There’s nothing more ironic than a chronically ill person who dreads the doctor. The thing is, when you’re a woman with an invisible illness, you tend to spend more time managing your doctor than your doctor spends managing you…as if being sick wasn’t exhausting enough.
I’m 28 years old and I only just recently received an official diagnosis for the pain and problems I’ve been experiencing since my Freshman year of high school. I went to doctor after doctor for thirteen years trying to find someone who would take me seriously. Looking back at my exam room experiences, the things doctors have said to me are laughable, once I stopped fuming.
I’ve been told:
- I’m faking for attention
- I just have growing pains
- It’s just stress
- Yoga should solve the problem
My personal favorite is when a doctor told me I should just feel lucky my pain isn’t as severe as that of his other patients. Yeah, you read that right.
It’s not just doctors. I’ve been literally laughed at by a physician’s assistant when I attempted to describe my nerve pain and phantom sensations.
So now that I finally have a diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis, I’m dreading going to the Rheumatologist. What if they are yet another doctor who shouldn’t be a doctor? I know I have to take the leap sooner rather than later, but I’m too exhausted to manage my doctor.
Chronically Clever 