Re: Re: doctors

[Guest guest]

> Patients have responsibility too that we owe to our doctors...to

> tell the truth, ...to give the doc every chance to thoroughly

> examine, run tests, and do what they need to do to properly treat us.

Wow, that there that you say here is quite the thing, isn't it?

1 -

" tell doctors the truth " -

Well, I try, but, sometimes truth escapes me, not that I'm being

dishonest, but, it won't help me to tell my doctors where they may

have disappointed me. I have learned to just expect less, have learned

to be grateful for what they offer that works even if it is simply

compassion and little else.

2 -

" to know our symptoms and to report all of them " -

I was thinking of making a list of all the symptoms I have experienced

having never ever mentioned them to any doctor, not even the ones who

called me a hypchondriac. There's a load of symptoms I never mentioned

to docs. I just don't think of them, or, if they do not get in the way

of what I must do, especially when I was working, well, it just never

occurred to me to mention them to my doc.

When working, I saw my doctors for symptoms preventing me from

working, couldn't possibly think of all the other stuff going on with

me. When things were so bad I barely get to work anymore, I did make a

list of my most serious (not all) symptoms for my doctors. One of my

docs tried to take my list of symptoms out of my hand, as if she could

read my writing, understand my one word reminders; the other one was

bored after the 2nd symptom. My list had at least 7 symptoms, serious,

job-threatening symptoms, already causing me to lose time at work.

3 -

" to give the doc every chance to thoroughly examine, run tests, and

do... " -

We do our best. We know, especially at this stage of our illness when

we join support groups, how important it is to help our doctors help

us, but getting there may be so taxing, we have no energy left to

communicate. If I can communicate, I babble and ramble and cannot shut

up, hoping for my doc's intervention with decent questions. My doctor

is understanding of this tendency of CFS/FMS/OI patients. He makes

hour appointments with us so he can make notes of what happens over

the hour. Personally, I calm down and become more cogent by the end of

the hour if I'm able to get there on time, a real challenge for me.

But, it depends. That's the point. We aren't dependable anymore.

And that's ok. It's all ok. I'll be ok. No matter how it seems in any

given moment, my life has its charms.

Like support groups, people talking together who suffer similarly and

electricity, the " internet tubes " and computers and all that's

necessary for us to communicate from far and wide. Charmingly

reassuring that I am not all THAT crazy.

: )

toni