This is a subject matter concerning empowerment.
The stories, statistics & articles repeatedly shared & discussed are not controversial, instead they are written with the sole aim for a change;
To be implemented in our health care systems.
Perhaps one professional reading this will take a firm stance of crushing the mental stigma & reiterate the dire need for research.
Before people perceive incorrect impressions of inequity statements, there are few definitions to differentiate:
< Pure biological disorders >
An illness that results from a definite biological mechanism but Dr’s are unable to comprehend the etiology (cause) due to a lack of expertise or disinterest altogether.
As is the case with mines.
It has been unanimously agreed upon & backed up by substantial proof that the root of my illness is “a pure flavor”, not tainted with any psychological or psychiatric effects otherwise.
The chronic community on a general note has no issue with Dr’s who confess our illnesses are real but they do not understand fully & are therefore rendered helpless.
(whether it be caused my a biological or psychological mechanism)
Honesty is always appreciated & respected 🙌
In this regard I also appeal unto such type of physicians or specialists to research.
If every Dr who is illiterate of the facts, stays stuck at a point of
“its real but I don’t know how to help, sorry”
move on to no where.
Will we advance?? No!
South African patients with dysautonomia have now resorted to consulting with autonomic specialists abroad via Skype.
If they can, how about South African specialists getting involved with international research?
Surely a way could be made?
< Conversion disorders >
When psychological emotional trauma / stress converts into health problems.
There is no denial of conversion disorders because every person has an allotted share of tests, the strain thereof can inevitably result as physical issues.
I know from my own moms experience how she developed shingles along the optic nerve & lost total vision in 1 eye, but later regained it. (A story of its own)
< Psychiatric disorders >
A mental state completely altered with no physical presentation of symptoms.
Besides the real psychic cases, refutal of our genuine symptoms inflicts brutal damage deeper than our illnesses themselves.
I am a testimonial of having such “accusations” hurled at me countless times but with infinite mercy from above, have found beautiful methods of recreation.
The ideology of: “Its all in your mind –
Terms used in reference are:
Hypochondriac – A person who is constantly anxious / paranoid about their health.
Hysteria – A state of extreme fear or panic.
Pseudo claimed symptoms – pretence.
We cannot contend with the majority who should & can investigate but choose not to, due to age or the above 3 classifications.
Those who are unable to profess they are unaware due to their own lack of skill & knowledge so instead stick the label & worst even, pass on the labels to future Dr’s with whom we consult…
In the previous post I mentioned about a lady who shared her story & presented various statistics, here is the link to watch.
The story attached below speaks for itself & includes additional statistics
The ‘it’s all in your head’ diagnosis is still a danger to women’s health
By EMILY DWASS
Maria Menounos underwent surgery on June 8 to remove a benign brain tumor.
(Jordan Strauss / Associated Press)
TV personality Maria Menounos stunned fans when she announced this month that she was in recovery from surgery for a nonmalignant brain tumor, which she discovered while her mother was battling brain cancer.
Perhaps most surprising was how quickly Menounos was treated. She explained to People magazine that when she told her mother’s doctor about her symptoms — headaches, dizziness, slurred speech — he immediately investigated what was wrong.
Many women are not so lucky. As medical technology improves, proper diagnosis still depends on doctors asking their patients the right questions, and taking their answers seriously. Too often, gender bias get in the way.
Although there have been no major studies on the misdiagnosis of nonmalignant brain tumors, women I’ve met in support groups said it took months or years before they received an accurate assessment — even though women are more than twice as likely as men to develop these kinds of noncancerous growths.
In my case, it took four years and several doctors before I learned that I had a meningioma, the same type of nonmalignant tumor that Menounos had.
By then, the mass in my skull had grown to be the size of a baseball, causing permanent problems and making surgery much more dangerous.
Some 40% of women who eventually are found to have a serious autoimmune disease have been told by a physician that they are complainers.
Even after my diagnosis I had to contend with dismissive, condescending doctors.
While I was in the hospital recovering from a complicated brain surgery, I suddenly experienced muscle spasms.
A young male doctor watched me convulse and intoned: “We don’t know what’s wrong with you — but we think the problem is all in your head.”
If I hadn’t been shaking uncontrollably, I might have laughed. (A female nurse correctly speculated that I was having a bad reaction to post-surgery steroids, given to reduce brain swelling.)
The “all in your head” misdiagnosis is still amazingly common. Doctors dole it out for neurological, autoimmune and even cardiac problems; they sometimes refer women for psychological evaluations before addressing their physical symptoms.
Menounos may have had such horror stories in mind when she thanked her doctor on Twitter for “…not making me feel like I was crazy.”
Doctors may fail to appreciate their female patients’ symptoms in part because medical research has historically focused on men.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, but, according to Harvard Health Publications, “many women say their physicians never talk to them about coronary risk and sometimes don’t even recognize the symptoms, mistaking them instead for signs of panic disorder, stress, and even hypochondria.”
A 2014 study from Johns Hopkins University found that women having a stroke were 30% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed in the emergency room.
Women with autoimmune disease struggle perhaps most of all to find appropriate care.
The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Assn. estimates that about 50 million Americans have one of the 100 known autoimmune diseases, in which the body mistakenly attacks itself.
For reasons that researchers are struggling to unravel, 75% of those afflicted are women.
According to the association’s research, on average patients see four doctors over three years before receiving a correct diagnosis.
The association’s president and executive director, Virginia Ladd, says that the number one concern among women with autoimmune disease is that doctors don’t listen to them.
Indeed, some 40% of women who eventually are found to have a serious autoimmune disease have been told by a physician that they are complainers or simply too concerned with their health.
When these women finally find out what’s wrong, they are thankful, even if they know for certain that they have a chronic condition. “Finally, somebody listened to them,” said Ladd.
Elderly women have to contend with ageism on top of sexism.
When my mother-in-law was in her 80s, she began to experience severe abdominal pain. She went from doctor to doctor, getting a variety of opinions and treatments, none of which worked to relieve her ever-worsening discomfort.
At one appointment, the doctor made note of her age and flippantly asked, “What do you expect?”
What she expected — and deserved — was to be taken seriously and treated with respect. By the time she finally received an accurate diagnosis, the cancer was everywhere.
If her doctors had listened to her, she might have been spared so much suffering in her final months.
Emily Dwass is a freelance health writer in Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-dwass-gender-bias-medicine-20170726-story.html
Having said all the above, it’s not just gloom & doom
“After every difficulty, double ease is promised”
So until advanced diagnostic methodologies arrive (here) & concepts change;
Patience.
Don’t let go
Remember: At present we are benefiting from research not conducted in the years prior to 1994…
As the days and months move
Medical theories will improve ☀️✨🌈
Until then, keep on swimming & obtaining pearls only discovered by hitting rock bottom
By hitting the ocean bed
You can arise & shine as the pearl itself 💎
💙 To cardiac patients out there;
In chapter 77 I mentioned about a blog titled:
HEART SISTERS by
Carolyn Thomas who was diagnosed with myocardial infarction in 2008 — after being misdiagnosed with acid reflux disease. She has a strong interest and passion for women’s heart health.
Her blog is a platform to bring awareness to heart disease, with the hope of encouraging women to seek help sooner for heart disease symptoms.
If you haven’t subscribed, you’re missing out!
❤️ In 2017 Health line also shared a list of educational blogs for cardiac patients, some of which are written by Dr’s as well
https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/best-blogs-of-the-year#1
Swimming Through The Waves 