I have a question for all my SSS friends, and even those who don't think of me as a friend. I've been suffering from an undiagnosed condition for over five years now, and in that time I've seen 27 doctors and specialists, been to five hospitals, and been subjected to numerous tests, some of which were very, very unpleasant.

I've become so sick of all the doctors that a month ago I finally decided I just couldn't do it anymore. I talked to my PC, and I informed him that I wanted to take more charge of my medical decisions, and I wasn't going to go to every doctor he could think of just on a hope and a prayer. It's not that I'm giving up really, but after all this time I think it would be more helpful for me to concentrate on learning to live with my condition intead of constantly aggravating it with new doctors. He didn't really disagree with me, as long as I would agree to go see one more specialist whose practice is 120 miles away. After that he said he would be willing to work with me more to manage my symptoms, and let me decide when I needed to see someone new.

Now the problem I have is that certain members of my family think I'm making an awful mistake. One even suggested that if I don't need all the doctors, then I'm probably not as ill as I "pretend" to be. So my question to all of you is this: Do you think there comes a time when it's better to work with what you've got than keep chasing a shadow with a slim chance at catching it? I've felt better since my decision, like a big weight has been removed from my shoulders, but I don't want to do the wrong thing just because it's easier for me. Any comments and suggestions would be hugely appreciated here.

Thank you all for taking the time to consider this...

Idealist