A lot of people don’t like going to the doctor. I generally don’t see people excited to just go to the doctor and it’s something that people see as a necessary evil because you know it breaks your routine. You have to take off work, you have to wait, and you may even have to deal with pain but it’s something we have to do.
So after I was having these crazy symptoms and noticing changes in my body and noticing changes in my ability that were happening rapidly I would expect for someone especially a specialist to listen to me because I had been referred to him by another doctor. This wasn’t just me Wikipedia and googling symptoms this with me and another doctor telling him what was going on in my body. This was him getting test results but still not following up. Imagine if something worse had happened and I didn’t make it but the evidence and the proof were with this doctor that did nothing.
“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.” – Maya Angelou
Fortunately, that experience taught me to be able to advocate for myself. The other experience I had was not as traumatic but it was definitely eye-opening. I had been admitted to the hospital for the second time and was working with doctors and I told one doctor that I was pretty sure that I needed to have breathing treatments every few hours. This doctor said no you don’t because is going to do XYZ. Mind you at this point, I was having trouble breathing. I knew exactly what I need it because I had been here before. I was not new to this I was true to this.
Fortunately, shortly after my pulmonologist got to me and decided I didn’t need to be on general floors anymore. Praise God Hallelujah. So when I got upstairs I told him what happened. He essentially told me that with the other doctor told me was ludicrous because I was having trouble breathing. And the XYZ symptom would have little effect compared to the fact that these breathing treatments were going to help me breathe.
So I’m telling you guys just try to be your fiercest advocate. Get second opinions. Keep pressing with what you know to be true. Try to find doctors who actually listen to you and talk through what you’re feeling and what you’re going through with you. These people have some of the greatest access to knowledge and information in the world so you just have to find the right one that’s gonna help you and not potentially harm you. I know sometimes doctors get a hard rap and they have a hard job. Some just give them a bad name.
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