Ah yes the joy of not only having your career consuming
your life, add an ailment/illness to that with a doctor who does not believe you, and
your life becomes a time consuming journey between work and you becoming your own doctor. (note to all of you, most doctors I will learn hate when you become your own advocate and begin the long journey of
diagnosing yourself).
I would pour over health websites and watch medical shows like I was possessed. Some of my co-workers at work even got in on the act, (even they could not understand what I was going through but knew something was terribly wrong) and trust me I looked at many illnesses and dismissed them because I felt I did not have enough of the symptoms. And in my defense I did not go running to the doctor every time I thought maybe this is the one, the only time I did was when I finally saw a show on Cushing's after the woman's story on Medical Mysteries both my husband and I looked at each other and went wow that sounds like what I have. I found a wonderful website about it that actually had a check list of sorts and armed with the information and check list I found back to the doctors I go. Oh but surprise! He would not even listen to me he told me that although these shows can be very interesting it is not a realistic place to find information. HUH? Please tell me you are joking? Maybe you should start watching them, you may learn something.
I would pour over health websites and watch medical shows like I was possessed. Some of my co-workers at work even got in on the act, (even they could not understand what I was going through but knew something was terribly wrong) and trust me I looked at many illnesses and dismissed them because I felt I did not have enough of the symptoms. And in my defense I did not go running to the doctor every time I thought maybe this is the one, the only time I did was when I finally saw a show on Cushing's after the woman's story on Medical Mysteries both my husband and I looked at each other and went wow that sounds like what I have. I found a wonderful website about it that actually had a check list of sorts and armed with the information and check list I found back to the doctors I go. Oh but surprise! He would not even listen to me he told me that although these shows can be very interesting it is not a realistic place to find information. HUH? Please tell me you are joking? Maybe you should start watching them, you may learn something.
Not to be discouraged I went back to that website when I
got home and found a listing of Doctors who specialize in Cushing's and took a
chance and emailed the only Doctor listed for Canada, not thinking I would hear
from him but when you are sick and no one is listening sometimes you have to
take the bull by the horns. Imagine my
surprise when a few days later I did hear back from him he said that although
he could not help me because I am out of the province he practice's in, he believed
I had just cause to be tested for Cushing's but because he could not help me he gave me a name of an endocrinologist he
recommended I see in my city.
Surly armed with this email by another Doctor my current Doctor would send me a referral, but I think you already know the answer. My Doctor was very ticked to put it politely that I had done this and said he had already tested me for Cushing's and would be wasting a specialist time as I was fine. That ended that conversation and any chance of a referral. This is an instance where I wish we as patients could make our own appointments with specialist but unfortunately without your GP's referral no specialist will see you. This began the full push to find a new Doctor, believing I had finally found what was wrong with me.
Surly armed with this email by another Doctor my current Doctor would send me a referral, but I think you already know the answer. My Doctor was very ticked to put it politely that I had done this and said he had already tested me for Cushing's and would be wasting a specialist time as I was fine. That ended that conversation and any chance of a referral. This is an instance where I wish we as patients could make our own appointments with specialist but unfortunately without your GP's referral no specialist will see you. This began the full push to find a new Doctor, believing I had finally found what was wrong with me.
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