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Congratulations everyone for being proactive in YOUR heath and knowing more than some PCP's

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 12/9/2015 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
Thats me putting a positive note on another conventional health care rant LOL!

It just blows my mind how limited some PCP's (the ones I've had) are in trying to apply what they were schooled in. Seriously pathetic when they dont know stuff that I know - not lyme either, I dont expect them to know that, I'm not that hard on them.

LLMDs want us to also work with a PCP for the basic stuff, but when you have to take them by the hand and show them how to do their job, its downright ridiculous.

Heaven forbid you have anything beyond the common cold (and why go to a Dr for that?). But from my experience, that must be what they deal with most of the day. And we still have to pay them.

The days when they had actual interest in helping with health concerns seem to be gone (when was that?), but that fancy 6 digit income sure looked attractive in medical school I suppose. Just a job.

If we didnt have the internet to learn, some of us reading this would probably be dead - for real.

I better stop now : - )
Posted 12/9/2015 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
I had to really giggle after reading the title and then reading the first line, Astroman. Thank you for that.

Unfortunately, my experiences have been the exact same. And, I wasn't far from death myself and used the internet to find my treatments and learn enough to heal in a way that was very different from what was mostly being done at that time.

But, I do have to say that I was lucky enough to have had one of those rare finds, one that will really go the extra mile for their patients back when I was a teenager. I don't think I would have survived had I not had him. He called me when I had an unusual concussion in the morning before he left for work, at noon, and before he went to bed to check on me for about 3 days. And that was only one of many things he did.
Posted 12/9/2015 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Astroman!-

The problem (with most doctors) is if they can't "see" it, it DOES NOT EXIST! If you don't have anything abnormal show up on an x-Ray, CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound; you are now considered one of their "Hypochondriac " patients.

If you don't have a rash, cut skin, fever, or anything strange oozing out of your body, good luck on having the doctor believe you.

Actually, I had a rash at the age of 10. The doctor just told my Mom "It's probably ring worm". (WRONG!)

The medical community FAILS at the knowledge of infections they can't see. They are not trained properly into looking further into a patients health. They have pressure from the big hospitals they practice at. They have a time limit for each patient, because they have to stay on "schedule". They are trained to get people in and out as fast as possible. This is why you have 5 minutes to explain your symptoms. Then 5 minutes for the doctor to give you a "diagnosis " and prescription. The last 5 minutes you get to schedule a follow-up appointment. Oh,don't forget the fun of sitting in the waiting room for a half hour, or waiting in the cold exam room for 20 minutes!

The way I finally got diagnosed with Lyme disease, is through a doctor out of network. He was a very good doctor. Each appointment was a hour long. This is how he got to know and care properly for each of his patients. He was very open minded and was concerned about my health.

Sorry about my Rant. Just very frustrated with most health care. Actually, they should call it sick care!
Posted 12/9/2015 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
I am not a fan of doctors. Well, if I am in severe pain, I love them because you can always get a pain killer from them. Actually, you can pretty much get any pill. And they are good at surgeries.

Medical schools were financed and built by pharmaceutical companies. They trained those doctors on which pill to give for which condition. Then the doctors went on to practice and the salesmen come along. They got vacations for prescribing a certain amount of a certain drug all paid for by the pharm company.

If you go to a doctor and he says "I think you should take this drug" I always ask if he has any samples for me to try. I want to see if a salesman has been there.
Posted 12/9/2015 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
In my opinion, and I know that there will be others that don't believe this, but it's true for me - Western Medicine is wonderful at emergency medicine - car accidents, hunting accidents, severely broken bone (sometimes - my niece's story would make most cringe), and things like that.

For healing, I have learned that - for me- I need to go the natural route, but that doesn't stop the "blindness" either. My thyroid/adrenal doc has no clue about the rest of my body. The same disconnect still applies. The only time I have ever had my body looked at as a whole - in my experience - has been when I was seeing the two Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners I have seen in my life - and those are the only two times in my life that I actually looked forward to each new day, ready to take on whatever came. Says a lot in my opinion.

Big pharma has much too much control over our medicine - there is very little doubt there for anyone who chooses to see it - but it can get better if we insist that it does. We really can change this.
Posted 12/9/2015 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
agreed. Its good for emergenciesin hospital settings. Thats about it.

My PCP was ticked about takeing the back seat in my healthcare. I reserve the front seat for Drs that can do their job, and thats for sure not my (past) PCP. Big ego, limited knowledge, useless combination..

I once saw an endo who said I was going to die becasuse my TSH was lower than 3, he thought I was hyper, I was still hypo actually. All his patients in the waiting room were nodding off LOL. I told himn off big time, tired of this BS.
Posted 12/9/2015 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
LOL! You have no idea how relieved I am knowing that I'm not alone in this! I don't have but a couple of docs in my area that I haven't pissed off because if I can study up online and know MORE than the doc I see - I don't need to be seeing that doc!!

I'm only allowed to go to certain appt's with hubby due to this! LOL!!
Posted 12/9/2015 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Sigh

It's terrible how we have to resort to spending the time to do research on our illnesses because our dr has no clue what to do with us. I'm just sick and tired of being dismissed and being treated like my symptoms are all a result of a psychological issue.

Why do we have to be our own advocate? I know they are human too and it's hard to know about every type of illness and how to treat it but isn't that why we go to them? To get answers?

I think the health care system in North America is in a shambles and the only people who are suffering are those who are sick.
Posted 12/9/2015 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
Oh and what's funny is that my ND told me the only way I'd get taken seriously if I went to the ER is if my arm was cut off. Otherwise if they don't see anything visibly wrong with you, you'll get treated like a nobody.

Pathetic
Posted 12/10/2015 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
"Conventional Drs" in 1800's required way more diagnosing skill than it does now, it was an art form to some extent, with natural and man made medicine, without the modern technology of lab tests.

Like any job, those that like it do a better job. Being a Dr is only a well paying career to at least half of them. I'm sure dealing with insurance burns them out too. Hopefully the last 40 years or so of society putting them on a pedestal is nearing its end with info online.

The ones who are truly into it and "get it", eventually stay clear of the modern clinics and open their own place for a reason.
Posted 12/10/2015 5:24 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I guess I should be dead - Astro. My TSH is always under 1.
And I don't treat with thyroid meds - it's naturally that low.


I just saw my GP last week - because my wbc count was 2.9 and she called me in.
I started a discussion about my liver enzymes - I was diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome when I was a teenager because of higher than normal Bilirubin. Since being on a Rifampin, the last two blood tests - my bilirubin has been in range - in fact mid- range.
She didn't think it was significant.
I'm wondering if maybe I've had Bart since childhood - from one of my many cat bites...or flea bites. And for the most part have kept it at bay..until I got Lyme, and it overwhelmed my immune system.
I didn't bother to tell her my thoughts....she wasn't interested in exploring anything.
Posted 12/10/2015 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
There are a some learning here in my area. It's unfortunate that it takes a diseaese reaching epidemic levels before they are willing to step back into learning role and actually pay attention to new studies and new findings, regardless of what is defined as a procedural treatment by the goverment.

My PCP must have brought lyme up at every appointment for two years after going through my symptoms, but since I tested negative on my ELISA, he would not pursue this diagnosis any more even though he told me the lyme test wasn't a very accurate test. He eventually chose to not treat me anymore when he found out I was seeing an LLMD after several specialists and an unneeded surgery.

Last week my mother in law went to this same Dr. with many symptoms of Lyme and actually requested a western blot (which he wouldn't give me) and he said two years ago, he would have never ordered the test or even considered Lyme, but now, after all he is seeing, he said he was more than willing to do a western blot at Igenix as well as an elisa as long as she understood she may have to pay out of pocket. luckily for her, both came back positively negative.

It was uplifting to know that we are making some waves and some Dr's, even ones that were willing to stop treating patients because of the Lyme stigmata are stepping up to the plate now.
Posted 12/10/2015 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Girlie- I remember someone else here had Gilberts.

I have it too, but after abx, my billiruban bounces around high down to normal, its wierd. Was always high. I assume its also related to my liver detox phase I and II mutations, or autoimmune stuff, will never know.
Posted 12/10/2015 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
astroman

Kudos to you for all you've done to get where you are today!

It wasn't until my thyroid care was being mismanaged by a succession of endos that I realized my beloved GP of 20 years was clueless....and I began to question doctors overall.

Heck, I was impressed with my ILADS-trained LLMD's clinical skills (he noted Bells Palsy in me that neither I nor my current GP (6 years) noticed). But, I truly think he dropped the ball with me with his insistence that I was only dealing with Lyme.

I'm a herbal hippie now and need to find my place within the medical (not health care) system

I benefit from monthly thyroid labs so I'll stick with my current GP....only because she cares how I feel.

If I listened to her, I would have had a CT scan to rule out sarcoidoisis when my active Vit D level went high (as part of the inflammatory process of Lyme). I'm glad I decided to save myself from the radiation exposure because my active Vit D level went back to normal at last check.

And, it took 2 blood draws for her office to check the "right" Magnesium level (RBC vs. serum). I certainly didn't hear "increase your Mg intake" when my RBC level came back closer to the lower end of the range (maybe because lame LabCorp mentioned the result could be artificially skewed low because plasma wasn't separated. Well, separate the dang plasma lol)

It's almost like we have to pay these doctors to do things our research tells us is necessary.. I find this quite annoying when I'm paying over $600/month for "health" insurance.

Yes, the current "health care" system in the US is far from that. And, yes, it's all about money - blech.
Posted 12/10/2015 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
I worked as a nanny for an orthopedic surgeon's children. He is a great doctor and had his own practice. He had to spend a lot of money hiring someone to handle the insurance portion of his practice. And then he had to hire another person just to follow up and/or get people to pay. He closed his office and went to work for Kaiser. Now all he does is surgeries, which is all he wanted to do in the first place. He didn't want to be a person that ran an office or oversaw all of the back workings. He just wanted to do knee and hip replacement and fix shoulders and hands. He is happy now in the big city with Kaiser, but that small town he was in, lost a great orthopedic office and doctor.

I think doctors are pushed around a lot by malpractice insurance, the government, insurance companies and they don't GET to be doctors (like they envisioned) with all that on their minds.

Like I said, I am not a fan of doctors, but I sure understand their plight.
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