My clinic doth run over.
Officially each office visit should take 45 minutes of my time. Recently, however, this has not been the case. Instead I will have three or four 50 minute appointments and one drawn out and draining 1 hour and 15 minute one. This is not because I am just that thorough and kind hearted. But rather because my patients all seem to have a touch of the crazy.
Sometimes it's fibromyalgia with the patient reporting pain here, here, and here. Some pain there radiating back to the first here and sometimes becoming the second here. And that place over there has two types of pain. Oh and my hair hurts.
Sometimes it's chronic fatigue syndrome. Or myalgic encephalomyelitis as my patients like to call it. Or yuppie flu as I like to call it. They aren't the actual patients, their sick relatives in need of custodial care are usually who the visit's for, but patients' families can just as often be as much part of the problem as part of the cure.
Then there's the standard old major depressive disorder. Patient wants to kill himself, doesn't want to talk to anyone about it, and doesn't want to leave the exam room. Of course he didn't come in for depression. No, you cannot get a medicine appointment for a psych complaint. Instead you gotta be sneaky crafty. Don't want to ruin the surprise.
And lastly there's the undiagnosed bipolar patient talking incessantly, not answering questions, and generally providing no relevant information about his ailments to do either of us any good. Feel free to leave before I return from consulting with the staff physician about your diagnosis. It's not like you came to the clinic for medical care because, actually, I am still not sure why you came to the clinic today.
All in all it makes clinic interesting and for me leaving the hospital at 1900 or 2000 at night. The immediate frustrations aside I do not mean to convey that I dislike psychiatric patients -- and two of the disorders aren't even psychology related really. Crazy people are people too after all. It is just that I don't have enough time to take care of all the problems which actually threaten life and limb let alone the hours extra needed to take care of the problems brought about by bad humors and forest gnomes. I am training to become an internal medicine physician but to date it seems my end expertise will be that of a psychologist / orthopedist who occasionally dabbles in the diabetes and the common cold.
***As a general disclaimer: though I in general like to try and be an honest guy, with all the rules these days and the rise of the HIPAA fascist state I must resort to vagueness, generalizations, and outright lies when it comes to recounting my patient stories. Don't want to breach any privacy here and I definitely don't want a summary execution without trial.***
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I don't envy front line Physicians in the U.S. or Canada but these "crazy" people are just like me. I have been plagued by this mysterious illness for 8 years and it has drastlically altered my life and devasted my busines, enjoyment of life and is a huge wast of money for both health care systems. I continue to ask myself if I am crazy and creating my illness (or contributing) as I fully believe in the mind\body connection.
My symptoms read precisely like the CDC'S and the best definition by far is Health Canada's yet I refuse to believe it is what it is. Europe is far ahead of the U.S and Canada in research and specific treatment centres.
Tossed from Doctor to Doctor is a waste of money, Physicians time, my time and life.
I believe this is becoming an epidemic and "off comments" from several Doctors\Specialists actively involved in pursuing these mysterious illnesses have supported my thoughts.
The Doctor that had the best reasoning for this works out of an Enviromental Clinic in Toronto. She attributes this problem and the rise in mysterious illnesses to Enviormental factors as well as Genetics.
Further to my beliefs is with the increase in Invitro we are creating a society filled with illness as couples that could not concieve naturally turn to this measure and we are creating a whole generation of immune suppressed and generally genetically weak humans as we have bypassed Natures selection process to that of a petri dish.
The current structure of our Western society is lying to women with respect to bearing children after 35 and having careers and stress is contributing to this increase in the many illnesses such as ME\CFS\MCS\FM\ADD\Autism\\Hormonal\Nervous system disorders Etc.
I also believe the CDC is not divulging the full extent of problem due to pressure from insurance companies and disability claims.
What you are experiencing is quickly if not already at epidemic proportions surpassing other "mainstream" illnesses that are lower in incidence rates and have endless reserach money available. Check the Statistics for ME\FM Etc. (as they are all connected)against other types of disease and the numbers will wake you up.
My advice for your sanity is to stick to what you want to practice and do not alter your course as what I and the patients you speak of for the most part are screwed up and pverly stressed by outside factors and our means of thought process.
Science and Medicine and Genetic modification, GMO foods are screwing with nature and it is now more prevelant in the general population as we now have a whole generation to study.
Rembember one thing and that is these patients and myself are simply the "canaries" of what's to come.
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