dreamer_easy | (no subject)

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.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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'.

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.