Ten Resolutions
« How to cope with no diagnosis? »

Welcome Guest. Please Login or Register.
Dec 24, 2009, 4:37am

[Home] [Help] [Search] [Login] [Register]



Ten Resolutions :: Members (people living with a chronic condition) :: General issues :: How to cope with no diagnosis?
   [Search This Thread][Send Topic To Friend] [Print]
AuthorTopic: How to cope with no diagnosis? (Read 1,214 times)
wowosmama
New Member
*
member is offline





Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1
How to cope with no diagnosis?
« Thread Started on Mar 27, 2003, 8:32am »
Hi! My name is Elisabeth and I've been living with a chronic condition since October 2002. The problem is, I don't have a diagnosis. Somehow I think it would be easier if I did- I guess this falls under the resolution about not letting what other people think dictate how you live- everytime I feel a doctor is treating me like I'm nuts, I lose it and it makes everything worse. So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions about how to strike a balance between still trying to get a diagnosis and getting on with life? My doctor said I really need to find ways to cope with this- what if I still don't have a diagnosis in 6 months? And basically I said that I am not going to give up on trying to figure out what this is, because at least if we know what it is even if there is no cure they can tell me what to do to make it better in some way. How do you cope with no diagnosis? ???
Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
Brian Grady
Administrator
*****
member is offline




[homepage]

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7
Re: How to cope with no diagnosis?
« Reply #1 on Apr 4, 2003, 1:52am »
Dear Elizabeth;
No diagnosis probably some good news in one sense: what you have is very unlikely to be life threatening. So you can be reassured about this.
If it is pain you are experiencing, there are many reasons to have pain, and some of these do not show up on tests at this stage in our medical knowledge. For example, pain can result from what is called "central sensitization" - which is a way of saying that the central nervous system is doling out pain signals much more than it ought, and is over-reacting to what are generally normal stimuli. There is no test I am aware of for this, but it is thought to underlie much chronic pain.
The physiotherapists and medical specialists I work with often cannot identify any particular diagnosis for our pain patients, and it does not really matter, since what one DOES for it is the same. If you look on the >>Pain relief skills<< page on the main site under the Basic 9 Ingredients of pain management, the general outline of the treatment is there.
My usual recommendation is to keep open to the idea that there may be a diagnosis, but don't let no diagnosis stop you from getting on with your life and doing what is generally helpful for your condition and situation. (As usual, when I offer advice, be guided in the end by your own judgment and by your medical advisors.)
Best wishes - Brian Grady, moderator
Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
Brian Grady
Administrator
*****
member is offline




[homepage]

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7
Re: How to cope with no diagnosis?
« Reply #2 on Apr 4, 2003, 1:53am »
Dear Elizabeth;
No diagnosis probably some good news in one sense: what you have is very unlikely to be life threatening. So you can be reassured about this.
If it is pain you are experiencing, there are many reasons to have pain, and some of these do not show up on tests at this stage in our medical knowledge. For example, pain can result from what is called "central sensitization" - which is a way of saying that the central nervous system is doling out pain signals much more than it ought, and is over-reacting to what are generally normal stimuli. There is no test I am aware of for this, but it is thought to underlie much chronic pain.
The physiotherapists and medical specialists I work with often cannot identify any particular diagnosis for our pain patients, and it does not really matter, since what one DOES for it is the same. If you look on the >>Pain relief skills<< page on the main site under the Basic 9 Ingredients of pain management, the general outline of the treatment is there.
My usual recommendation is to keep open to the idea that there may be a diagnosis, but don't let no diagnosis stop you from getting on with your life and doing what is generally helpful for your condition and situation. (As usual, when I offer advice, be guided in the end by your own judgment and by your medical advisors.)
Best wishes - Brian Grady, moderator
Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
lizw
New Member
*
member is offline





Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1
Re: How to cope with no diagnosis?
« Reply #3 on Jun 28, 2005, 1:09pm »
??? No diagnosis is hard to live with, It has affected my ability to claim some medical costs on my insurance. I've resorted now to buying pain medication from places like www.canadasbestrx.com and cananadiscountdrugs.ca to keep my costs down. I'm assured that when I'm through with tests that I will be able to claim back some of my expenses, but my T3s are not cheap at home so I have had to go abroad.

Lizzie
Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
   [Search This Thread][Send Topic To Friend] [Print]

Click Here To Make This Board Ad-Free


This Board Hosted For FREE By ProBoards
Get Your Own Free Message Boards & Free Forums!