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Chronic Pain Patients With Intractable Pain: Advocating for Yourself
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Sep 17 5:48pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
I have long recommended that people get and thoroughly read all their test reports and research what words mean and what sounds out of the ordinary. Many health care professionals simply look at the flagged blood test results or the “impressions “ on radiology tests and never read the descriptions. I know 2 people who had leukemia that was missed for years because monocytes on a CBC have no established reference range, therefore never get flagged even when abnormal. I have a bone tumor in my femur that wasn’t mentioned for a decade (I found it) and although benign has potential for becoming malignant. You must be your own detective and advocate. It’s getting worse because so many health workers left the industry because of Covid and everyone is short staffed and has no time to delve into things for their patients. Sad but true.
Replies to "I have long recommended that people get and thoroughly read all their test reports and research..."
It is easier now, because, at least in my case, my test reports are published on line.
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I agree completely. If I had listened to two ortho docs 8 years ago, who told me that there was nothing that could be done for my lower back pain, I would likely be in a nursing home. I learned pretty quickly that I had to be my own best advocate, Yes, docs and staff are often overworked...or, thay just don't want to get vested in a more complex problem. Right not the pain doc who is managing my pain pump (which has done nothing to mitigate my pain) has done nothing to explore other avenues of treatment to help address my increasing, severe, chronic pain. I had to go to another pain doc to get other treatment options. Now I am being scheduled for a trial of a spinal cord stimulator. Four years of searching, mostly on my own.