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Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Chronic Pain | Last Active: 8 hours ago | Replies (7067)

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@mlm666

Moderator, please recommend the correct forum for my topic. - thank you!
.........
Am I candidate for Mayo Clinic’s Diagnostic Care Service?

• I turned 76 in the spring of 2022.
• In the fall of 2017, my husband and I were adding sections to our Appalachian Trail adventure in Vermont & New Hampshire.
• We attended multi-day outdoor music festivals.
• We attended and participated in the activities of our teenage grandchildren.
• I shared the work on our mini-farm.
• I looked forward to the extended trips planned by my husband that all involved outdoor activities and active merriment.
• I loved to plan for and host company for life events.
• In other words, I engaged in a robust fulfilling life.

Today
• I endure daily excruciating wide-spread & moving pain, exhaustion, and dizziness. There are no flares; the symptoms are constant.
• If I make it 100 yards to the mailbox and back, I am very lucky.
• I no longer do the shopping.
• I no longer drive.
• I must RSVP all occasions with a “Sorry, I can’t attend.”
• I no longer make reservations for a future event in the hopes that “I will be feeling better.”
• I pay dearly for the slightest and abbreviated effort of engaging in the things that the old me always did.
• I collapse on the sofa, turn the lights out and sit.
• I really do not know myself anymore.

This post is not the place to detail all that is in my diary that covers my health events, clues, and the details of the medical-merry-go-round that I have been on in my quest for a diagnosis and treatment plan. I am, however, going to list the types of doctors and specialists that have been an all-consuming part of my life to give you an idea of what I have tried.

I must comment that I have observed a serious flaw in our medical system.
• It is challenging to find a physician to be the coordinating “quarter back” who interprets the snippets of findings from specialists.
• Specialists, by definition, have a very narrow field of view. They are restricted by their specialty from providing a multi-disciplined approach to problem solving.
• Specialists tend to find symptoms in their “wheelhouses” and discard the bigger, more comprehensive picture and pursue a treatment plan with which they are familiar.

I have been seen and treated by:
• Primary Care Physicians
• Cardiologists
• Gynecologists
• Urologists
• Nephrologists
• Endocrinologists
• Internal Medicine Specialists
• Physical Therapists
• Gastroenterologists
• Acupuncturists
• Pain Management Clinics
• Sleep Disorder and Pulmonary Specialists
• Neurologists
• Vestibular Rehab
• Rheumatologists
• Surgeons
• Dietitians
• Mayo Clinic for Gastroenterology
• Pain Medicine Specialists
• Chiropractors
• Allergists

But again, no ONE provides a multidisciplinary, coordinated approach to make a diagnosis. The medical community tends to provide the approach (treatment) limited to the individual provider’s own tool kit and the treatment plans are not coordinated sometimes at cross-purposes. In my journey, I feel like the medical community is like an auto repair shop that lacks effective diagnostic tools and just keeps changing parts in the hopes that the “strange noise” from the engine goes away.

So, I return to the original question, “Am I candidate for Mayo Clinic’s diagnostic care service?” “Does anyone have experience with Mayo Clinic’s diagnostic care service?”

All thoughts, comments, and suggestions are certainly welcome.
And thank you for reading my story.

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Replies to "Moderator, please recommend the correct forum for my topic. - thank you! ......... Am I candidate..."

Welcome, @mlm666. I would recommend filling out the online request an appointment form to find out if Mayo Clinic is right for you. It is an easy process to learn more.

- Start by going here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
- Click "Begin an online request"
- Complete the 4 step form
- Once you fill out the relevant information, a coordinator will schedule a time to review your request.

To learn more about the Mayo Clinic comprehensive approach:
- See this webpage: Why Choose Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/why-choose-mayo-clinic

You may also be interested in this related discussion in the Visiting Mayo Clinic group:
- Evaluating Care Models at Top Hospitals to Fit an Individual Patient https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/evaluating-care-models-at-top-hospital-to-fit-an-individual-patient/

OMG,you are so right! We DO need a medical "generalist" to be our coordinator! This is a freakin' full-time job! Hoping you find a solution! This is a slow death for you to suffer like this. You have my complete heartfelt wishes that you'll find an answer. 🤗

The one provider you didn’t mention, although it may be an error, was rehabilitation medicine. A good one who are internet’s first and a DO over an MD. The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine knows your bones I feel a bit better than an MD. And in my personal experience of suffering since my 1988 fall I feel I’ve received better care from DO’s overall. They are both essentially trained the same in rehab medicine though. My 2 cents,