Doctors :(

[blueberries]

I have various health issues (real ones, not anxiety) but no doctor can find the cause so they send my on my way. Yet, I continue to suffer. For instance I have severe intestinal issues that came on suddenly, out of the blue. Testing didn't show anything serious so I was told it's IBS. I have a neurological problem which has stumped the many doctors I have seen. None of them has ever even heard of my unusual symptoms and there really isn't a name for them so I'm told it's a migraine variant. Other problems are possible heart issues, inner ear issues, joint and muscle pain, rashes, plus many more. These are real problems and I'm at the point where I rarely leave the house for fear of one of these problems hitting me when I am away from the safety of my home. For the most part the specialists I have seen have not helped. They are concerned with only their specialty and no other body part. My GP isn't very helpful either, she'll send me for an x-ray or blood work, maybe refer me to a specialist, but there is never any resolution to any of my problems,

What kind of doctor does one go to get answers? I'm looking for a doctor who will connect the dots and see that I have problems all over the place. Maybe the problem is something systemic, not just one specific part of the body. I'm so tired of this, they deal with their part only and never even think to put all my symptoms together or even half of them. I have lost so much over all of these issues, I want to feel well again. I know something is wrong with me but I don't know how to go about getting answers. I leave every appointment feeling so defeated that someone else has shrugged their shoulders and said "I don't know." I have seen too many cases where a doctor has missed a disease, often something serious, and I'm afraid that is what is happening to me because they won't look outside the box.

 

[Chase17]

Maybe try getting a referral from your GP to a diagnostician (remember the show House MD?).

 

[blueberries]

Maybe try getting a referral from your GP to a diagnostician (remember the show House MD?).

I would love that, it's my dream. And I very well remember House, loved that show. There are no diagnosticians near me. There are a couple of integrative physicians somewhat near me (an hour or two away) but 1) they don't accept insurance and just one visit can be around $5,000 and 2) they tend to look at your symptoms only and treat those with their very expensive supplements. They don't look for the root cause of the illness even though they claim they do.

 

[suzzeeb]

Wow, I have a lot of the same issues. Not sure any of them are related but I have had a procedure for heart palpitations, out of the blue stomach issues where testing showed nothing, migraine auras without the headache, plus I lost hearing in one ear a couple weeks ago and have constant ringing in my ears. The hearing has gotten better with steroids, but right after that I got a rash all over my face and now feel dizzy all the time. I can't keep up with everything going on most of the time. Something I've thought about trying is a naturopathic doctor. They take a ton of time with you and check blood work that most doctors don't check routinely. I don't know if they would be of more help, but it can't hurt to see someone who looks at things a little differently.

 

[Jonathan123]

We need to trust someone at some time. We rely on the mail man to deliver our mail on time. We rely on the train driver to get us there safely, and the airline pilot. The garbage guy and the bus driver. None of us on here have spent five years at medical school. three years internmantship, and maybe many years of practise. If we are told we are ok physically then we have to believe them. The big problem with anxiety is that the symptoms can seem so real. Mr. Anxiety's box of tricks are endless. The illusion can become a reality so that we convince ourselves we have all the diseases known to man and even some unknown ones! But they have to be in our minds in the first place. If we had not heard of the multitude of illnesses then how could we be afraid of them? Never underestimate the power of the mind.

 

[blueberries]

Please understand, my problems are not from anxiety and no doctor has ever indicated to me that they may be. They acknowledge there is a problem, but don't know why. Doctors can be wrong, doctors have been wrong and doctors will continue to be wrong. Just because a doctor says everything is okay doesn't mean it is. I have a triad of low blood pressure, low body temperature and low heart rate. Thyroid tests were okay so the best explanation is "that's probably normal for you." LBP is not normal if it causes a disruption in one's life. No one has bothered to see if there is an underlying problem causing these or to see if they are connected in some way to my intestinal problems. Colonoscopy was normal so I was thrown the IBS diagnosis. Is any of this related to the unususal neurological problem I have? Or rashes? Or severe joint pain? Or insomnia? Or the many other problems I have? No doctor seems to know or even wants to look into this. They are so rushed and so prescription happy. The prescriptions only mask the symptoms, they don't do anything to get at the root cause.

I know my body and I know what I am feeling is not normal and I know it isn't from anxiety. Doctors should never tell a patient it's anxiety unless all other causes have been ruled out. I have seen medical errors in myself, in family members and in friends. I'm just trying to find out what is wrong (and I pray it isn't cancer or ALS) so I can live the normal life I used to live. I'm afraid things have gone too far and I will never be well.

 

[suzzeeb]

We need to trust someone at some time. We rely on the mail man to deliver our mail on time. We rely on the train driver to get us there safely, and the airline pilot. The garbage guy and the bus driver. None of us on here have spent five years at medical school. three years internmantship, and maybe many years of practise. If we are told we are ok physically then we have to believe them. The big problem with anxiety is that the symptoms can seem so real. Mr. Anxiety's box of tricks are endless. The illusion can become a reality so that we convince ourselves we have all the diseases known to man and even some unknown ones! But they have to be in our minds in the first place. If we had not heard of the multitude of illnesses then how could we be afraid of them? Never underestimate the power of the mind.

I agree we need to trust our doctors; however I know of many instances where they were completely wrong about diagnoses or didn't take things seriously enough. I was shocked at how my dad was treated by various doctors as he got older. We still need to be our own advocates. If something seems off we need to trust ourselves too, which makes things tricky with anxiety because it's hard to tell what is real and what is imagined.

 

[blueberries]

Something I've thought about trying is a naturopathic doctor. They take a ton of time with you and check blood work that most doctors don't check routinely. I don't know if they would be of more help, but it can't hurt to see someone who looks at things a little differently.

I'm sorry you are also feeling unusual symptoms and hope you can find relief. I've never been to a naturopathic doctor but have been to chiropratic doctors who have the same mindset as naturopathic and honestly, it was a waste of money. A lot of their tests are bogus tests and like integrative physicians a good portion of their income comes from the sales of their very expensive supplements. Check out some of the tests they do at quackwatch dot com.

I agree we need to trust our doctors; however I know of many instances where they were completely wrong about diagnoses or didn't take things seriously enough. I was shocked at how my dad was treated by various doctors as he got older. We still need to be our own advocates. If something seems off we need to trust ourselves too, which makes things tricky with anxiety because it's hard to tell what is real and what is imagined.

Agree, 100%

 

[Jonathan123]

I am afraid one of the big symptoms of HA is being irrational. If you were to want to fly somewhere and then hear of a plane crash caused by pilot error, would you decide not to go? It's a one in a million chance, but so are many things in life! Of course, some medics get it wrong. They are human and are vulnerable to mistakes, especially if they are rushed off their feet. But here in the UK it is not often doctors or surgeons are sued for malpractice or faulty diagnosis. But what's the alternative? To diagnose ourselves in health anxiety is extremely dangerous. I suggest it is far better to get medical advice and be told it's nerves, because we can then begin to tackle the real problem which is in the mind.

 

[suzzeeb]

I am afraid one of the big symptoms of HA is being irrational. If you were to want to fly somewhere and then hear of a plane crash caused by pilot error, would you decide not to go? It's a one in a million chance, but so are many things in life! Of course, some medics get it wrong. They are human and are vulnerable to mistakes, especially if they are rushed off their feet. But here in the UK it is not often doctors or surgeons are sued for malpractice or faulty diagnosis. But what's the alternative? To diagnose ourselves in health anxiety is extremely dangerous. I suggest it is far better to get medical advice and be told it's nerves, because we can then begin to tackle the real problem which is in the mind.

Years ago my mom went to the doctor for burning sensation in her chest and throat. She was a 73-year-old smoker with hypertension. They gave her medication for acid reflux and sent her home. They did an EKG but never really said anything about it. A couple weeks later when her symptoms got worse she went to the hospital and was having a heart attack which required several stents and a pacemaker because her heart kept stopping. The doctor at the ER said the EKG she had a few weeks earlier was not normal. That's a pretty big thing to get wrong.

I'm not saying that happens all of the time, but I know from experience it happens a lot more than people want to think. That's not irrational in my opinion. That's what makes HA so hard to treat and get over. There is lingering doubt about symptoms that can't really be disproved in a lot of cases.

 

[MARCC]

My wife's good friend was having persistent back and shoulder pain. Her regular physician said it was arthritis and gave her pain medicine. The pain worsened to a point where the pain was almost unbearable. She ended up in the ER and was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of multiple myeloma. She is undergoing chemo as we speak, and the oncologist told her he has never treated this type of cancer before and told her it is particularly aggressive.

 

[blueberries]

I am afraid one of the big symptoms of HA is being irrational. If you were to want to fly somewhere and then hear of a plane crash caused by pilot error, would you decide not to go? It's a one in a million chance, but so are many things in life! Of course, some medics get it wrong. They are human and are vulnerable to mistakes, especially if they are rushed off their feet. But here in the UK it is not often doctors or surgeons are sued for malpractice or faulty diagnosis. But what's the alternative? To diagnose ourselves in health anxiety is extremely dangerous. I suggest it is far better to get medical advice and be told it's nerves, because we can then begin to tackle the real problem which is in the mind.

The problem isn't always "nerves" or a problem in the mind. Even people with health anxiety get serious physical illnesses,. Doctors often give the best case scenario as the initial diagnosis (pulled muscle, a cold, a migraine). It's easy to do and often they are right. But they can also be wrong as pointed out by suzzeed and marcc. And I've had it happen to me more than once. It's not fair to the patient to be treated like this by a doctor.

My problems are not a result of anxiety and arguing here whether or not they are isn't the the purpose of my post. My issues are real and no doctor has said they aren't or that they are caused by anxiety. I'm asking what kind of doctor does one have to see to get an answer when multiple parts of the body are involved, especially when one lives in an area where there aren't a lot of doctors and most specialists have waiting lists 6 months long. Every doctor I see only wants to deal with the one part they specialize in. None of them want to connect the dots.

 

[Phillies Phan]

Boy this thread is just trigger city

 

[suzzeeb]

My wife's good friend was having persistent back and shoulder pain. Her regular physician said it was arthritis and gave her pain medicine. The pain worsened to a point where the pain was almost unbearable. She ended up in the ER and was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of multiple myeloma. She is undergoing chemo as we speak, and the oncologist told her he has never treated this type of cancer before and told her it is particularly aggressive.

The problem isn't always "nerves" or a problem in the mind. Even people with health anxiety get serious physical illnesses,. Doctors often give the best case scenario as the initial diagnosis (pulled muscle, a cold, a migraine). It's easy to do and often they are right. But they can also be wrong as pointed out by suzzeed and marcc. And I've had it happen to me more than once. It's not fair to the patient to be treated like this by a doctor.

My problems are not a result of anxiety and arguing here whether or not they are isn't the the purpose of my post. My issues are real and no doctor has said they aren't or that they are caused by anxiety. I'm asking what kind of doctor does one have to see to get an answer when multiple parts of the body are involved, especially when one lives in an area where there aren't a lot of doctors and most specialists have waiting lists 6 months long. Every doctor I see only wants to deal with the one part they specialize in. None of them want to connect the dots.

I would think a very experienced internal medicine doctor would be the best bet if you can get in with one. I think they would have the most knowledge on all the body systems and whether or not your symptoms might be connected in some way.

 

[Hobbit]

Please understand, my problems are not from anxiety and no doctor has ever indicated to me that they may be. They acknowledge there is a problem, but don't know why. Doctors can be wrong, doctors have been wrong and doctors will continue to be wrong. Just because a doctor says everything is okay doesn't mean it is. I have a triad of low blood pressure, low body temperature and low heart rate. Thyroid tests were okay so the best explanation is "that's probably normal for you." LBP is not normal if it causes a disruption in one's life. No one has bothered to see if there is an underlying problem causing these or to see if they are connected in some way to my intestinal problems. Colonoscopy was normal so I was thrown the IBS diagnosis. Is any of this related to the unususal neurological problem I have? Or rashes? Or severe joint pain? Or insomnia? Or the many other problems I have? No doctor seems to know or even wants to look into this. They are so rushed and so prescription happy. The prescriptions only mask the symptoms, they don't do anything to get at the root cause.

I know my body and I know what I am feeling is not normal and I know it isn't from anxiety. Doctors should never tell a patient it's anxiety unless all other causes have been ruled out. I have seen medical errors in myself, in family members and in friends. I'm just trying to find out what is wrong (and I pray it isn't cancer or ALS) so I can live the normal life I used to live. I'm afraid things have gone too far and I will never be well.

Have you been tested for Lyme disease ? Sounds so similiar to my friend's issues , which turned out to be positive for Lyme after many many months of tests with no clear results . Took her GP to finally test for that

 

[blueberries]

Have you been tested for Lyme disease ? Sounds so similiar to my friend's issues , which turned out to be positive for Lyme after many many months of tests with no clear results . Took her GP to finally test for that

Excellent thought. My PCP initially thought this might be my problem but tests were negative. I know there can be often be false negatives, so I'm not 100% convinced that I don't have it. My symptoms certainly do line up with those of Lyme. I often visit an area where they are all over the place so it wouldn't be surprising to find out I have it. I was very sick with another tick borne illness a couple year ago after hiking there but the symptoms I have now started long before that hike so it wouldn't have been from that tick bite.

 

[MARCC]

The secretary in my office suite got diagnosed with Lyme disease and her diagnosis was confirmed by her PCP. Her main symptom was fatigue and she is now on antibiotics. She told me she has had no antibiotic side effects as of yet.

 

[Phillies Phan]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. For people like us, we need to get an exceptional GP. One that we can be honest regarding our HA, and know they will take us seriously regardless.

We need to search for such a doctor as diligently as we would a new job or career, or a spouse/significant other. It’s that important.

Now once our efforts have worked to find such a GP, we need to trust her or him. Are they infallible? No. But we must accept that nothing in life is totally certain. We do the best we can to minimize uncertainty, but must accept that even still, it still exists. Such is life.

We need to trust when our GP tells us we do or don’t need imaging, or referral to a specialist, or when they say they have no concern over our bloodwork, even though a reading or two is out of range.

Not meant for Blueberries: This post has turned into one that I’m sure has triggered a few people, myself included. Looking at you Marc, sorry. Please consider not saying the one, way rare exception especially for something so common as back pain, headache and the like.

 

[Hobbit]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. For people like us, we need to get an exceptional GP. One that we can be honest regarding our HA, and know they will take us seriously regardless.

We need to search for such a doctor as diligently as we would a new job or career, or a spouse/significant other. It’s that important.

Now once our efforts have worked to find such a GP, we need to trust her or him. Are they infallible? No. But we must accept that nothing in life is totally certain. We do the best we can to minimize uncertainty, but must accept that even still, it still exists. Such is life.

We need to trust when our GP tells us we do or don’t need imaging, or referral to a specialist, or when they say they have no concern over our bloodwork, even though a reading or two is out of range.

Not meant for Blueberries: This post has turned into one that I’m sure has triggered a few people, myself included. Looking at you Marc, sorry. Please consider not saying the one, way rare exception especially for something so common as back pain, headache and the like.

And i also apologize, i should keep my medical comments to myself . Especially Lyme Disease symptoms as they are vague and common , and i am certainly no doctor!

 

[Phillies Phan]

And i also apologize, i should keep my medical comments to myself . Especially Lyme Disease symptoms as they are vague and common , and i am certainly no doctor!

I disagree Hobbit. Lyme is treatable, not catastrophic and was a good suggestion! Your post served a purpose.