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I'm having multiple odd episodes that are keeping me undiagnosed. Help
Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Oct 19, 2023 | Replies (203)Comment receiving replies
@predictable Thank you for your sympathy. it started with me jumping through the hoops of a primary care doctor sending me to a psychiatrist. I tried 6 months worth of antidepressant medications that made me feel worse overall. With no background in medical but someone that has a great grasp on learning new information. I took it upon myself to read 100's to 1,000's of the long boring mayo clinic assays that nobody fully reads but I did. I started with biochemistry, then cellular biology, and so on. When I went to see the psychiatrist for a 7th prescription to try, I asked her about vitamins and the precursors to serotonin. She basically said, "none of that matters" that's when I knew the doctors I was seeing were cookie cutter doctors that belong at band-aid hospitals. So I had to research for myself. Because of my random adrenal surges that didn't seem to have a rhyme or reason, I had my cardiologist check my urine for catecholamines to exclude pheochromocytoma and I've been at this journey by myself. I have an ND right now who's work with me but it's been a slow process. I've only been seeing her for a few months. There hasn't been one doctor in charge because they either run out of ideas or my issues are just too complex. I would love to have a captain of the ship but for right now it's just me. Most of my doctors have told me I'm more knowledgeable than their students. I really don't want to know any of this stuff I just want to fix myself since none of the doctors are.
Replies to "@predictable Thank you for your sympathy. it started with me jumping through the hoops of a..."
@johnwes5819 I’m so sorry you’ve been going thru all of this! I strongly encourage going to a university medical center. When I was very sick last year, I begged for an MRI, but the doctors here could barely interpret it. My husband got on the phone and called University of Colorado Health. From my symptoms,etc, they put me into the neurology clinic and I’m being well taken care of. Yes, it means a long drive to Denver, but... I sure wish you luck. Let us know what happens! Becky
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Two quick responses @johnwes5819, then off to town for the morning. First, the collection of doctors doesn't form a team without a communication system and a respected professional who wants to lead and will bring all the others into line. In my case, the team was ready to form within staff of the HMO. Second, your personal expertise -- developed with a lot of research of the possibilities -- has the potential to track down causes of your symptoms, but it also accompanies you as an encyclopedia when you visit a doctor whose practice is highly focused and comparatively narrow. In this case, consider keeping your questions to those that the doctor is likely to have an answer for; s/he understands what you're talking about and have studied, but needs to reframe her/his approach and undertake a novel or obsolete diagnosis and treatment. One answer to this is, as Teresa @hopeful33250 said, a university medical center with a multidisciplinary approach. Martin