NeuroTalk Support Groups - Unidentified immune illness--were you told it's all in your head?

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- - Unidentified immune illness--were you told it's all in your head? (https://www.neurotalk.org/autoimmune-diseases/16740-unidentified-immune-illness-told-head.html)

All in your head is just another way of saying...I'm an incompetent doctor who doesn't know what other test to run.

There is no such thing as all in your head. Head issues are caused by malabsorption, environmental factors, physiological issues in the body which are correctable.

The day a doc says this to me, is the day I say bite me and see you later.

I have had CFS for 12 years. I got one year of no symptoms when I was on atkins diet. Then I was dx'd hyperthyroid, early graves. Thought it was a car wreck that put me back into it, but I was also adding back carbs. Have been gluten free with my son for 2 months(he has celiac), if in another month, it doesn't go away I will get off carbs all together.

GL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lily (Post 84885)

I was wondering if anyone else had been through a struggle to prove and identify any illness that had affected the immune system. Symptoms such as blurred vision, neurological dysfunction, sleep problems, malabsorption, etc. which sometimes don't show up in testing. In some cases testing is denied based on a doctor's opinion that it just isn't there--especially if the patient was already stamped as being depressed and anxious, which can accompany an authentic illness. I was just diagnosed with Somatization disorder and denied necessary testing that has left me with neurological problems which will undoubtedly now show up in testing, if I can convince a primary care physician to give me a referral. The somatization disorder description fits the criteria for many illnesses such as Gulf War Syndrome, pesticide exposure, or a number of other immune system disorders. Has anyone else ever been in this situation and fought it? I'm sure there are a few people out there that are hypochondriacs, but in this day and age when there are so many toxins in the environment and in our foods, the Somatization Disorder stamp seems like an easy write off to deny someone the use of their insurance and to explain an open-ended question which a doctor can't answer--what is it? I would be interested to know if anyone actually was able to legally fight a Somatization write off when they found proof of their illness and had been denied medical help.

Lily, you have hit the nail on the head with the insurance denial thing. Here is a quote from the Smoke and Mirrors article in my daughter's website, which I STRONGLY advise you to look at as it may be extremely helpful to you.

"A political decision was taken to rename M.E. as "chronic fatigue syndrome", the cardinal feature of which was to be chronic or on going "fatigue", a symptom so universal that any insurance claim based on "tiredness" could be expediently denied. The new case definition bore little relation to M.E.: objections were raised by experienced international clinicians and medical scientists, but all objections were ignored. To the serious disadvantage of patients, these psychiatrists have propagated untruths and falsehoods about the disorder to the medical, legal, insurance and media communities, as well as to Government Ministers and to Members of Parliament, resulting in the withdrawal and erosion of both social and financial support [for M.E. patients]. (2001, [Online) "

All in Your Head:

After hubby was injured in 1992 and had had 2 - 3 surgeries on a badly injured knee joint, the doctor's said the xrays showed it had healed and that there could be no pain. The slightest touch on his knee sent him through the ceiling.

In 1997 they finally said okay, they'd do a knee replacement because he had bone on bone contact and could barely walk. My husband is NOT a cronic complainer, and I could tell he was in pain. No one can fake it for that long without a slip up.

I'd come home from work and find him sprawled on the floor, his knee wasn't supporting him, after several trips to the doctor who did the last surgery, he said, (the doctor said) that my hubby couldn't possibly be in pain because his work was perfect! This poor man couldn't even stand to wear long pants, a breeze moving the hair on his leg put him in tears.

We finally got him an appointment with a pain management doctor, who after a mere 5 minutes in his office told us what was wrong, and started treatment that week. After three shots in the spine and about a dozen down his leg, the pain went away. He could wear jeans again, he was able to walk without a cane for the first time in years...he was diagnosed with RSD...and it CAN be treated!

He has since gone back to using the cane for support, it's coming up on time for another knee replacement but the doctors aren't sure its the best move because he is diabetic and probably wouldn't heal real well. There are also other health and mobility concerns that don't make him a good candidate for surgery. But he hasn't had to go back to the pain management doctor, that part of his treatment is still working....thank goodness.