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Desperate for Advice

Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: 4 hours ago | Replies (30)

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@thisfatoldlady

After reading your post, I am at a loss for how to help you, except - you have a LEGAL right to having medical results and treatment explained to you in a way that YOU understand. I know it's hard, but you need to demand explanations when you don't understand and keep demanding it until you do understand. If you are unable to do this, I hope you can find a friend or family member who can go to appointments with you and be your advocate. The doctors work for you - make sure they do their job. Feel free to point out they have the duty to explain under HIPPA - this should get a rise out of them and make them pay more attention, because nobody wants to be caught not adhering to HIPPA. It's a legal standard for healthcare. If your doctor does not listen to you, then (if possible) find another doctor. Your doctor should be your partner in health care, not your adversary. I hope you are under a therapist's care for your mental health and are taking appropriate medication. If the meds you are taking aren't working for you - demand they try something else. It's a real crap shoot on finding the proper psych meds because they don't quite understand how the work; so you just have to keep trying until you find the right one for you. I am on a pile of meds (most preventative, but not all); and when I am given a new drug to take, I go right to drugs.com because you can read all about the drug AND get interactions with specific meds you are taking - very few doctors are aware of the interactions of drugs. Nurses are better at it, and pharmacists are best - but unless you get all your meds at the same place, they aren't going to be aware of any possible problems. I find it safer to run my own lists through drugs.com. I hope you start getting some answers because not knowing is only going to make your stress levels go up and that can create havoc on any body. Good luck and good wishes.

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Replies to "After reading your post, I am at a loss for how to help you, except -..."

"The doctors work for you - make sure they do their job. Feel free to point out they have the duty to explain under HIPPA - this should get a rise out of them and make them pay more attention, because nobody wants to be caught not adhering to HIPPA. It's a legal standard for healthcare."
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Not exactly what HIPPA is or does. It is more about privacy. Health care providers can't share healthcare information even with family members in most cases.

"HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law that protects the privacy of patient health information, requiring covered entities to maintain the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) and sets limits on when and how that information can be shared, even with family members."