I thoroughly am disappointed at doctors. I again attempt to get my doc (read my PA) to listen to me that there’s something not right. I have been having a series of odd symptoms for years now that keep increasing in magnitude. I keep going and they keep giving me pills. At this point I don’t want to take them anymore…for in the past when I have, I get some sort of wild side effect.
My symptoms are general joint pain, specially in the neck, lumbar, fingers, knees, shoulders and ankles. Yes, I realiase that’s most of my joints barring my pelvis, elbows and toes. I also have awful headaches, weird chills where I’m either cold when everyone is hot or hot when everyone is cold. I get excruciating headaches, that start with my daily neck pain and move on to full migraines. There are days I wake up with a headache. There are also days I wake up with blurred vision and a weird trembling feeling as if I was standing on a shaking platform. I get tinnitus, which Adderall just makes it 100x louder…but without it I would have immense fatigue.
I also know I have a genetic condition (trait) that makes me anemic with a typical hemoglobing that hovers around 10 +/- 0.5. And I have a history of something called Pseudotumor Cerebri…fancy name for brain pressure, but not to be confused with hydrocephalus, which is water in the brain.
Anyhow, the doc thinks I’m depressed, and order me up with all sorts of antidepressants I never fill. I’m beginning to collect these scripts. Or they think I need opiates and babituates to control the pain…I have a pretty collection of these scripts too. My medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy filled with all sorts of potent NSAIDs and things with codeine in it…all mostly full because I hate the side effects and refuse to take anymore…eventually I return to my routine of tylenol/advil and rest.
Once again today I return because I was nauseus and dizzy and had pain on my left side…and I had yet another headache. She decides it’s a migraine and prescribes a barbituate. Unfortunately hubby drove and insisted I fill the prescription…Something with butalbital, aspirin and caffeine. I lied about my headache being gone tonight and didn’t take it, instead asked for my typical tylenol to take the edge off.
What I keep saying to the doc (PA) is that I want to know WHY my joints hurt…WHY I have headaches and WHY I’m fatigued all the time. Finally she’s going to call the neurologist she referred me to and move my appointment to a more urgent next-couple-of-days as opposed to within 3 weeks +.
Could be the PTC return, could be I have migraines, could be it’s all in my head and they can diagnose me with that famous catchall fybromyalgia. “We know you have pain but don’t know why…try this other pill.”
It amazes me how quick they are to give out opiates and barbituates and other-ates to people they see once in a while…for all they know I abuse drugs and complain of pain everywhere. It’s no wonder people with a propensity to get addicted to things eventually do…these docs give out anything to anyone. And on top of that, things that could interact…just last month she gave me a script for Cymbalta…and today she’s giving me a barbituate… Some of us want to find out what’s wrong with us first before we try something…specially CNS interacting molecules!
Or maybe I know too much darned chemistry to accept just any molecule in concentrated dosages. I have seen these reps, I play tennis with a couple, and there is no way docs and reps have really any idea what all these molecules do and contraindications they may have…
Technorati Tags: prescription drugs, over prescribed
its because u are a woman. doctors NEVER listen to women. they think we are simply being hysterical.
By: thedisgruntledplanner on October 11, 2008
at 3:51 pm
I took an online class with Dr. Howard Schubiner about the mindbody.
Have you read any books by Dr. John Sarno?
If not. At least give it a try. The Mindbody Prescription is good.
He makes great points about what he calls TMS or tension myositis syndrome. Which is just a psychosomatic illness but, people don’t like the word psychosomatic.
I know and obviously. Dr. Sarno knows that the DSM took out the word psychosomatic and replaced it with somatic.
The book seems to be primarily about back pain and other physical pains. He also included how anxiety, depression, panic and even ocd are equivalents to TMS.
Meaning that the pain or anxiety or compulsive behavior is used a s a distraction by the unconcious mind.
I can’t really explain it all in one post. I highly suggest the book. After just learning about TMS, all my physical pain left, even my anxiety was gone and my energy level was better than it had been in many years.
It all went away for 1 week then it all returned. Its been a little over 2 weeks since the pain, anxiety and fatigue has returned.
I found your posts when searching bi polar.
I went for a check up and I told the doctor of how great I felt that 1 week. She then asked me had I ever been diagnosed with bi polar disorder.
Great! Just what I needed another label!
Just b/c I had some amazing energy like a young man my age should have and I couldnt sleep well that week, she thinks I should check into bi polar disorder. Do you know the fear that ran through my body? She might as well have told me I had brain cancer.
I’m already labeled as having panic disorder, anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, health anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder with no compulsions, hypochondriac. When will this labeling end?
I currently do not take any meds. i was on meds for over 15 years. They never found the “right” meds. So, I just gave up. After all I feel better without meds b/c I dont have side effects.
I was told by a psychiatrist and I quote, “I can assure you that people do not beat this!” Referring to anxiety and ocd.
What about that 1 week?
How do you explain that? I listened and read some info on TMS, do a little therapeutic writing and all of a sudden I feel better for a whole week? What caused it? What caused the pain to come back?
I have suffered for around 15 years. It was great.
I feel I can’t beat this but I am in need of psychotherapy in my opinion.
Noone around here does psychotherapy. Theres some therapists and a few psychiatrists but thats all.
Are you able to see my email addy? If so , email me. I’ll bookmark the page and see if you comment back.
I’d like to know what you think about the program or the book.
I’d also like to know how you are doing.
I loved your piece about bi polar, obviously because of what the physician said and I had read the symptoms and seen that alot of these emotions seemed very human to me. I to wanted to know where they draw the line and diagnose ppl with bi polar.
I’ll check back later. I hope you get well soon!
By: walter on October 14, 2008
at 1:21 pm
Let me correct the following:
“I feel better for a whole week? What caused it? What caused the pain to come back?
I have suffered for around 15 years. It was great.
I feel I can’t beat this but I am in need of psychotherapy in my opinion.”
When I said ,”It was great!” I was referring to the 1 week that I had.
and when I said:
“I feel I can’t beat this but I am in need of psychotherapy in my opinion.”
I meant to say, I feel I CAN beat this.
Sorry for the mistakes!
By: walter on October 14, 2008
at 1:26 pm
I think I see where you’re going with this Walter. I partly agree with you because days that I’m stressed I do feel a little more run down…as if my body tells me to just sleep a little longer. On vacations ofcourse we never feel this way because everything it new! But I think we may also tend to ignore other aches and pains when we’re not stressed…as if the mind is craving excitement and can’t wait to get to the next excitement regardless of pain.
I feel that way when I play sports. I can fatigue to exhaustion when I exercise in a gym…say on a treadmill. You want to see me huffing and puffing is me on a treadmill…I yawn, I bitch and complain. But a sport? Oh my, I can walk off just about anything just to perfect a tennis stroke, or go for one more soccer ball to try and get a goal… I just don’t feel the pain because I’m so entrenched in the excitment of trying one more time! I can play tennis for 3 hours and not feel it until I sit down, whereas I can do 10 minutes on a stupid treadmill and just about die.
Perhaps it’s an ADD thing…perhaps you just helped figure out why I am aching…I’m bored as hell. That’s why for things I have to figure out how to fix I can spend hours concentrated…for things I find easy, I can spend hours trying to finish it.
THanks Walter, I think I need to trick my body into thinking everything is a game…I think you are on to something here! I appreiate your comments!!!
By: fernieville on October 14, 2008
at 1:58 pm