[Anonymous September 11, 1996 at 9:02 pm Post count: 93172]

#1058568

Hi Debbie, Good to get your response…As a health professional, RN/PHN, and after working with doctors for the past 18 years, and after numerous experiences being the patient myself, I’ve come to the realization the the doctors, for the most part, don’t treat the whole person, only pieces. The orthopedist I had during a year long period of immobility due to a fractured femur…he did not want to hear about the associated depression that that injury entailed. He only cared about the bones. There is a book called The House of God that gets into this practice of “turfing” the patient to specialists and sub-specialists to deal with other pieces of the patient. It’s very fragmented and frustrating for the patient who feel like they’re getting the run-around…and they are. My opthamologist was particularly insensitive to the many symptoms of Grave’s, to the point of being offensive and rude, even insulting. I moved on to another and found a little more sensitivity from an eye doctor I used to work with in the ER. I know the game all too well, and it comes down to each of us taking responsibility for ourselves. My male primary MD here in Humboldt Co., Calif., up in the redwoods, has also been a disapointment, which is why I’m going to see an endo…finally…this month…and it’s a woman. I’m praying for this whole person treatment from her, with sensitivity and compassion, not cool detachment and a referral elsewhere. The psyche symptoms are DEFINITELY linked to the Grave’s . I know it! Just ride that roller-coaster ride to the other side, get on an antidepressant, see a counselor or psychiatrist if you need to, and like Jake said, keep shopping for the gems out there, tho’ they are pretty scarce. I worked in critical care and emergency medicine for the past 15 years, and I’ve seen patient care deteriorate greatly, largely due to budget cut-backs and insurance company dictates. The docs are all over-loaded, as are the nursing staff most of the time. Getting some home-grown holistic care seems only to exist in alternative medicine modalities, which I’m also considering….such as herbs, massage, acupuncture. Anybody go in that direction with positive results? Sorry to be so long-winded but this is a subject close to my heart. Strive to obtain the best medical care you can get, and if it feels lacking, go to someone else. You owe it to yourself! Hang in there…it’s a bit of a long ride.

Rachel

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