for reading 

  • Thank you everyone for your feedback. It’s much appreciated and I truly mean that. I have suspected for quite sometime that stress is causing these health issues. Doctors don’t l seem to like the suggestion of it mind. 
    Paloma you mention bio feedback scans, are they available on the NHS or privately? I would be very interested to explore that. 
    I plan to do a cortisol flush under the watchful eye of my sister as she is a life coach and has offered to help, she is also very much into spiritual healing and diet as well. 

  • Sustained stress (caused by anxiety typically in autists) can have serious long term damage to the body.

    There is a good article that explains this better than I can - note the section on the endocrine system which covers the kidneys:

    https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

    The causes are hard to pinpoint as they are often multi-system in origin since all systems are impacted by the cortisol flowing through your veins.

    My understanding is that the only way to effectively treat it is to reduce your stress levels which most likely means finding ways to be less anxious (you need a therapist to really get to grips with this) and to reduce other sources of stress as best you can.

    Results take months to years to be significant but in the long term this seems the most effective way to address it.

    None of this is medical advice of course, only my opinion based on the articles I've read on the subject and personal experiences with using the technique.

  • in reply to Stuart333
    Stuart333 said:
    Adrenaline and cortisol have quite an impact.

    My sister told me this, she is a life coach so I’m doing a cortisol flush when I get back from holiday which she seems to think would be good.

    Thanks for your reply Stuart

  • in reply to profdanger

    Thank you for your reply. 
    There is no kidney related illness in our family and like I said I e had so many scans, renal function scans, ct’s, mri’s and even a endoscopy scan somewhere where a guy wouldn’t want one if you know what I mean. Boy that was painful. 
    I have taken steps to be better to myself as you suggested using meditation, earplugs, leaving social situations early and generally trying to keep my stress levels down as much as possible.

    Hopefully that’s the end of it tbh and 8 months without it is really positive considering I was in hospital every 2 months ish. 
    The nervous pain sounds very challenging and I’m sorry to hear that has been a struggle for you. How amazing that you have figured a way to manage that so well done to you

  • Stress affects the adrenal glands. Adrenaline and cortisol have quite an impact. They can affect blood pressure, blood sugar levels, they suppress the immune system, cause sleep issues, and cause anxiety, etc.

    It also affects your digestion and may contribute to autoimmune issues.

    This is fine in short bursts to escape a tiger, but not long term from just trying to function like every one else.

    I am having some more blood tests as my DHEA was above the normal limit just from driving to give a blood sample. I think I've had issues for decades. I thought how I felt was normal. We'll see.

    It may not be the cause of your issues, but stress certainly won't be helping.

  • That’s very interesting. I wonder if you have any family history with kidney disorders? I would think the antidepressants are not directly connected, but if your Hydronephrosis is caused by stress like you suspect then it could theoretically help ease that.

    Stress can definitely have an impact on your physical health. When I’m in high stress moments of my life, one thing I commonly deal with is nervous pain, especially at night. It makes it practically impossible to sleep at night unless I take pain medication to dull the electrifying pain. The good news is now that I have identified that connection, when I am going through a stressful time (ex. every Christmas time), I can prepare and proactively stop the nervous pain that is bound to happen.

    Perhaps you could think the same way? Proactively take steps to take care of your kidneys when you know things are getting stressful. Maybe that’s something you could talk to your GP about.