Posted by Jackie (207.137.176.62) on July 09, 1999 at 19:41:33:
In Reply to: Dr. Sarcasm Strikes Again!! posted by Elka on July 09, 1999 at 12:37:47:
Elka:
That's a true horror story. I'm so sorry it happened.
I couldn't resist posting on this topic. I've
had clusters for 35 years and have gone through
many doctor problems during that time. Thank god
I do now have a neuro who knows about clusters.
However, in the meantime, the universe decided to
play a big joke on me. Because of my stress and
totally worn down immune system, which resulted
from the clusters, I developed Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (CFS). It started with a bad flu that never
quite went away. Well, if you think doctors are
bad with cluster patients, you ain't seen nothing.
The internist that I gone to for many years suggested
that I just needed a change of scenery. He also
said I needed a therapist. I then got another
internist. She did all the lab work, found nothing,
and said there was nothing else she could do for me.
I went to specialist, who diagnosed CFS within 10
minutes of talking to me. Apparently, I do have
a fairly classic case. For reasons I won't go into
here, this doctor could not do disability paperwork.
My second internist agreed to do the paperwork.
However, when I saw her yesterday, she said she
would only give me a few more weeks. She said, "You,
know, a lot of people don't believe CFS exists."
I said, "I know, but I can only speak for myself.
I'm ill, I can't work, and I need to be on disability."
By this time, I was getting upset because she
obviously was questioning the validity of my illness.
She responded by asking if I was seeing a psychologist.
So, in other words, first, she gets me upset by
her insensitivity, then she says I need therapy.
Well, this whole post got a bit longer than I intended,
but it's pretty unbelievable. Dealing with my
doctors is causing me as much stress as dealing
with my illnesses.
Jackie