Fibromyalgia does not exist.....

[Guest guest]

At least that was what I was told by the emergency room physician when my

legs wouldn't work Thursday evening. My brain was telling my legs to move

and they wouldn't/couldn't. I had been sitting out with the neighbours and

was heading home. I took two steps and then couldn't take any more. My

pain levels were through the roof. Firemen paramedics came first and

treated me like I was a mental patient. This started when one of my

neighbours called and then dispatch asked to talk to me. He asked me if I

wanted paramedics or Valu-Options which is a group that deals with mental

health and drug rehabilitation issues here in Phoenix. The paramedics were

extremely rude. One of them pinched my leg real hard and then said good

when I said it was still burning 10-15 minutes later where he pinched me.

Then they tried to intimate I was drunk....I had nursed two drinks in a 4-5

hour span without even coming close to finishing the second one and had NOT

taken any meds since early morning. Then the emergency doc told me that

fibro doesn't exist. . Emerg doc says doctors are paid to say fibromyalgia

exists. He also told me that when I have an MD at the end of my name I

could say whether something exists or not. I said I wanted to see someone

else and he said there was no one so I refused treatment and had my friends

come and literally carry me home. I still don't know what exactly happened

but after being set in the living room chair by one of my friends and

another neighbour they took off for about 45 minutes or more. I kept

gritting my teeth and trying to get my legs to work and finally made it to

the bathroom and got cleaned up and into bed. There was a messy bed pan

incident with a rude and incompetent nurse so I really needed to get cleaned

up well. I didn't sleep much Thursday night because there were sharp pains

in my legs of the pins and needles variety but pretty bad pain wise. But at

least I could walk some the next day. I managed to make it to work for one

of my shifts on Friday though I was still limping quite a bit. Saturday at

work was a little better. My legs are moving better but quite sore and I

have a really bad case of pins and needles alot. And of course insomnia

reared it's ugly head last night so I've only had about 2 hours sleep. I

had never been treated so badly by medical professionals (and I use the term

very losely here) before in my life. I still don't know why my legs quit

working but I do know that I will not go to that hospital again nor will I

call paramedics for myself again if I have any say in the matter. I'm still

angry over the incident though am working hard to put it behind me.

Bel (Sherryl)

[Guest guest]

Bel,

That is the worst story, I am so sorry but I can

completely understand what you went through. Just

remember that it is a disease and make sure to file a

complaint! It is sad that I wish for those who put us

down to take it on for a week or two, but maybe then

they would understand. That is why they call it

practicing medicine because they still need some

practice at times. It took me 3 years to find a

wonderful doc and I just kept moving on. I am praying

for you and you will get through this, I am again so

sorry for that experience.

Deb R

--- Bel wrote:

> At least that was what I was told by the emergency

> room physician when my

> legs wouldn't work Thursday evening. My brain was

> telling my legs to move

> and they wouldn't/couldn't. I had been sitting out

> with the neighbours and

> was heading home. I took two steps and then

> couldn't take any more. My

> pain levels were through the roof.

[Guest guest]

Bel,

That is the worst story, I am so sorry but I can

completely understand what you went through. Just

remember that it is a disease and make sure to file a

complaint! It is sad that I wish for those who put us

down to take it on for a week or two, but maybe then

they would understand. That is why they call it

practicing medicine because they still need some

practice at times. It took me 3 years to find a

wonderful doc and I just kept moving on. I am praying

for you and you will get through this, I am again so

sorry for that experience.

Deb R

--- Bel wrote:

> At least that was what I was told by the emergency

> room physician when my

> legs wouldn't work Thursday evening. My brain was

> telling my legs to move

> and they wouldn't/couldn't. I had been sitting out

> with the neighbours and

> was heading home. I took two steps and then

> couldn't take any more. My

> pain levels were through the roof.

[Guest guest]

What a horrendous ordeal you had to go thru.!!!!............I've worked for

" M.D.s " most of my adult life.......they are NOT God, and yet they seem to have

the God-Complex (as quoted by Alec Baldwin

in.......................shoot.........some damned movie!!!)

My heart aches for you, I'm sure we all have horror stories of one sort or

another, but my gosh............never quite like this for me personally. Hang

in there Sherryl and know that we got your back here.

STL Jane

[Guest guest]

What a horrendous ordeal you had to go thru.!!!!............I've worked for

" M.D.s " most of my adult life.......they are NOT God, and yet they seem to have

the God-Complex (as quoted by Alec Baldwin

in.......................shoot.........some damned movie!!!)

My heart aches for you, I'm sure we all have horror stories of one sort or

another, but my gosh............never quite like this for me personally. Hang

in there Sherryl and know that we got your back here.

STL Jane

[Guest guest]

Oh Bel, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I had a similar experience

about 2 months ago, I was too weak to stand, and too mentally impaired to

say 2 words together. So off to emerg, I was able to clearly but very slowly

stare that I had not had any intoxicants/meds. They left me lying there for

3 hours and when the doc came, he did my BP and a 2 minute neuro exam and

started yelling at me to go home. When I said I could not care for myself,

he said that it wasn't his problem, to go home and get my friends to do it.

I am sure he thought I was drunk even though I had explicitly stated not. I

will make a complaint, I'm just waiting for diagnostics for possible ammo.

Remember that YOU know your experience, that there is lots of scientific

evidence for what we have, and that the naysayers are the ignorant ones.

Just because one has an MD does not protect them from idiocy, and even they

cannot agree on what is going on with us. Please take care, and remember

that WE believe you! Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

Oh Bel, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I had a similar experience

about 2 months ago, I was too weak to stand, and too mentally impaired to

say 2 words together. So off to emerg, I was able to clearly but very slowly

stare that I had not had any intoxicants/meds. They left me lying there for

3 hours and when the doc came, he did my BP and a 2 minute neuro exam and

started yelling at me to go home. When I said I could not care for myself,

he said that it wasn't his problem, to go home and get my friends to do it.

I am sure he thought I was drunk even though I had explicitly stated not. I

will make a complaint, I'm just waiting for diagnostics for possible ammo.

Remember that YOU know your experience, that there is lots of scientific

evidence for what we have, and that the naysayers are the ignorant ones.

Just because one has an MD does not protect them from idiocy, and even they

cannot agree on what is going on with us. Please take care, and remember

that WE believe you! Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

Bel,

So much for the Hippocratic or should I say hypocritical oath. Have you

seen a Neurologists. Having Neurological deficits may not be the ideal

diagnosis but the ER may believe you. Any chance you are becoming

intolerant to alcohol?

Hugs from PA,

Di )

[Guest guest]

Oh my god! How awful for you. That is completely illegal. YOu need to report

the paramedics, the doctor you saw AND the hospital to your state's medical

board for extreme negligence and mistreatment! You are a pain patient and

you have rights! I don't know what state you are in but the US passed a pain

patient law a year or so ago in all states that says that pain patients have

the rigth to be treated with dignity and correctly and if a certain doctor

will not treat you, then you may request to be seen by someone else. If they

won't see you, it is against the law and the way that you were treated is

grounds for having their medical license suspended or removed. I hope you

will report what happened.!

Whitney

>

> At least that was what I was told by the emergency room physician when

> my

> legs wouldn't work Thursday evening. My brain was telling my legs to move

> and they wouldn't/couldn't.

[Guest guest]

Sherryl,

You need to contact the administrators of that hospital! That kind of

treatment just cannot be tolerated! Surely they have a patient advocate on

staff. I am irate, and it didn't even happen to me! I am so sorry that you

had to endure such harsh treatment. What is this world coming to?

English

[Guest guest]

I spoke to a doc at my church and she seems to feel it may be my back and

that something is causing the nerve to get pinced or something. She used

some word I don't remember. But I just have to hold on for another 7 months

or so til I get back to Canada and get my insurance back. I have someone

coming to give me an hour massage on Wed so hopefully that will help and I

plan to wear a heat pack to work today/tonight (gotta double today). I know

my back was in agony that night so I can believe it is something going on

with my back. I do know there are times at work when I'm carrying plates

and I can feel the hurt in my back. I don't think it had anything to do

with the alcohol. I think it had to do more with overdoing at work, being

stressed at home, getting into a freezing pool, etc.

Bel

[Guest guest]

I haven't been on the site for quite some time and saw your post. It

brought back alot of bad memories. I feel so much for what you went

through. Doctors can be such creeps sometimes-especially ones in ERs.

I used to go with chest pains and they were so ignorant. I went from

hospital to hospital ,as well. Finally ,I found one who gave me the

FM label and took time to explain it.

Fibromyalgia is such an elusive illness. You get such

strange reactions and symptoms.Don't despair, there are some good

ones out there too.

After a real fight with my GP, I finally got formally

diagnosed by a rheumatologist. When I told her my own doctor didn't

believe in FM her comment,said in disgust , was " If she doesn't

believe in FM,tell her to go back to medical school! " That was

several years ago.

I'd like to say those docs are in the minority but I think that

is not reality. The problem is doctors have the " god " complex and

when it comes to something they cannot figure out, they put it back

on the patient. It is frustration coupled with pomposity.

I used to spend hours researching FM, which helped some. If

for no other reason , I didn't feel I was just a hypochondriac,as

some docotrs made me feel. Sites like this help too,for the same

reason.

I also started a couple of support groups,which helped by drawing

attention to helping others.I think support groups can be really

helpful,especially for newbies, as long as they don't just turn into

moan and groan sessions.(I always told new members that was not what

it's about) but rather trying to find things that help. We always had

a member(or more) looking for humorous things and philosophical

blurbs.

Good luck.I was glad to hear you have many friends.That sure

helps. It sounds like you have many here ,as well.

[Guest guest]

I am so sorry that you had such a horrendous experience at the ER. I

would report those doctors and paramedics for sure. But regardless, it

is a shame that doctor's are allowed to act in such a manner. It still

leaves you with no explanation of what happened and why or what to do if

it happens again. I don't know if you have an internist that you do

trust and could ask that doc about it. I think that you and Aylwin have

both been treated as drunks and I think that everyone should be

insistent that they be given a blood alcohol test by the doc that

considers this the problem so that you can prove this is not the issue.

If they don't believe in fibro and you have proved alcohol is not the

issue, then tell them to make an accurate diagnosis right then. I wish

that we didn't have to prove anything at all and that docs would just

respect us. But I also think that we are not alone in being mistreated.

I recall going to the doctor with my grandmother and how they treated

her. She was totally cognitively intact but they treated her like an

idiot. I brought her in to see a doc onetime in a wheelchair, and he

wanted her to climb up onto an examining table. Now this was at a

health center only for geriatric folks and the wheelchair barely fit in

the exam room and of course she couldn't climb onto a narrow table with

no railings and a step up. I also had a colleague with two autistic

daughters and she had to fight to have docs believe her and diagnose the

kids and then to get the treatment she knew they needed and not the

doc's rote diagnosis. In general I think that anyone who can find a

doctor willing to listen and think outside the box and treat everyone as

an individual with different concerns and needs is lucky these days.

Sandrea