My mother got a tick bite and felt off and the doctor told her she had allergies and sinus infection due to high pollen. Luckily my younger brother is a physician and told her to go back and ask for a Lyme disease test. They said okay but said Lyme disease is really rare and wasn’t necessary. Long story short she was positive but was caught early enough that 30 days Doxy was all she needed. That same year I was bitte…
Why have I heard so many stories of doctors not wanting to diagnose something as Lyme disease?
Add to that:
- They have a lot of patients and not enough sleep.
- They need to pay back a huge student loan.
- They hold terrible responsibilities and risk being sued.
- They don't have much time for themselves, let alone update their knowledge.
- Most patients are overreacting idiots, so it's a winning strategy to ignore what they tell you most of the time.
- They are not trained nor selected for empathy or open-mindedness.
Basically, you have to double-check everything they do, and endure their cynical rebuttal when you make suggestions, ask questions or try things they didn't request.
I had to face many such errors myself, two almost lethal.
When you can, shop for one that is both good and is open to discussion. But even then, there is a limit. At some point, your doctor WILL fail you, so you have to take responsibility, usually when you're weak and at a low point in your life.
And if you are wrong, people will tell you you should have listened to your doctor, but if the doctor is wrong, well, shit happens.
One of my practitioners is a friend of 15 years, I literally lived with him, he is considered top in his specialty. I'm surrounded by people working at the hospital.
He saved my life once.
Even that is not enough. I still have to double check stuff every time.