Fibromyalgia and "invisible" diseases- are doctors really trying?

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   SannieBposted 10 years ago

   I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 5 years ago after getting every test imaginable, CT scans, etc. I tested negative for everything and was even told I must have some emotional problems that are making me think I was in pain. Consequently I also tried depression medication and going to therapists but not surprisingly my pain didn't go away because it was not in my head. I eventually got so tired of no one listening, being prescribed the same depression medication over and over and basically being told I was crazy that I just stopped going to doctors for my pain. No longer was I ok with giving them my money to do nothing (yet they would gladly take me back for more opportunities to bill me for the 5 minutes they actually spend talking to me). I do go for other necessary things like strep and prenatal care and the like, I just don't bother anymore asking them for help with my constant migraines and terrible muscular pain that have really altered the quality of my life.
   
   Instead I've changed my diet, do yoga and tried physical therapy options but with little to no Improvement. However, by doing those things I learned valuable coping skills that I have used to get through life and improve its quality. I had accepted the loss of the old me and most of my favorite activities a couple years ago and have continued to be healthy and fit anyway despite my misery. A few days ago, though, I decided to go to a chiropractor for the first time. He did X-rays and we discovered a serious neck injury from a car accident I was in over 10 years ago. My entire spine is out of alignment (crooked even) and my neck is definitely messed up (even I could see that!). I normally wouldn't consider chiropractic because it is considered a pseudoscience and there is no actual proof that it works. I would rather not waste my money on "quackery" but I am beginning to change my tune. The chiropractor actually seems to want to help me.
   
   What bothers me most about this is that not one of the many doctors even considered doing an X-ray of my spine or neck, even after I told them about the accident and whiplash. This isn't one doctor's mistake, it is many! I am not a conspiracy theorist or anything but I can't help but let this reaffirm my past belief that doctors don't actually want to help and heal. They want money and more money and they will put patients through unnecessary testing to get it. They will prescribe and prescribe because they are owned by drug companies. They refuse to listen and consider that patients might know better how they feel than a doctor could. We must all be crazy hypochondriacs because our blood tests always look good.
   
   This has become more of a rant than anything but I am curious to hear others' thoughts on this, and about chiropractic as a treatment for fibromyalgia. I would also like to hear from doctors to find out why they put me through this and literally took all my money, especially when I was young and in college and struggling to survive financially anyway. I am a good and respectful patient, but I don't trust doctors and after this experience I never will.

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      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am just familiar enough with fibromyalgia to understand that doctors don't know what it is.  They don't know what causes it, they don't know how to cure it, they don't even know how to relieve symptoms outside of strong pain medication.
      
      So they try this and they try that.  Without knowing what it is, the only real way to diagnose it is to eliminate everything else.  So they test, over and over.
      
      While it is true that some doctors are only there for the money, most truly care about their patients.  At least in my experience - I'm sorry yours wasn't more like what I've found.

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      1. 53

         SannieBposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I completely understand that doctors can only do so much. To their credit it is difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. Some of my doctors have been very nice people but they are limited in their ability to heal.
         
         That said, what I do have an issue with are the following things (I should have specified in my first post rather than ranted):
         
         1. Some don't even try to treat me once I say fibromyalgia. They write me off entirely. What about a misdiagnosis? After seeing recent proof of a neck injury it turns out I may not have fibro at all, just the same symptoms!
         
         2. I feel like I've hit the jackpot when a doctor will take more than 5 minutes to talk to me. Really talk and listen, and look at me at the same time. I know they're busy but geez.
         
         3. Taking an X-ray of my neck to find the source of headaches seems like med school 101 and I'm completely floored that no one thought to do that FIRST or at all.
         
         4. When I say no depression medication because it almost killed me last time and I feel in my gut that it is not the cause if the pain I mean NO depression medication.
         
         I don't doubt there are doctors who care, but I don't think they care about everyone.

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2. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   There was a very promising study released just yesterday.  My friends with fibro are very excited about it.
   
   http://news.yahoo.com/researchers-possi … 00241.html

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