My Personal Struggle with Doctors
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My Personal Struggle with Doctors | My Health
I feel like I have been writing this post for awhile. I don't want to sound like I am anti-doctor or anti-medicine but I also want to share my experience so that someone else can possibly benefit from it. So let's talk about my personal struggle with doctors.
I have talked about my health struggles before. I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy (not a gluten allergy or celiac's disease) when I was 19. You can read more about that here. My allergy wasn't a new development that popped up when I was a young adult. This was something I had been dealing with my entire life. I had stomach issues starting at a young age. I thought it was normal to have a stomach ache after every meal. I started having 2 week long cluster migraines in middle school and was briefly prescribed Vicodin. Looking back, I'm not sure which doctor thought giving a tween narcotics was a good idea. I had serious and painful skin issues that were embarrassing and frankly gross. My skin was so sensitive, I had to wear bodysuits under all of my clothes to avoid reacting to the metal on my jeans. I bounced from doctor to doctor and was given dozens of tests (none of which were an allergy test). Up until I was about 16, I trusted my doctors. I thought they were doing the best thing for me. In hind sight, they were treating my symptoms, not trying to figure out the cause.
My Personal Struggle with Doctors | My Turning Point
As a junior in high school, everything came to a head. I had the longest, most intense migraine to date. I could hardly stand due to the stomach pain. I went to my primary care doctor who had no idea what the issue was. She sent me for a huge round of tests that included a barium test. If you haven't had one of those, count yourself lucky. The results of all the tests came back negative. They couldn't find anything wrong with me. This doctor told me I was just stressed it and it would eventually pass. I was dumbfounded. Is that really all it was? I was just broken and there wasn't an answer? From that point on, I avoided this doctor and others for years. I didn't trust that my pain/issues would be taken seriously or that anything would actually be found.
When Paris finally convinced me to see her allergist at 19, I was past hope. I had cut dairy from my diet, I had gone off sugar, I was talking about 10 medications every day, just to function. Yet, this allergist gave me a quick prick test and I came back allergic to Cats, Trees, Grass and Wheat. When a patient is allergic to a grain, a good doctor will test for other grain allergies and possibly Celiac's Disease. Luckily I was only allergic to wheat and we didn't have to do the invasive Celiac's Disease test.
My Personal Struggle with Doctors | Why I Only See Specialists Now
After that, I would only see specialists. Mostly just this allergist. I am sure she wondered why I didn't see my GP for most things but when I would walk into her office with an issue and she could diagnose it without even examining me, why would I go elsewhere? But this changed my perspective about my personal medical treatment. I would no longer see a doctor who didn't listen to me or my concerns. A doctor that was willing to figure out the route of the problem instead of just treating the symptoms was what I looked for. While doctors do go to medical school and are the experts in their field, they aren't an expert on me. I am the expert. So if the doctor isn't going to actually listen to what the problem is and get the information from the source, why would I trust them?
I really do only see specialists now. I have a GP but that's where I go when I have the flu, strep or need a physical. Otherwise, I go to the doctor the specializes in what the problem is. I now see a neurologist for my ADHD medication. I saw a psychiatrist for a long time but when she retired, I started getting those meds from my GP. When I needed to change me meds, I realized I was not going to the right doctor for the issue. My brain needs a brain doctor. And since I already knew what the problem was, I needed a doctor that was an expert on how the brain works and what medications work best with my brain. I have loved seeing a neurologist!
My Personal Struggle with Doctors | Finding A Doctor You Trust
You may want to know how I found these specialists. I asked others. You can only do so much online research without asking the actual opinions of others. People you trust will tell you if they are unhappy with a doctor and why. I am very vocal about the doctors I like and the doctors I don't like. I will send everyone I meet to the specialists that I love because I trust them and other's will too.
So if you are looking for a new doctor or you have moved to a new place and need doctors, ask around. Talk to people you trust. If you don't know anyone, make friends. Ask your local mom's group, church group, neighbor. And then try a few doctors. You aren't going to find the perfect fit on the first try most of the time.