(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

I've just been filing some of my old medical records from the mid-90s. Very odd to "reminisce" about various unpleasant and scary problems - but also rather positive, as the paperwork tells a story of me becoming more pro-active about my health and looking for solutions and reassurance. I started to bring lists of questions to specialists' offices, rather than being struck dumb with terror. I also began ring medication hotlines for information - which may well have saved me from an unwanted pregnancy; Questran and the Pill do *not* mix, despite what my GP told me. (Other GPs have been lifesavers; I found records from when I went ga-ga in my local doctor's office and he sent me to my first shrink *and* gave me my first tranks, bless him.)

I've come a long way, mentally and physically. But I'm still struggling every day.

(A GP is a General Practitioner, for those who call their doctors something else.)

Comments

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

It's pretty much a crapshoot with doctors - and while it's not necessarily a reflection on them personally, they can and do get it wrong, because not every patient is a textbook case.

I've found myself to be far better informed when I speak to others who're in similar situations - there's nothing like personal experiences to help weigh out the 'professional opinion'.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Fellow victims! Also helpful are folks like chemists, physios, nurses, etc, who are used to dealing practically with all sorts of nagging problems. The first relief I ever had from IBS was thanks to a chemist who sold me Mintec capsules.