spiritualawakening

     I told you my story so far of the poor treatment I have been receiving for my physical illness. I am now going to tell you what I learned from being so sick. Here are some tips that some people might find handy.

1) Even if you are young you should always have a doctor.

I thought I wouldn’t get sick until I was at least in my fifties and perhaps not until my sixties or seventies. The truth is we never know what is going to happen. I am 31 and in severe pain from day to day. I still do not know what is wrong, and am still going through tests. I may have been able to reach a diagnoses by now, had I had a doctor. It is very important to have a doctor, just in case this happens. If you go each year just for a physical, you can build the relationship and know that your doctor is reliable and good for when you really need them.

2) Never tell another doctor how bad the last one was.

This is a mistake I made. The new doctor took it personal. She felt like I had called her a bad doctor because I said the doctors I had gone to were quacks. They don’t like to hear that, even if it is the truth. It made her angry and unwilling to help me.

3) Do not switch doctors just because you get a new insurance plan.

You may think I will have better insurance so I am going to find the best doctor in town. This is a mistake. If you are not well do not switch. Even if you suspect it is just the flu and you will be over it in a couple weeks. When my illness started I thought I would be better in a couple weeks and did just that. I thought nothing was going to be that bad. I was wrong. Stay with them until you feel better completely. Don’t risk going through a list of bad doctors , when you could’ve stayed and got the treatment you needed.

4) Always ask questions.

It is always good to be informed. One of the doctors ran a cat scan on my stomach. It came back normal. I didn’t say anything. Then later I wondered what that had ruled out. I didn’t even know what they were looking for. I didn’t know what a cat scan can show. I found out that didn’t mean I was in the clear, even though the tests were normal. I found this on my own. The doctor never told me. It is good to hit them with as many questions as you have, because some doctors will not offer any information without inquiry. Also, when finding out new information, ask, ask, and ask. I almost had to give three stool samples because they didn’t tell me there was a certain procedure to follow. It was to be given between 8 and 5, there was to be no urine in it, no toilet paper, and it was to be turned into the lab within two hours. None of this was told to me. So i did it twice, and the second sample I almost messed up because of the urine and toilet paper. I won’t go into details. If I had asked though, I wouldn’t have had such a problem.

5) Along the same lines, do your own research.

Doctors may have a list of your family medical history, but in the U.S. they do not focus on the whole being. They focus on the symptom, and not what caused the symptom. If you look up your symptoms you may find something that makes more sense to you than the doctor. You have all the puzzle pieces. You know you ate out last week and thats when it started. The doctor has no idea you ate out and that this could help figure out the problem. He has no idea you were out in a wheat field with your uncle, or that you just bought a cat. I know this may seem silly, but these things could be a key to your health mystery. Perhaps you are allergic to cats, have a case of food poisoning, and some bug bit you in the field. If they just give you medicine to treat the nausea you are experiencing, because you are allergic to cats, you will not get better. You will mask the problem. I had several things going on when my pain first started that I finally realized may be the cause. I had started Gabapentin, a new birth control, and moved all at once. Well the new doc just asked what meds I was on. I was the one who eventually made the correlation. Once I quit one of the meds my symptoms improved. I also started to suspect mold in the house. For those of you who don’t know, mold can cause death, or at least that is the experience of some. It isn’t proven for sure, but if you ask someone whose life has been ruined by it they will tell you it is fact. These were things I brought up at the doctor. They don’t think mold is the cause but getting off the med helped.

It is also good to know all of the side effects of your medications. I had quit reading them because I wouldn’t take the medication at all if I read them. I might have stopped the Gabapentin earlier if I had read the side effects. This is also to ensure your safety. You could have an allergic reaction to a med and not even know it. You may think I am just itching. Sometimes something like that can be a sign to go to the ER.

I also like to put my symptoms into a symptom checker. It may give you ideas to throw at the doctor. They may not like this, but it is your life so why not try to make sure you are getting the best treatment.

6) One insurance plan can be much better than two.

     I thought having a second insurance plan would be a guarantee that I would get the treatment I needed. All it has done is make it twice as hard to find a doctor. They take one or the other so they can’t see me. They take both but the wrong one is primary, so they can’t see me. Somehow the combination seems to void out 90% of the available doctors in my area.  In my experience one plan is much more helpful.

Well, that is all I can think of in this moment. If I had known these things I may be healthier or at least have a diagnoses by now. I hope this helps. Oh, and one more thing I have no personal experience of. When you are going in for surgery it is recommended you mark the area to be worked on. I have heard stories of the left leg being amputated instead of the right one, which had the disease. I have also heard of people having something done besides what they went in for. Just as a safety precaution it is good to write on the body part “This one” or such. I don’t know how often this kind of thing happens. I like to believe it doesn’t happen often, but people do make mistakes. And always check your pills from the pharmacy. I have had experience with that. Once they gave me capsules that were three times my normal dose. The best thing is to be informed and be in charge of as much as you can. Happy health to you all.