Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Smith
I've had more than one doctor tell me that savvy patients often do know more about their afflictions/conditions/diseases than their doctors do, and no wonder. As it was put to me by the doctors...
A doctor has to learn about hundreds/thousands of diseases in a very short time in med school and afterward in residency. During that same short time, they have to learn about everything else—medications, surgery, procedures, anatomy, etc. Once they get into practice, they may have several hundred patients with different problems, as well as keeping abreast of new developments/education.
OTOH, we individual patients only have ourselves (and maybe immediate family) to concern ourselves with, and only a few medical conditions; we've got many many more hours—running into years—available to research our individual conditions. It's true that we lack much of the associated background and formal education, but some of us learn that (or as much of it as we need/can stand) as we go. And we can read 10-100 times or more articles about our respective PNs, treatment, etc.
Now if we could only get PAID what those guys get... 
Doc |
Exactly. That is why you need a doctor who knows a lot about your disease. In a CMTers case, we need an expert neurologist who knows CMT. Fortunately I knew about CMT for many, many years as it goes way back in the family. Family history certainly does help.
I have researched CMT for many years as well and have seen it first hand many times. My support group of course is full of people with CMT and in all stages of it. You can spot a CMTer by the way they walk without a doubt. That is if you know CMT.
Thanks for bringing up what regular doctors, shall we say, go thru. Most have never even seen anyone with CMT or if they have they have diagnosed it as something else. My regular doctor said she had had ten minutes on it. In my case, I'm the only one she has seen, and not for CMT, so why would she read up on it. She will probably never see another person with CMT. And a doctor's time is limited so on with the more obvious things people come in for.
It's not like the old days either where you could really visit with your doctor and talk about a lot of stuff. Now you have to be careful what you say to your doctor, your eye doctor, your chiropractor, you name it as they write it all down and there it is in your records and out there and you thought you were only telling them.