Misdiagnosis doesn't only occur because of age. I have seen it happen not just with cancer but all kinds of things and at any age. I think it occurs more frequently in those that are younger. I realize doctors see many patients, do their best to make a diagnosis and move on to the next. If a patient is frequently complaining that they are not getting better, or are in great pain or discomfort more needs to be done. Suggesting one is just depressed and putting them on antidepressants could be fatal. Sometimes and very often it seems to me, these patients aren't at all depressed but truly do have something wrong with them. So, I think more awareness needs to be out there. We need to somehow change how the whole system works.
When I was 16, I lost one of my best friends to a car accident. It was a tragic situation and so hard on their family. Her brother had just been diagnosed with cancer days before. The whole family was just totally in shock. He actually recovered and things went well for years. Then their mother was diagnosed with cancer. She was a wonderful woman. I really cared for her. She went undiagnosed for a long time. She had frequently complained of pains which the doctor prescribed pain pills for and sent her home. By the time it was discovered it was really too late. At the time my husband was a driver for the ambulance service. She was a frequent caller of theirs because of her condition. She lost her life. I think so much more should have been done for her as well. She wasn't as young but she was still misdiagnosed. I think in her situation they tried to say her pain was a part of getting older so it can work both ways.
It all goes back to this. We know our bodies. We shouldn't be paranoid but we should be aware. If we know something is wrong, and one doc says you're fine, you're just depressed. Go find a new doctor.
Hi. Totally agree. There´s so much to be done.
ReplyDeleteIt´s a pity you lost dear ones that were misdiagnosed, nowadays, with so many resources those situations are difficult to accept.
On the positive side, people are being saved by treatments and that´s a step ahead of the previous generation.
We should know our bodies better than anyone and suspect when doctors say the contrary. It´s always good to have a second opinion, Doctors fail too.
A good Thursday. xx
you are right. There are treatments now and I am so thankful. Hodgkin's Lymphoma was once a surely fatal disease. It was feared but thankfully with new treatments it's very curable. I am so thankful for that. I think about it several times week! This is why I am so adamant about early diagnosis. If we discover these things early, very often we can be cured. It's time that is a problem. You can put these things off. And if misdiagnosis is made several times, then it may be too late. :( So sad.
ReplyDeleteVery well said Sandi. I've gotten second opinions and in one case I was right on the money. I'm glad I didn't accept the first doctors advice. Have a great day. :)
ReplyDeletethanx for the info c: and the advice c: God bless you more with good health so as your family c: your an encouragement to a lot of people c:
ReplyDeletedrop by my blog posted you c:
http://www.pinay-chicken-heart.com/
Its sad to lose somebody special... You are right we should listen to what are body tells us, it may save our lives.. So sad that she was diagnosed too late..
ReplyDeletesweet..pretty..naughty
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Sweety tots
Hi,
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog because I saw your comment on BlogCatalog.
I was misdiagnosed this summer and almost died because of it. It turned out my appendix ruptured. I was told it was a virus. It was a very rough experience, especially b/c I was in Italy and not at home.... although, at the same time, I am grateful that it was in Italy b/c I could have gone bankrupt if it had happened in the US. It was hard to be a foreign country of course, for obvious reasons, but the whole 3 weeks in the hospital and the surgery, x-rays and cat scans, WAS ALL FREE. Now, I know the Italian tax payers pay for this, so I know it's not technically free, but the fact is, I was not charged and in the US I literally would have lost my home or gone bankrupt.
Anyway, the misdiagnosis did create an intense situation for me. I was very very ill. I ended up getting pneumonia as well. I am four months out now and still healing. It's really tough to heal from acute peritonitis and pneumonia.... and I was not able to go back to work when I got back to the US. I am still out of work and have no financial help, so those are some aspects of the misdiagnosis that still affect me. If it had been diagnosed, I would have been able to get medical help BEFORE it ruptured and BEFORE sepsis spread through my system and I would have spent only a night in the hospital and it wouldn't have been a big deal.
Well, that's a long comment! I appreciate your blog and I hope you'll have a chance to visit mine. Our medical stories are different but there's some commonalities too.
I agree with you 100% and thanks for these post it made me realized by and by we should not rely in one doctor we should check or diagnose by other doctor for referral and check which one is the best. There's a so many cases like that, specially for us woman sometime they conclude us depressed being for a woman.
ReplyDeletekeep it up
much care
http://jolinarodriguez.blogspot.com/