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When you are diagnosed with C.F.S./M.E., Fibromyalgia, or in fact any other chronic condition, it is wise to fix the symptoms both in your own and in your Primary Care Physician’s log. When a new symptom occurs it is always frightening. On the one hand your existing condition may have become worse and on the other hand, you might have developed a new condition. How to differentiate between these two possibilities? Do not. New symptoms should always be registered in your Physician’s log and most importantly, looked at by your doctor. Symptoms vary in severity and some will go away with some time, a diet adjustment or the discovery (and avoidance) of a new allergen. Some will remain new visitors and some will get worse over time.
I always found it hard to do this at the family doctor I was seeing. Mostly because she did not take me seriously. I don’t believe she ever even did a physical exam. I would rather wait until I saw another specialist and mention it there. The result was that my PCP never had the full story. In fact, she still doesn’t. On the one hand I blame her for not taking me seriously, but I really should have been more firm in asking her to pay attention to my health, or rather the lack thereof. My family doctor told me to work with a naturopath to improve my condition. The sad thing about homeopaths and naturopaths is that they often feel like they can fix everything with herbs and vitamins. The herbal approach never worked for me, but apart from that, there are certain things that are not fixable that way. You really need a regular medicine doctor on your case, even if you are making headway with an alternative practitioner. A suggestion might be to do a thorough medical family background and have that submitted in your file. If a new symptom appears that fits the bill on any of them, it will help your doctor to differentiate and/or to narrow down testing. Some common conditions that are easily overlooked with C.F.S./M.E. and FM are; Rheumatoid Arthritis Diabetes Cancer / cysts A.I.D.S. Asthma Allergies Infections Vascular problems Kidney disease Auto Immune Diseases
Unfortunately, the list is endless. Often I felt it was pointless to discuss new symptoms with my doctor and tried to figure things out myself or with help of a specialist or an alternative practioner. As of today there are no definitive answers for me and my situation is not lightening up. I realise that many more people have faced this situation before. Unless we present our cases to the medical society, they will never wake up and we will allow the suffering to continue. Take control, demand care and attention. There is not much you can do when you're ill and going to see your doctor for something that seems futile might be a strain on you. But you can prevent your situation from getting out of control and help other patients by telling your doctor what your symptoms are.... The old and the new. Best wishes, Carla |
