THE BASICS OF DIAGNOSING

This is how the American CDC, Centre for Disease Control sees how doctors should diagnose ME (I'll show you in another BLOG, that they have absolutely NO IDEA what ME, or CFS as they call it is, but that is another story).

And if you look carefully this is sort of the basis for modern medicine. That is for any problem people have, and go to the doctor with, this is what a doctor should do or consider.

The doctor will or should take a detailed history, examine the patient, and then, if necessary, decide to request further tests to diagnose and or exclude etc.

However, the world as an ME patient is completely different. For the first TEN consultations NOT ONE of the GP's I consulted; even asked me more than a few questions before saying there was nothing wrong with ME. Simon had the same experience, or even worse.

If you want to read what Simon’s experiences were, JUST CLICK HERE.

And I have read and received many emails from others with similar experiences. Appalling is the only thing I can say. Not only as an ME patient, but especially as a GP.

Is this what is called brainfog in doctors, or is it a form of brainfade???

And how can you say there is nothing wrong, if you haven't even done anything to see if that might be true or not????

I was reminded of this, when I saw a documentary about a German patient. No, he didn't have ME. He had been an engineer with the same company for twenty odd years, and was getting funny symptoms, so he went to his doctors.

For a year they told him he was a malingerer and wanted to admit him to a psyche ward.

The patient, nor his family, nor his company believed these silly doctors. This guy had never been ill, had never missed a day going to work, so they all knew, there is something very wrong here. And they were right.

It took a whole year, before it became painfully clear, that the patient was right. He had ALS, a horrible neurological illness, whereby your muscles are going on a permanent holiday over a period of about five years.

He was at the stage where he could hardly walk anymore, had difficulty talking and swallowing. He knew that it wouldn't be long, before he would end up on a respirator, as your breathing muscles are the last to go.

Your brain though keeps on working normally. He was thinking about getting help to end it all, before that stage. Now we all have different ideas about euthanasia, but the one from the German Minister of Health was very interesting indeed.

The American programme makers asked her about euthanasia, with this guy in mind. Her answer was, that the doctors these days are so good that no one should be in pain.

The problem with ALS is, that you have all sorts of problems, but NO pain.

So great to see a Minister who knows what she is talking about. And my brain immediately thought about the GOBSART Institute of Excellence and all its adorable friends.

I would think this has become a sort of PAVLOV reaction. As soon as I see, or hear something utterly silly, my brain just does this automatically. But thanks to Mr PAVLOV we know why.

And then there is ME and pain. We have spend many many years, WASTING money on silly Castle Building Toddler Therapy, see yesterdays BLOG, but we can't do anything properly about the pain in ME. Which is really NICE, I can tell you.

I can just about walk to the toilet. If I do it twice in an hour, I'm in so much pain, even my COOL BLOGGING THERAPY won't distract ME. But still, doctors are so good, that no one should be in pain. Yeah right.

And thanks to the silly Toddlers and their lovely friends, no money will be used to do anything about this. Really great.

But who cares, as long as the Eleven million, and more, ends up at the doorstep of your Castle Building Toddler friends.