Has anyone ever watched the show Untold Stories of the ER?

[oregoncoastlady]

I wouldn't recommend it if you are feeling particularly vulnerable where your HA and anxiety are concerned. However, there are moments that I feel brave and want to test my HA protective shield. My own form of exposure therapy. It's kind of entertaining in a freakish  medical sort of way. Anyway, I was watching it late last night and they were reenacting an incident with a woman who comes in and insists she is having a heart attack. She knows all the medical lingo and tells the doctor what tests she needs. She insists she is dying. Doesn't believe them when they tell her everything came back normal with the tests they did.  They try to release her, but she doesn't want to leave. She ends up in the hospital gift shop and she is lying on the floor telling the people in the shop she is having a heart attack and the ER won't help her, blah blah blah. They take her back to the ER, run more  tests...all normal. She still won't leave. She ends up in the hospital chapel, on the floor, telling a nun she is having a heart attack and the ER won't help her. They take her back to the ER...more tests, all normal...then finally admit her for "observation." It was sort of funny, but sort of not, because I know a lot of us have probably felt the same way.  Interestingly, they diagnosed her with munchausen disease.  It was weird because I thought she just had really bad HA...but she enjoyed the attention she was getting.  I DO NOT enjoy medical attention. Is there that fine a line between HA and munchausen? Seems to be.

[tjsway]

that actually kind of erks me

i WISH i was doing this for attention,
and people like that make other people think hypochondriacs (atleast ones to that severity) are exactly like that. attention seeking. or atleast thats what i would think

because people dont take me seriously at all, as if im purposely doing this for my own benefit
again, i wish
it makes me wanna just never bring it up,
i can see why people suffer in silence

[mollyfin]

A lot of people seem to mistake hypochondria with a desire for attention, which bugs me.  I don't want attention!  I want to not worry about impending death 24/7!  But some people do fake illness for attention, which is its own mental problem.  I feel sorry for them but at the same time annoyed because I don't want people assuming that's what I have...but that's peoples' fault, not the other patients!

And yes, when I'm feeling sane, I do watch that show and others.  They're not my favorite - I prefer the shows that following real doctors and hospitals, because I always wished I could be a doctor (besides the many reasons that didn't happen, could you imagine me with legitimate medical knowledge?!  I'd go insane!) but they're very interesting, and my obsessive googling has actually made me really good at guessing the mystery diagnosis beforehand. 

[LindaRK]

I don't watch any of that stuff. Period.  I know my body and my thought process and watching something like that or even listening to a "doctor" show on the radio is asking for trouble.  I think it's really important for us to have "boundaries" and this would be a good start.

[oregoncoastlady]

This reenactment was based on a real occurance. I agree about not wanting medical attention. This woman truly thought something was wrong, but also desired the attention.

Linda, I hear what you are saying about boundaries. There are days I wouldn't even consider hearing /reading/watching anything medically related. But, when i am feeling strong  enough to deflect any HA stuff, I enjoy watching these kinds of things. And there are no residual effects.

[megaT]

Yea, I've watched it a few times.  The actors are HORRIBLE.  lol