"Chronic Complainers"???

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
"Chronic Complainers"???
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Tue, 09-14-2004 - 9:47am
I got the book, Living Well with Autoimmune Disease, by Mary Shomon, from the library last week and it's interesting to read. But one part really struck me. There's an association called the Anerican Autoimmune Related Diseases Assoc. (AARDA). They conducted a surcye in 1996 that found that patients with an autoimmune disease saw an average of 6 doctors over a 6 year period before getting a diagnosis. And 60% of them were labeled "chronic complainers" by their doctors!!!!

There's so much here. First, that our suspicions were actually true. In some bizzarre "Seinfeldesque" way - doctors really do label you if you're a problem patient. So that means that they just don't listen to you at all once they've given the label. I'm sure all future complaints only serve to compound the problem. Unbelieveable!! Or maybe too shockingly believeable. Or sadly so!

Another point here is that doctors can be so lame that it takes that many doctors over that period of time to finally find one that knows what he or she is doing!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!! Can you imagine having to take your car to 6 different mechanics over 6 years to find out why it isn't working properly? It's unimaginable. And yet for our health, it's seems to be an acceptable practice. That's just infuriating to me. (Can you tell? LOL!)

But the good news for us and the point I think we have to keep in mind is that we are not making it up - as Dave Barry likes to say - when we feel that our doctors don't know what they're doing, aren't listening to us and haven't given us either the proper diagnosis and/or treatment. It truly isn't us, it's them! And so when you leave your current doctor to find yet another one that might have the answer for you, you're only doing what the majority of thyroid patients and others have to do in order to get taken care of. Don't be afraid to leave your doctor and find a new one!! It may make all the difference in the world to your health and well being. Ok - I'm stepping off the soapbox now! LOL! Cathy :)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 11:00am
Man that is crazy, I always knew they did that to an extent, but not listening? Isn't that their job? I could just not listen to people and get paid a dr salary!!! LOL!! Well thanks for the information I got my test results back and the dr says everything is normal. TSH 2.96 Cortisol 7.6 and T3 is 107. Is that normal?
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-17-2003
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 2:37pm
Hi Cathy...

I'm with you on the doctors...they are totally frustrating to me. I myself was trying to conceive when I found out I was hypothyroid. How did I find out? My fertility Dr. had done a TSH test on me, but told me everything was fine. I had read on the Internet about the antibody test, so I went back to my fertility Dr. and literally made them test me. A few days later, they called me and told me my antibodies were high and I should start taking thyroid medicine. DUH!!

Anyway, needless to say I dumped that Dr. and went to another. I have a 6-month old son now!!

Take care,

Becky

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2003
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 2:59pm
My best friend went to the same doctor for a couple of years and recently when she changed doctor she obtained a copy of her medical records and the things that the doctor wrote in them are completly rediculous like he asked her her kids were causeing her any stress and she said well sure, some don't all kids do that at least some of the time and he wrote "patient came in complaining of stress due to family problems" the whole file was so full of crap that he made up it makes her seem like a total whinner and she has refused to give it to the new doctor becuase she doesn't want it to taint his veiw of her, so think on that one.....

Michelle
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 4:13pm
Wow - I never really thought about that. How amazing is that? I can't imagine what would be in my last endo's file on me! She probably has a great big box filled to the brim with her "thoughts"! LOL!! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 4:14pm
I answered you on your other post! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 09-14-2004 - 4:16pm
Hi Becky - well, congratulations on the baby!! Thank goodness you did some research on your own. I hope you have a good doctor now! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-18-2004
Sat, 09-18-2004 - 8:26pm
Amen Cathy! I've been through three. Finally landed one (sounds like fishing), that believes in patient directed care. She dosen't object to me saying 'no, we're not dropping my dosage, I haven't felt this good in years'.

I'm new to the boards, surfed them to see if they would be benificial, good job by the way! I was diagnosed with Graves in 1995, and have been up and down, round and round...till now. I opted for the radioactive iodine and am now hypo. Even though my levels were with in 'acceptable ranges' I was still suffering low thyroid symptoms. During this period I was diagnosed with PMDD...given serafem still no change, on to prozac, no change lets try effexor, back to prozac just more of it. Good Lord! Then there was the IBS, fuzzy thinking, low concetration, "do you have ADD in your family?" I was actually asked that! When I was going through a very stressful period of life, death of a parent, I was retested and need a 'boost' so my dosage was increased. What a difference!

PMS, IBS all of it was gone!!!! but then I was too high. Back down we go. Too low back up we go. 6 years of this BS and he got fired. Would have been fired sooner but that was an HMO. The one I have now is listening to me. But, with this kind of freedom comes responciblity on my part to stay educated, eat right, excersize even when I don't want to and in general live a healthier life style. I've learned that if you don't, your doctor has no choice but to go to the acceptable protocol. They have to answer to higher ups too. So to all of my fellow Hypos out there, Live healthy, think healthy, GET Healthy. Don't give up your doctor is out there!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 09-19-2004 - 7:31pm
I guess that I am very lucky that my doc took me seriously right away. Of course, I am also one of those people that NEVER goes to the doctor unless there is a serious problem (i.e., once I had bronchitis!) so if I go, then something is really bothering me.

My doctor's first instinct was my thyroid and he was right on the money. He says that he has "lots" of thyroid patients. He says that in the midwest he has seen more thyroid patients than he saw when he was in medical school out east. Interesting, huh?

Leigh Anne

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Sun, 09-19-2004 - 8:52pm
That is interesting about the midwest.
 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Mon, 09-20-2004 - 9:34am
I'm so glad that you found someone who I able to help you become stablized. All that up and down has got to be nerve wracking!! And you're absolutely right - we do have a responsibility to take good care of ourselves. It helps with everything. Hope to see you around more often! Cathy :)

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