torn between two cultures

Why I (sometimes) hate (some) doctors

Specialist doctors seem to think the patients have all the time, energy, and money in the world for them to poke around in my health profile for something new to pin on me. The mere suggestion that there might be something awry in my body sends them scurrying away to book me in for tests and then bill me mucho for the privilege. I've got two specialists at the moment who are determined to find something wrong with my breathing and my heart. This all results from my little adventure in July when I fell and hit my head in the bathroom and was curled up in a cramped position when they finally got me out after 2 hours. I was not breathing normally and was generally not on the same planet with the rest of the world. Within 24 hours I was breathing normally and was back to my normal abilities and personality. The doctor officially in charge of me was amazed at the transformation and almost couldn't believe I was the same person. My friends assured him that this was the real me.

However, the breathing problems have got me sent off for breathing tests (I passed), an exam with a respiratory specialist, who tried his best for me to give him answers to fit his diagnosis (sleep apnea) although I have none of the symptoms. He persists in ignoring the sleep problems that are associated with fibromyalgia and tutt-tutts over me taking sleeping pills. Despite my protestations that I do not have sleep apnea (the late Bear did and I know the symptoms), he's got me signed up for a sleep study. Doesn't he realise that CIDP is at the top of my list of diseases to conquer and I don't have the time or energy to chase ghosts?

I have the same trouble with my cardiologist who is convinced I have a heart problem despite doing lots of tests finding nothing. He wants me now to have an angiogram and I have put him off (the doctor and hospital scheduled it without consulting me) and if he keeps pushing I will insist on waiting till J is here to go with me. I have no symptoms of heart problems.

If they would ever ask about fatigue or pain I would give them a long list of issues but they don't, because I'm too busy denying that I snore. Don't they get that my number one issue right now is regaining my balance so I can walk again? Once that's dealt with I might have the leisure to have my breathing investigated, etc. Each specialist wants to treat his own area as the most important thing to me. And none of them know a thing about fibromyalgia and therefore do not link symptoms to that as cause. FM has a sleep disorder associated with it which is why I take sleeping pills.