House passes health care bill on 219-212 vote

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

And I wouldn't call you a hypochondriac, but a lot of vague illnesses also are difficult to diagnose. The problem with our current health care system is that primary care physicians are NOT reimbursed to spend 20 minutes or more with a patient to figure out what is wrong with them if it isn't run of the mill hypertension or diabetes. That being said, you can get a referral to a specialist...I would recommend a rheumatologist given the symptoms you are complaining of. They even have research physicians at places like the NIH that specialize in hard to diagnose cases (kinda like House but not fake.) That being said, not everything is a sign of a disease. I think that losing hair may or may not be a problem. Joint pain/swelling for over 6 months is a problem and may be a sign of a serious disease. I wouldn't take no for an answer.

As for Beryana...If I am the reason you don't go to doctors, you are a fool.

My point is spending a little more time to figure it out in the first place would decrease repeated visits and a lot of irritation on both ends. I realize a few people are going to come through with true mystery illnesses, but surely those are minority cases. Specialists that I have been referred to have been no more helpful than the two doctors I've been to before. Not taking no for an answer is easier said than done when doctors simply don't want to take the time to find the problem. I'll eventually find the right doctor but in the meantime it's frustrating to spend copious amounts of time and money shopping around, especially since I know it would be easier for a doctor that has already seen me to get a read on the problem than a new one who has to review my file and start from scratch. (For the record the only helpful hint I've gotten is actually from a family friend who is a doctor and suggested an autoimmune disease, and as the only disease in that category that can be ruled out in my case is HIV my next step is to present this theory to my doctor...we'll see how it goes this time.)