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How do I get doctors to take me seriously?

About Kids & Teens | Last Active: Aug 16 3:15pm | Replies (8)

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@spongebob
I’m glad you have support from your parents. 🙂

If you haven’t already, you may want to see a cardiologist, neurologist and pulmonologist to do some testing to see what may be behind your lifelong symptoms (not sure which specialists you have already seen). You may also want to see an endocrinologist to check your hormones.

Don’t let doctors dismiss your symptoms, especially as a young female. Women tend to get dismissed and discriminated against due to bias in healthcare and told it’s “all in their head” when there are real physical symptoms. Make sure to only work with doctors who really listen to your symptoms and concerns that are affecting your quality of life.

I had tingling/pins and needles and burning in my legs with exercise when I was a teenager so I can relate. I have also had many of your symptoms. You may want to see a vascular specialist to do an ankle brachial test and neurologist to check blood flow in legs/calves/feet and nerve conduction. A neurologist can do an EMG/nerve conduction study and skin punch biopsy for small fiber neuropathy (causes burning/tingling/pins and needles in legs/feet). Have you had your glucose levels checked for diabetes (type 1 or 2)?
Having a counselor to help you work through your worries about your health can help. I have a counselor for my son to help him cope and manage his anxiety and panic attacks when he starts getting heart pounding and palpitations/blood pressure changes/lightheaded/dizzy, etc. It happens when he is at school when he starts to worry about his heart and passing out. He uses breathing techniques and visualization to help him calm down and shift his focus.

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Replies to "@spongebob I’m glad you have support from your parents. 🙂 If you haven’t already, you may..."

Old people get discriminated regardless of their age; it happens. Even female doctors, and their percentage is growing fast, will overlook a patient's complaints and symptoms. My wife (a female) has a female PCP who ignored some of her complaints recently. The best PCP I have ever had was a female who had a BS in Systems Engineering before getting her medical degree. She understood how to integrate all of our complaints. Everyone, regardless of sex or age, needs a health care advocate who can step back and view the case from the 5000ft level.. If this 14 year old is being dismissed by their PCP, then I would have thought the parent would be finding a new PCP. The one they have isn't doing their job.