I can go back to when I was a teen and feeling as though I wasn't being heard. I had back-to-back step throat and each time I saw the doctor, he prescribed a stronger antibiotic. After two straight months of being sick, I insisted that my parents step in and let the doctor know that if there is no other treatment, the tonsils need to come out. Six months later, I was in the ER, unable to breath because my airways were too inflamed. My tonsils finally came out. Treatments in mainstream medicine followed this same path for many years.
The diagnosis for Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and IBS, took two years to come, from the time I had symptoms. My primary care physician continued to tell me that all of these symptoms were 'in my head'. He told me that there was nothing he could do and that I'd be fine. I changed doctors and the next prescribed one medication after another with no real improvement in my symptoms or focus on the root cause of the problems. Doesn't it make sense that if the true issue is...lets say, the immune system, you do what you can to strengthen the immune system? The medical community I was being treated by continued to try to mask the symptoms. The outcome was that my symptoms were still robbing me of a decent quality of life and the side effects of the prescriptions were creating more problems.
I felt stuck, alone and at times I felt like I was the crazy one to think that our advanced medical knowledge would help cure me. I was then treated as if I was weak and unable to deal with the stresses of life when I became depressed. No wonder I was depressed! Those who I thought would be working with me, in my best interest, to support a healthy me, were sabotaging my health potential.
Not any more! I am grateful that I am now working with a doctor who hears me and relies on the knowledge I have about my health. Over the last two months, I've called about discomfort I was having and both time, they were able to fit me into an appointment to help relieve my discomfort. I've emailed my doctor with response within the same day. Each response was clear, direct and had logical suggestions as to how to move forward with the issue I had emailed about. I had an adverse reaction to one of the supplements and I contacted the doctor right away. Instead of telling me to 'tough it out', he told me to discontinue and gave me other options. Today was my re-exam visit, 10 weeks from my initial consultation. I'm feeling like I have a bit more energy these days, I have a much better idea of what is causing my digestion issues, I'm sleeping through the night with no restless legs or teeth grinding. The exam also showed that there's slight improvement in my health. It is a slow process and I don't mind at all, as long as there is progress. I'd rather be the tortoise, taking it slow and enjoying the scenery than the hare who misses everything along the way but loses the race in the end.
There is something to be said about having a supportive team who will assist you across that finish line.
Thank you for reading, forwarding and following!!!
Terri
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