@johnbishop

Hi John,

Thank you! I really appreciate your response. As to why the doctors here aren't taking me seriously, I think it's a combination of things. I get a sense that much of it stems from the culture here. I've gotten the clear message that I'm no more important than the next patient - in fact, one doctor blatantly said that. It's just widely known and accepted that wait times for an appt with a specialist or for tests like MRIs are commonly 3-6 months. I've noticed that across the board, doctors don't take a thorough patient medical history, family history, only on rare occasions or if you request it do they take vitals - BP, heart rate, temperature, height, weight, etc, and physical exams are either non-existent or cursory. They just have a completely different approach to medicine.

Prior to January 2016, I wasn't taking any medications, not even vitamins. In April 2017, a doctor rx'ed Tramadol for pain control and I've taken it nearly continuously since then, first with liquid drops (though I was taking 1/4 of the daily amount he rx'ed so it lasted much longer). In June, my GP rx'ed long-lasting Tramadol oral tablets instead to be taken twice a day. I'm currently taking them once in the morning, 50 mg tablets. I honestly am not sure I could function without them, which sucks. Other than that, I'm only taking 20000 units of Dekristol (Vit D) every 2 weeks. My vit D was at about half what it should be back in March, when I started taking it. My levels are now finally back to normal as of this week.

I did check the symptom checker on the Mayo site. I've been on there so many times! It really is a good resource, but unfortunately it doesn't allow searching by lab results. If only I could put in my results for ANas, iron, Complement C3c...those kinds of things. Unless there's a way to do that that I maybe missed?? I'm afraid I really just need a good doctor.