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Getting a diagnosis
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
And end of tether/please advise type thread.
How do you get doctors to take you seriously? I've had a vague and undiagnosed illness for over 3 years now, and I can't get them to listen to me. I've had more tests than you can shake a stick at, and been seen by all manner of specialists, but no one is giving me any answers. After they do one test for what they expect it to be, and it comes back normal, instead of investigating other possibilities, all they do is either imply I'm lying (why would anyone do this?) or exaggerating, or tell me that it's probably due to stress/depression/the time of year/being unfit/my cycle/a poor diet/etc.
I'm constantly in pain and feeling shitty, and it's really grinding me down. I just want to be fixed. How can I get them to believe me and do something about it?
Is there a thesite factsheet for 'when the entire medical profession thinks you're a hypochondriac but you really aren't'?
How do you get doctors to take you seriously? I've had a vague and undiagnosed illness for over 3 years now, and I can't get them to listen to me. I've had more tests than you can shake a stick at, and been seen by all manner of specialists, but no one is giving me any answers. After they do one test for what they expect it to be, and it comes back normal, instead of investigating other possibilities, all they do is either imply I'm lying (why would anyone do this?) or exaggerating, or tell me that it's probably due to stress/depression/the time of year/being unfit/my cycle/a poor diet/etc.
I'm constantly in pain and feeling shitty, and it's really grinding me down. I just want to be fixed. How can I get them to believe me and do something about it?
Is there a thesite factsheet for 'when the entire medical profession thinks you're a hypochondriac but you really aren't'?
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Failing that, go private from the beginning, but be prepared for everything all over agian?
It's often the case that if doctors can't get a diagnosis, or they have tried test after test, they forget patients aren't round pegs in round holes and they take some of the frustrations out on the patient, either by making out the patient is lying, or it's 'all in the head' etc. it obviously doesn't the situation any better for you but you're definitely not alone in that.
It might be an idea to try and see someone new who hasn't seen you before. Like Britjamez said, it might result in the same tests, and having to answer the same questions, but I read quite an interesting case in a book called How Doctors Think (an oxymoron, no?
Funny you should say that, cause I went to my new doctor today, who hasn't got my notes yet, and he was about as helpful as a chocolate teapot! And in about 10 seconds had decided I was a massive hypochondriac, despite me having an actual rash you can plainly see.
:banghead:
Within the same practice? Could have seen you about the waiting room on your prior visits and thought "oh gawd, she's come to me now" ?
That is odd though :impissed:
would you mind saying what the symptoms are? Have you been to see an alternative therapist? I wouldn't have thought about having dyspraxia until reading though my mum's kinesiology books...
Nope, totally different practice! I must have a face you can't trust. I tried to tell him a bit about the other stuff that was going on, but he was having none of it.
How long have you got?
Fatigue, joint pain, occasional joint inflammation (but with normal blood tests for inflammation - work that one out!), noisy (clicking/crunching) joints (with normal xrays), muscle pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, shadow on lung xray, all manner of rashes (esp one brought on by strong sun), random bruising, possible hair loss (it's not coming out in patches, but am deffo losing more than normal!), near-permanent headache, dizziness, nausea, mouth ulcers, nose ulcers, recurrent cold sores, weight loss without eating less, cold extremities, low body temperature, constant stuffy nose, glands that swell at random, generalised pain.
Pretty much any mild, general and unspecific symptom that exists!
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/content/view/90/83/1/1/
are you able to work?
I've had one of my skull/optic nerves (had an eye inflammation that apparently can be an early symptom of MS) and one of my lower spine (god only knows why - they're very quick to send me for seemingly totally irrelevant tests, but not for ones on parts of me that actually hurt!). Both were normal.
I'm trying to get them to scan my hips, as they're causing me the most trouble (pain, stiffness, restricted movement, noise, etc), but having no joy.
Already been suggested and then ruled out! I've had loads of working diagnoses, but then they all get scrapped just as quickly.
Yep, although my old GP kept trying to sign me off. Don't have much of a choice, as work don't have sick pay, statutory sick pay is pitiful and I have a mortgage to pay.
Nope!
Been tested. Happily also definitely don't have HIV, Hep B or Chlamydia either. Don't think they entirely believed me when I said I didn't have lots of unprotected sex :thumb:
Eventually 2 years after I I became ill I went home to my mums and she took me to her doctor who was so so much better!
If you can afford private it might be worth a go.
I know I'm not a doctor, but I do know my body, and I know that something is wrong.
TBH your GP sounds like an arse but then I wouldn't autmoatically want to assume that you are communicating you needs clearly.
Ask your GP for a complete breakdown of what they have looked at, what tests they have done and what options are still available to you. Tell him/her that you want it in writing so that you have chance to understand it and take it all in...
Nothing major. My mum gets sore and swollen fingers in the winter, but puts it down to having played netball as a youngster (she has funny ideas) and my Grandma has osteoarthritis in both hips, but she's 83, so not exactly unusual.
MoK - since I have just moved GPs, I'm willing to accept that maybe I'm not always the best at putting across what I want to, and the new one may have drawn his own conclusions from this. Do you think it would be helpful to write a list of all my symptoms, take it back to him and make it clear that this is all still affecting me and no one has been able to offer any solutions?
No, but there's one about how to go about finding alternative help if you're not happy with your current GP:
GPs: the alternatives
Hope it helps
Been suggested already and the thrown out of the window because of the extent of joint involvement and inflammation (that apparently doesn't exist!).
Yep, many times. It was actually one of my working diagnoses for ages, even though the tests were negative (there isn't one definite test for it, just tests for antibodies that suggest it). The doctor told me initially that a negative result didn't rule it out, particularly in the early stages of disease. Then the next time I saw him he'd decided that I definitely didn't have it (without any further testing) and that the cause of all my problems was me not eating enough. Even though I ate fine. :banghead:
Do you have a low body weight?