Facebook Pixel
EmpowHER Guest
Q: 

I have a severe conversion disorder and have tried everything what do I do now.

By Anonymous January 1, 2014 - 6:48am
 
Rate This

been to two hospitals had umpteen nuerologists hag plasma fereces had lots of therapists had physical therapy need help have an 11yr old son and my mom has to take care of both of us.

Add a Comment10 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I went blind in one eye about two years ago. I've been seeing an energy healer for about 6 months now. I feel like I have figured out why this has happened to me but I don't know how to fix it. I refuse to see anymore doctors. I can't afford it and they are clueless anyway. I can't afford my energy healer so we trade sometimes. Im an artist and I would love to have my vision back. I feel like a prisoner in my body but mostly to my traumatic past. I don't have any answers but hope this helps someone.

January 5, 2018 - 11:02pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Hi everyone, my name is Haley and I am 21. Due to being in a car accident it looks like this may be what I have. I have terrible symptoms like y'all describe and no results show up on test. I have a question for y'all diagnosed with this illness, what do y'all do about work? I have been in customer service for 5years, had my own apartment, was in school, and my own cat. Now I have none of that and I want to know how do you provide for oneself with this condition? Please help me with suggestions and thoughts becasue I'm at a total loss as to what my future holds for me.
Thank you

December 2, 2016 - 5:11pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

43 year old male was just diagnosed with conversion disorder and it took 3 years to get theat diagnosis but the problem I have is no one in my area of south Louisiana doesn't specialize in this condition if you have any suggestion please comment thank you

October 13, 2016 - 8:00am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Hi, my name is Erin. I am 39 yrs. old, and I had neck surgery feb. 7, 2011, and came out of my surgery with 22 symptoms. All 22 symptoms are there 24/7 since my surgery. For the first 2 years, doctors did not know what was wrong with me. When I say doctors, I mean alot of doctors. Doctors have run so many tests on me, and everything was coming back normal. I had finally went to the Mayo Clinic, and it was there that I was diagnosed with a Psychological Conversion Disorder. Feb. 7, 2014 will be 3 years of living with this. I have never even heard of a conversion disorder up until they diagnosed me. I have had a very rough 3 years. I feel like a prisoner in my own body. Add the depression in with it, and I am a basket case. I am just so lost. I see a psychologist and a medical psychologist. The doctor has me on alot of medicine because of this. My family doesnt understand because I look normal on the outside and feel crazy on the inside. I use to hide my seizures from them bc I did not want them to see me like that, but then it got where I couldn't hide them anymore. That's the only time they really see that something is wrong with me. So of course I try and cope with this on my own since they don't understand. That makes it even harder. It would be nice to be able to talk to others that have a conversion disorder, and not feel so alone.

January 4, 2014 - 3:57pm
(reply to Anonymous)

You are not alone, I was diagnosed in 2012 and got a second opinion after tons of tests in 2013. I was severely depressed and suicidal because of the illness, i Iost my job from being on disability a long time. The illness turned my whole life upside down. I know how you feel about the seizures, I tried to hide them from family to, but it didn't work much. I had loss of balance, difficulty walking, speech difficulties, double vision, episodes of rapid eye or teeth movement. I thought I was loosing my mind. I am 48 years old. I had days where I didn't want to get out of bed, I was embarrassed because I couldn't control it. But I am better now since July of 2013, I am on an anti-depressant and seeing a Therapist. I would to be a friend and share more of my story.

February 6, 2014 - 10:19pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Bubbles357)

I think it's good to share stories. Conversion disorder is so complicated. My story is that on Feb 7, 2014, I went into the hospital to have a neck fusion done bc of a bulging disk that was laying on a nerve running down my arm to where it was starting to paralyze my arm and hand. I was dropping things and it got to where I could barely use it. I had the surgery and that went well. Well the first couple of days I could tell something was wrong. 22 symptoms that mimic MS. Slurred speech, blurred double vision, my vision completely off, extremelyhigh anxiety, really bad vertigo, off balance, the feeling of being outside of my body, legs walking in quick sand feeling, facial numbness, I had to force myself to make any expression, short term memory loss, including watching movies and couldn't tell u anything about the movie short term and long term, concentration completely off, trouble finding words, could not drive, couldn't sleep, attacks to where I could barely walk and blood pressure and heart rate would spike high, my hands and legs were posturing pointing downward and body stiffness, face drooping, tongue pulls to the back of my throat, constantly repeating myself, trouble thinking straight, add depression in that. I'm sure there's more symptoms but I just can not think of more right now. Which that's alot that I just pointed out. All of these symptoms for 24/7 all day everyday. They don't go away. At the time, i really thought something had to happen in surgery for me to come out like this. So for the first 4 months it was so bad, and I could not drive at all. That's when I started seeing a neurologist. He didn't know what was wrong. He said oh it's all in your head, and gave me antidepressants and a half of mg. of klonipin. That was a joke. He ran no tests on me. I saw him for 10 months. Nothing changed. In the mean time I was still seeing my neuro surgeon and he didn't know what was wrong with me, but yet he never ran any tests on me. He was no help. He says oh well go see a neuro ophthalmologist and maybe your eyes are causing problems with everything else. Well my neuro ophthalmologist said it looked like one eye was just a lil bit slower than the other eye, and with all of my other symptoms she thought that I had a mini stroke. So I went all the way to Cleveland to see a stroke expert, and she said no that I didn't have a stroke. That it was all in my head, to see a neuro psychologist and have a neuro psych evaluation done and see a balance doctor. So I came back to my hometown which is New Orleans and went and had that done, including an ENT doctor. The psych evaluation did show that something was wrong. But nobody knew what it was. So my neuro surgeon ordered me an mri of my brain and neck, and all of that was fine. Negative results on ENT, even though I couldn't even sit on a chair without feeling like I was falling. But then that was with all of my doctors. So I see a rheumatologist, negative results, more neurologists, negative results. Balance doctor, negative results, another neuro ophthalmologist, neg. results. I went to a neuro clinic in Baton Rouge, all negative results. They did MRI's, MRA, spinal tap, eeg's. Nothing, not one thing, all negative results. So throughout this whole time, I was having seizures, but non-epileptic seizures, and they do not show up. So this whole time I feel like I am going absolutely crazy. I became suicidal and went into a psych ward for 2 weeks. They put me on meds and still nothing was really helping. I've been to emergency rooms and it got to where they said it was over their heads, that they couldn't do anything for me. So in the meantime I was seeing a counselor, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Nobody knew what the hell was wrong with me. Medicines were getting piled up on me for months. I was up to high mg. Of meds, nothing was stopping any of this. If anything, I was sleeping. I have 2 teenagers that still expected me to take care of them bc they were lazy. They didn't understand any of what I have, so no support with them. Add my husband, he didn't and still doesn't understand what I have. Why not? Well I look normal on the outside, and I am going crazy on the inside. They act like nothing is wrong with me, bc they don't see it. Well I was trying to hide my seizures bc for 1 they gave me no support, and I resent them for that, and for 2, I know it would scare them to see me like that. Well it got to where I couldn't hide the seizures, and that's when they actually see that something is wrong. I posture with my hands and feet down, my tongue goes to the back, I studder and can't get words out, my body stiffens up, I feel like I have ants all inside all over my body, so my body reacts and bangs on things and shakes. It scares them, but by this time I didn't care bc they gave me no support throughout this whole time. It was about time they realized that something is wrong. Well, I had one person that was very supportive after 10 months. That was my dad. He has been my rock throughout this bad adventure of being in prison in my own body. He brought me to doctors and help financially support us, he talk to me about everything and worried with me. Nobody else! Well, we finally went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. This was right before my 2 year mark. That is when they diagnosed me with a psychological Conversion Disorder. They said that my surgery was my stresser. So when we got back, I started to see another psychologist and a medical psychologist. I still take alot of meds, and hypnosis hasn't helped bc my body has so much anxiety, that it doesn't allow me to go under. That is with all of my meds that I have to take 3 times per day, everyday. My doctors are just familiar with Conversion Disorder, they do not specialize in it. So now my psychologist wants me to try this other doctor with hypnosis, and my dad found this doctor in Utah that specializes in Conversion Disorder. It's an inpatient facility. That doctors name is Dr. John Speed. He specializes in CD, so why not try it out. So needless to say, I still have all of my symptoms, the meds just take the edge off some. I resent my family for not getting involved like they should, and not getting to know my sickness. They just ask so what did the doctor say? Why bother asking if you don't understand or support me or read up on it or go to the doctor with me. My daughter asked me one day, which she is 19. She says, mom...why do you try and hide your seizures? I said oh really, like when have any of yall gave a shit about my illness. So anyway, my husband says that he will now get more involved, lol. He still hasn't. I don't know if it's just they are in denial or just don't know what to say. This is just part of the reason why i feel so alone in this. So that's my big, long, and miserable story. I have told this story so many times to doctors, friends, and family. I figured it was time for a support group. So here I am. :)

February 9, 2014 - 1:59pm
(reply to Anonymous)

My name is Julie and I have conversion disorder 2 I use 2 b so independent now I have 2 rely on people 4 everything I have a 12yr old son that my mom has 2 raise Iwanted 2 raise him didnt have him so somebody else could but
I have no choice. Used 2 live at the beach had 2 move back home so mom could take care of me and mt son.Didnt have any patience really dont have none now.Thought I could find a doctor that would help Boy was I wrong.I tell people its like my body has betrayed my brain Im really worried about my son.

January 22, 2014 - 7:43am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Juliebug)

I completely understand what you are going through. My dad once told me, while going through this. You have to take care of yourself first, so you can take care of your kids. I understood it, and still do. My answer was, But who is gonna take care of them while I am trying to get better. At that time my husband was working out of town alot, and both of my kids didn't have a license or a car. I had to get my mom to come from out of town to help or my mother n law, or their friends parents. It's tuff, and it hurts, and sad, and frustrating, and so much more. We have to do what we have to do to get better. It's been very hard putting my family to the side to get better. But then I resent my family for not supporting me through all of this. So it's a double edge sword. We can't win either way.

February 9, 2014 - 2:13pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

Atleast it feels like we can't win. On the brighter side, one day we will beat this sickness. It might take years, but we will.

February 9, 2014 - 2:15pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Hi Anon,

Welcome to EmpowHER. For many people, symptoms of conversion disorder get better without treatment, especially after reassurance from the doctor that their symptoms aren't caused by a serious underlying problem. Treatment will depend on your particular signs and symptoms and may include: psychotherapy, physical therapy and treatment for anxiety such as antidepressants. Depending on your symptoms, you might want to ask your doctor about getting any of these treatment options. Hope this was helpful?

Here are some resources for you

 

Conversion Disorder

 

Best,

Daisy

January 2, 2014 - 4:25am
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.

Conversion Disorder

Get Email Updates

Related Topics

Conversion Disorder Guide

HERWriter Guide

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!