What if the Doctor's won't diagnose you?

Question

I have been going to doctor's for years about very severe pain I have and for years they have been treating me like I'm crazy. Recently someone suggested that I might have fibromyalgia. I looked up all the information I could find on it and am convinced that this is what is wrong with me. I went to a doctor and told her my opinion and she said oh, no...it's syatica (this is like the 10th DIFF diagnosis I have received from different doctors for the same pain). It is NOT syatica. I am at the end of my rope and don't know what to do to get the doctor's to listen to me but I'm sick of being treated as crazy and being dismissed...Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi Andrea, I totally understand your frustration and I'm sure most others posting on this question probably do as well. In addition to finding a pain specialist, in the meantime try to see if any NSAIDs work to help reduce your pain. I never had any luck with any prescription meds and I refuse to take narcotics, but I've found pretty good pain relief by taking 800 mg. of Aleve and a 1000-mg. flaxseed oil capsule every night at bedtime, and I take Arnica, a homeopathic herb, as needed for flareups. Check out the links below, and please let us know how you find relief. Take care.

Answer 2

My last doctor quit his practice shortly after sending me a dismissal letter, my first one ever, and I was one of his "unsolveds" on pain. Usually I'm the one who leaves when I figure out they're not going to help me and are just running through a gamut of things to keep me from thinking they're not helping, all the while making me feel like a crazy person for bothering to go. That last one was sure if I just got a brand new life--haha!!--I'd be well again, no pain whatsoever, coz I'd be "too busy" to notice. I was in COLLEGE, and have other things keeping me busy, so that was bull.

What turned out to be wrong with me, in part, was what I told him, of all things huh?, asthma and allergies, but he never would listen to me about asthma or allergies until I had severe anaphylaxis and well, died at the hospital and had to be revived. Then he suddenly started listening. At least I'm alive....

I haven't gone to a new family doc yet coz I'm afraid to coz I know what people think when a doctor dismisses them. They either think the person is looney or malingering. What am I getting out of though? Nothing. Not one thing. I still do all my activities and want to do more. I guess you and I just need to find someone who thinks with their brains and not with their wallets.

So far I'm doing fine on my own with just an allergist. You need to keep with whatever specialists your doctor sends you to and always have any test results sent to each doctor at the same time. That helps.

I think doctors expect you to leave paper trails all day every day you're sick in order for them to listen. They don't understand that you can only go when you're really, really, really down coz it's expensive and time consuming to do otherwise.... They focus on data anymore, and not on what's in front of them. They mess up a lot that way....

Hope your issue becomes known for whatever it might actually be, and that you in the meantime fight it the best you can. Keep active. Eat healthy. Take care of yourself.

Answer 3

I know what your going through. Not exactly, but I've had allot of health problems in my life and sometimes doctors blow you off or treat you like your crazy when you know something is wrong. Plus you can't trust doctors either because they don't always know what their doing. I would just keep seeing different doctors until they figure it out. And you start to feel better. I know that can get really expensive. But that is what I would do. And don't get too hung up on the Internet. Sometimes when you read about illnesses you can almost convince yourself that you have something.

Answer 4

Have you gone to a good chiropractor? They are better at understanding muscle or joint pain. Maybe they can figure it out, or at least alleviate the symptoms.
You may have fibromyalgia. Doctors who understand this problem are hard to find. I recommend finding a fibromyalgia support group in your area; perhaps they can recommend a doctor and give other useful advice.

Answer 5

There are doctors that specialize in chronic pain management. Their job is to diagnose the cause of chronic pain, and they can treat it with a variety of different procedures and medications. Pain Management clinics are popping up all over the nation..You are not crazy, you need to go to a doctor that specializes in chronic pain treatment. Try this website to find a doctor in your area. http://www.asipp.org/. Hope you get the help you need.

Answer 6

I know how you feel. You are a women and they automatically blame it on anxiety or your crazy. Don't give up. I had to go to 3 different doctors to get my heart condition diagnosed. ( I was in my late 20's) See as many doctors you need to till you get enough test and a accurate diagnosis. It is your body, only you know how you feel.

Answer 7

Yours is a typical story of someone who has fibromyalgia. I am quite fortunate in that my doctor is not quite as uninformed as the ones you've been to. Visit my fibromyalgia webpage and check out the links: http://www.geocities.com/seabulls69/fibromyalgia.html

Answer 8

ask them to test you for diseases that will have fibromyaglia as a symtpom. this is what joint and bone pain is....a symptom of something else.

things to test for, lyme disease, hepatitis b, hepatitis c.
it could just be brought on by stress.....stress triggers an enzyme that will affect the joints. there are many other diseases out there....ask your doctor.

print this out and take it with you to your next docs appt.

i would also like to say that with hcv the alt and ast levels are sometimes not affected, so have them run an antibody test!

good luck!

Answer 9

fibromyalgia is recognized as a real disease yet....yet in know many people that suffer from it. Someday it WILL be recognized and they will be more willing to diagnose it.

http://www.fibroandfatigue.com/aboutus.php?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=over&utm_campaign=fibromyalgia&OVRAW=fibromyalgia%20treatment&OVKEY=fibromyalgia%20treatment&OVMTC=standard
http://www.2line.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl/page=FibromyalgiaTreatment.html
http://arthritis.about.com/od/fibromyalgia/

here are some web pages for treatment and centers, hope this helps out.

Answer 10

go to a specialist, if your already seeing a specialist find another for a second opinion.