Hiya! I'm very thankful for you still answering my ramble^^ I do have depression so I have psych appointments weekly, and my psychologist also is a bit worried about me. Also, I'm autistic so I'm just very scared that i'd shut down at the GP's so I'm taking my mom. Also, I'm moving, so I'get a new GP nonetheless but I still just want to hear my GP say that he believes I'm really in pain? Idk, like, that he believes me? (Probs sending another one sorry >,<)
Also, Thanks @chronicillnessproblems for your input! I’m suspecting (H)eds or something similair. Also I’ve done a LOT of research on POTS and I read a lot of thing I find myself in. I’m gonna make a list with things I can’t do anymore and gonna take that when I go see him. Like, I’m almost 21 and I have to sit while showering, can’t ride a normal bike(only electric or else I’ll almost pass out) I sometimes have to stay home from work cause of the pain and ugh. Anyway, Thank you so much!<3
Oh right! Also, please feel free to post anything I send without response, I get how draining that can be^^ Byee!
Ok so I read these asks earlier this morning and I do want to say a couple of things, because I’m a little bit nervous about what you said.
First of all, I SUPPORT YOU AND WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO. I really do. So what I have to say can be dismissed or ignored altogether and it will not hurt my feelings or make me any less supportive of you.
I DO NOT think you should return to this GP if you can help it. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be unable to convince them that you are experiencing pain. And I understand where this is coming from, I really do. We WANT to be affirmed by our medical care providers. It is super hard to battle our own demons and doubts in our heads as it is. But to have that nagging doubt that our doctor doesn’t believe us either just makes things 100% worse.
But they have made up their minds. And I don’t know your gender, but if you are a woman, this is something that is going to be happening to you repeatedly. Unfortunately there is a lot of evidence of medical bias against women that doctors refuse pain treatment to them using depression as an excuse. And this has a long history. I won’t go into detail but you can study up on the roots of “hysterical” diagnosis from last century and see where I am going with this.
Also medical practitioners can be assholes. And not only do they get to be assholes, but they get to document your visits anyway they choose and that information is now basically fact. Everyone used to joke about “permanent records” because that’s not exactly a thing. Except in this case it is.
This doctor can choose to label you as drug seeking, or “hysterical” or any number of things that will bias any future practitioners against you. Now being from the US I have zero idea how a fully functioning healthcare system is so I don’t know if your psychiatrist’s notes are also included in your medical records because here they are not. Which means this jackass’ notes will follow you for eternity while your Psychiatrists notes can get lost in the shuffle.
However, if you do choose to return to this GP, I would earnestly encourage you not to get your hopes up about them validating your pain. Since I’ve been sick I’ve had 3 medical practitioners that believed me out of 11. And this was after I had seen multiple specialists.
I ABSOLUTELY encourage you to take your mom. I am 43 but did not start getting the respect and treatment I needed from my doctors until I started taking my mom into the exam rooms with me. (She didn’t actually believe how dismissive they all were, which was the reason I took her in the first place, but suffice it to say the minute she saw what was going on, she lost her temper.)
I also would encourage you to get a letter from your Psychiatrist explaining that his PROFESSIONAL OPINION ON YOUR DEPRESSION is that it is not causing your physical pain. Your doctor will A. Be forced to argue with another medical professional. And B. be forced to add this letter to your medical file. Where it WILL become permanently attached to your current issues.
And this could be a phenomenal help later on as you do find new doctors.
Again, it’s your body and it is your life. There is no way I could ever have enough knowledge to tell you what you should be doing. I can only give you some things to consider from my experience, after going through this for almost 10 years now.
Please do not seek validation from someone who has already denied it to you. It will only hurt worse in the long run and cause more doubts. I have spent many afternoons crying over crappy doctor’s visits and I’d hate to see the same for you.
Ok since you said I didn’t have to comment, I’m just going to go ahead and not edit this… I hope it all makes sense. Keep us posted, if you feel like it. You’ll be in my thoughts.
Admin J
PS Followers if you have anything to add, please feel free.
