Quote:
Originally Posted by agate
Sometimes it takes a long time to find a doctor who is on the same page as you're on, who has a sense of where you're coming from. Some doctors just don't have that skill even though they may be really adept in other skills they also need if they're going to be decent doctors.
I'm not sure why so many people with MS have to wait a long time for a diagnosis. It must be a difficult disorder to diagnose, with lots of look-alike diseases to choose from. Then, too, some doctors tend to take women patients' symptoms less seriously than they do men's, and MS seems to affect woman more often than men.
I suspect that some doctors just don't want to diagnose MS because they can't offer us much by way of a remedy or cure, and they don't want to be stuck filling out lots of forms for the next several decades for an MS patient who needs to apply for a disability pension or handicapped parking or whatever. They'd really prefer to have patients with a more challenging diagnosis, something interesting that they can write up in a medical journal. To a neurologist, a case of MS is very ho-hum because it's a fairly common neurological disease.
I'm glad you were able to find the medical attention you needed and it sounds as if you now realize that you and your doctor(s) can work together as a team.  |
I do agree there are many doctors who don't want to take the time to do exactly what they went to medical school to do, which is, to help people and heal them of any ailments. There are many doctors who lack a bedside manner.
In my case I guess I made it easier on the new doctors I saw after my spine surgery and firing most of those doctors who chose to ignore my symptoms and help me. But, before I fired them I went back to see everyone of them to show them how wrong they were in the hopes in the furure that what happened to me would not happen to anyone else who came to them for help and to be treated with a open mind.
As a woman myself, I do understand what you are saying in the difference of how many of us are treated in comparison to men. My loved ones say I can be intimidating being a young strong attractive woman. I have the physical appearance of being prissy or another word is, fragile. I do not appear to look like a tomboy as I very much am. I dress up nicely 99% of the time wearing high heels with long fancy finger nails and jewelry. Most would never think that I grew up running around climbing trees to playing football with my younger brother or having a great love and interest in cars. Nor, would most who do not know me ever think I'm capable of lifting heavy furniture by myself or picking up a bowling ball or a billiards pool cue and playing competitively. In my case alone I can get how many doctors wouldn't take me seriously based solely on my appearance.
The doctor who helped me by performing the specialized test to dx the spinal injury understood this about me. He and his wife who was his nurse and office manager took the extra time to get to know me. After explaining to them my upbringing and bowling since I was in diapers. Plus, my parents were semi pro bowlers. My mom was given the oppurtunity to become a full time pro bowler and was asked to join the pro tour. Both of them realized I can handle a lot of pain and not a big baby.
My ultimate goal after my back injury was to return back to working, bowling, and billards pool. I wanted to follow in my parents footsteps and look at possibly becoming a pro just as they had. When the MVAs happened and I had to quit competing up until after I had my surgery, they also wanted to see the same for me and were willing to do everything in their power to help me reach my goal. I had to express to them to not just stick me inside a box. It woyld be wise for them to think outside the box also when it comes to me from past experiences when I was younger. Thankfully they agreed and dod every test they could think of doing from PET scans down to bone scans. The actual test that dx the ruptured disc is a discogram.
It is so frustrating at how doctors never thought of performing this test. None of the doctors prior had ever mentioned this test. As you can imagine I was upset about this. Had the doctors kept a open mind and chose to really help me, I would not have been in that kind of pain for close to 4 years. I may not have ended up with as much nerve damage either.
With the nerve damage the ruptured disc was not the sole cause of it. I was also dx with having a split piriformis muscle that was pinching the sciatic nerve. I had to have surgery to cut one side of that muscle to release the sciatic nerve. If that wasn't enough, now comes the most recent dx of Tarlov Cysts that is conoressing my nerves too.
Only after these surgeries and doing pretty good afterwards up until I had a bad flare up but it being much more than that was when the MS possibility came into consideration. Now, I also learned the Tarlov Cysts were present when I had my spine surgery but my surgeon never mentioned this to me, nor, did he do anything about it when he was repairing my back. I learned later why he didn't do anything for the cysts and I agree with that.
What I disagree with is failing to mention this fact to me. I wonder more now how many times has something like this happened to people when a physicians fails to disclose that information. The saying is that doctors know best. In sone way this is true but not completely. The best doctor of your body is yourself.
My suggestion to everyone is, seek out help from as many physicians as it takes to help and dx the problems. Your own body says something is wrong, listen to it. Do not accept 1 doctor's answer. Get multiple opinions. Just because there may not be a cure for your condition does not mean to not get help. There may be treatments that can help. Just like MS, there isn't a cure for Tarlov Cysts either. I can relate to this issue. It does not stop me from getting help. I plan on returning back to bowling and billards pool competitively again once I come to a point my condition calms down as best as I can get it to.
Best wishes,
Diamond Tiger