[elle]

Wow.. so a lot of changes have happened since the last time I visited any BT community. I am glad to see it's not completely gone though, I don't know where I would post this otherwise...

A couple years ago, I had some serious health issues- generalized wekaness and tremors that culminated in my having to use forearm crutches to walk for a couple months. Then it went away, I got pregnant, got healthy, had a baby, was still healthy. But in the last month I have started noticing many of the same early symptoms that happened before my previous big crash- fatigue, hands shaking so badly that I cannot do my job, clumsiness in fine motor skills, difficulty walking down stairs, heat intolerance, leg pain, etc.

I really want to find a healthcare provider to stop all this before it gets to be as bad as it was last time. I just cannot be sick right now. There is too much going on in my life. Two years ago, no diagnosis was ever made, even after lots of tests. My current GP is fantastic but he has told me numerous times that my condition is not his specialty. I have been considering going to see a DO who lists in his clinical interests "musculoskeletal disorders."

Does anyone have any experience with DO's? Did you like him/her better than MD's? I've read all the propaganda on the AOA website, and don't see too much difference between an MD and DO... Whats the deal with the osteopathic manipulative technique? Anyway, any advice on finding a healthcare provider who is willing to take the time and who has the resources (ie; specialists he can refer me to) to take on a patient with an extremely long history?

Thanks!
elle

[LindaM]

Hi Elle,
I'm sorry to hear that you have found the need to have to find BT once more, it sure does sound as if you have much going on, congrats on the baby and good health once again up until now.
Not to go in to any lengthy detail but this isn't the orginal BT but all the same a very dedicated place for help and support.
From my experience I love my DO he has taken the time and care with me like no other dr I have been to and what he can't help me with he doesn't stop looking until he findsd someone that can.
I can't say that all are this way or that it's he's a DO or that it's just the type of dr he is.
Myself I can only say that if your dr isn't helping then by all means try a DO for your PCP and go from there.
I'm sure others will be along with more knowledge then me.
I wish you the best of luck.
LindaM(suede)

[Chemar]

I have the highest regard for DO docs aka osteopaths. They have a more holistic approach which I prefer, yet they are fully qualified to practice conventional medicine and are in no way inferior to MDs

Here is a bit of background
http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ost_main

[BPMaiden]

I've had a very long & complicated medical history. This could be a long post but, I'm just going to say this...I come from a family of many nurses & a few M.D.'s. Grew up knowing what D.O.A. meant, before I knew ABC's. The first D.O. I ever saw was not by choice but by availability. I thought the care would be subpar...to the contrary. The best!

I moved out of state three years ago, feeling that I would never find a doctor so caring, and so devoted to managing my care, even though I had been seeing "prominent" specialists.

My son's new pediatrician gave me the names of some Internists because I knew no one. When she & I talked a bit about my medical problems, she said forget three of the four names I gave you...you only want to see Dr. X, D.O. "trust me," she said.

Unbelievable, this man is more up to date on the most complicated of neurological & psychiatric illness & treatment. He knows about disorders that the high priced, well known specialists don't know exist. He comes in the room, sits down, and let's you do the talking. As he put it, "I am responsible for every single one of my patients...it doesn't matter if Mrs. so & so, is being cared for by the best cardiologist. If something is not done when needed or if something goes wrong, I am responsible for her entire care - the entire health picture." He believes that the patient should speak about what ails them, and it is his main role is to LISTEN. Then he "translates," what the patient has conveyed to him, and then it is up to him to "treat," his patient to the best of his ability & qualifications. When it is beyond his realm, he will then refer to whom he has a high level of confidence in, and if for some reason, the specialist isn't getting the job done, he lights a fire, and takes action quickly.

I wouldn't be here this moment if it wasn't for this incredible gift to medicine. I told him once, that I had always been a tad biased against D.O.'s, and yet it has only been under the care of a D.O., that I have received the best care...nothing left undone, and yet so conservative with ordering fancy tests etc, and I asked him why this was. He laughed and said that D.O.'s are trained to "focus" on the patient, to listen to them as they know their body the best. He said, without that as a foundation, something key may be missed, and often in modern medicine this happens. Not enough listening to, and learning about a patient.

I just can't say enough about the level of professionalism, dedication, and yet so personanle, that I have received from D.O.'s. I really think they can teach those with their M.D.'s a thing or two!! IMHO

[elle]

Thank you all for your replies. I am glad to hear that you all have found that DO's live up to their claims of treating the whole patient and ecpertise in nerves and muscles. In no way was I inferring that DO's were inferior, just curious as to the differences in quality of care. On the other hand, I am finding it rather difficult to schedule an appt- every time I call, they are closed for something :lol: I guess I just don't keep convenient hours for business people.

Originally Posted by LindaM

Hi Elle,
I'm sorry to hear that you have found the need to have to find BT once more, it sure does sound as if you have much going on, congrats on the baby and good health once again up until now.
Not to go in to any lengthy detail but this isn't the orginal BT but all the same a very dedicated place for help and support.

Thank you for the well wishes! From reading back, I had gathered that this was not the original BT, but was hoping it had the same sort of atmosphere and information. I am just really glad that all the people from BT are not lost and widely dispersed throughout cyberspace! Thanks for being here!

[Curious]

i have used both elle. my dad prefers do's and my mom md's.

the do's that i have experience with, have treated me a person, not a medical chart. let me activley participate in my own treatment. basically don't treat me like some dumb blonde monkey.

when my mother had her run ins with dr's and hospitals last summer...the md's i encountered were the worst. treated her like she was some old feeble woman. ( and they caused the problems with the meds they gave her and lied about it!) after i hi-jacked her and took her to another hospital, did i finally find a dr in the er that listened when i read her past lab reports and medical history. since she trusts md's, i still take her to that md. he saved her life.

keep trying elle. leave them messages. you might be catching them on lunch breaks. my do actually takes his after the morn linch hour to accomodate the people who need lunch time appointments.

[Dillon1954]

Originally Posted by elle

Wow.. so a lot of changes have happened since the last time I visited any BT community. I am glad to see it's not completely gone though, I don't know where I would post this otherwise...

A couple years ago, I had some serious health issues- generalized wekaness and tremors that culminated in my having to use forearm crutches to walk for a couple months. Then it went away, I got pregnant, got healthy, had a baby, was still healthy. But in the last month I have started noticing many of the same early symptoms that happened before my previous big crash- fatigue, hands shaking so badly that I cannot do my job, clumsiness in fine motor skills, difficulty walking down stairs, heat intolerance, leg pain, etc.

I really want to find a healthcare provider to stop all this before it gets to be as bad as it was last time. I just cannot be sick right now. There is too much going on in my life. Two years ago, no diagnosis was ever made, even after lots of tests. My current GP is fantastic but he has told me numerous times that my condition is not his specialty. I have been considering going to see a DO who lists in his clinical interests "musculoskeletal disorders."

Does anyone have any experience with DO's? Did you like him/her better than MD's? I've read all the propaganda on the AOA website, and don't see too much difference between an MD and DO... Whats the deal with the osteopathic manipulative technique? Anyway, any advice on finding a healthcare provider who is willing to take the time and who has the resources (ie; specialists he can refer me to) to take on a patient with an extremely long history?

Thanks!
elle

With all those symptoms you really need a Neruoligist.I had pretty much all you are saying you have and eventually was dxed withPLS.Primary Lateral Scelosis
Dillon

[Dillon1954]

Originally Posted by Dillon1954

With all those symptoms you really need a Neruoligist.I had pretty much all you are saying you have and eventually was dxed withPLS.Primary Lateral Scelosis
Dillon

ohhh and I prefer D.O. the extra attention in training is that skelatel problems can cause physical symptoms.Not many of them do spinal adjustments ect ect anymore.and please dont grade me on spelling
Dillon

[elle]

Originally Posted by Dillon1954

With all those symptoms you really need a Neruoligist.I had pretty much all you are saying you have and eventually was dxed withPLS.Primary Lateral Scelosis
Dillon

I know that eventually I will need to see a neuro, but it's important that you have a PCP that is at least familiar with what your medical problems are (whether it's neuro, heart, endocrine, etc), and preferably takes an interest in it as well. My logic in finding a new PCP is that if I can find a general health practioner who already has patients who have musculo-skeletal/neurological health issues, s/he may be more familiar with who's who in that specialty of medicine and will be better able to find someone who can help.

My last experience was crazy. Because it was my first incidence with ataxia, everything was ordered and arranged as an emergency. I got the first available neuro who could see me- not necessarily one who specialized in movement disorders, ms, pn etc. I got emergency MRI's, they were read by the first available radiologist, again not necessaarily the best clinician for what was wrong with me.

Now that I know that it is not an emergency, I am content to wait, provided I am seeing specialists and even a PCP who takes a genuine interest and has knowledge about what's going wrong in my body. I don't think I will ever allow myself to get swallowed into the house-on-fire approach again. Things did get done faster, but the quality of care was incredibly poor. My "stat" tests got mixed up with other people's, my neuro had a terrible bedside manner, and it all caused a lot of unneccessary craziness in a time when I was already scared and crazy!

Anyway, I did go to see the DO, and I liked him. I don't really see a whole lot of difference between him and any other doctor after one meeting. He seems to know who he wants to send me to, and did not talk down to me at all. We will see if he follows through on it all, or if I fall through the medical cracks. We talked about if my rudimentary bloodwork came back normal (cbc, chem, thyroid and arthritis panels, which they did come back normal) sending my prvious diagnostics, and current stuff out for panelled case review. I live in a good area to be sick- there are lots of medical professionals around. It's just a matter of finding the right one.

Thanks again for the responses.

[Llonghair]

A couple years ago, I had some serious health issues- generalized wekaness and tremors that culminated in my having to use forearm crutches to walk for a couple months. Then it went away, I got pregnant, got healthy, had a baby, was still healthy. But in the last month I have started noticing many of the same early symptoms that happened before my previous big crash- fatigue, hands shaking so badly that I cannot do my job, clumsiness in fine motor skills, difficulty walking down stairs, heat intolerance, leg pain, etc.

Elle,

Scroll down to Gluten Sensitive/Celiac Disease and post the above. I too felt wonderful during pregnancy but would get this horrible fatigue after delivering. Years later they diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Finally with the help of braintalk I discovered I had Celiac Disease which can cause every symptom you mentioned. If you read you will find that this disease can show up after a stressful situation and childbirth is mentioned many times as when females first notice their symptoms. Although if you look back to your childhood, many times you can point to symptoms that were ignored.

Hope things get better for you.