I could never have done it alone, but with the help of a physician, I was well on my way to becoming a neurotic. For success in this type of venture you need bad luck, a misdiagnosis, and faulty information. It wasn’t until six months after the statute of limitations to file a malpractice suit had run out, that another physician diagnose my injury correctly. By this time, all my symptoms and struggles had so firmly become a part of my personality, I didn’t even know “who” I was any more. This first misdiagnosis plunged me into a neurotic hole that has taken my every waking moment since, to climb out. The most drastic change in my life was not…my job, my home, my personality, my abilities, but now all my energy had to be directed toward getting back to normal, instead of living a normal life.
It’s hard to determine where the “fault” lines fall in my story, because with head injuries clear thinking is the part that gets damaged first, but my fractures were real, not fictional symptoms to get attention. It seems a shame that physicians are so willing to cast fault on the patient when their prescribed methods of healing don’t work, instead of admitting they may not know why the patient is still broken. Why this type of diagnostic practice still happens isn’t really clear. Much of it can be avoided, but that depends on whether the physician is part of the “status quo” professionals or you are willing to be the victim – either way will do the job of creating a neurotic environment.
My psychologically symptoms were diagnosed as “neurotic,” because they could not see the injury. When the x-rays revealed broken bones, their focus went to the injuries they could see and missed the injury to my head which didn’t have a fracture. My bones healed, because they had the right treatment, but my head (brain) did not. All these symptoms got worse over time, because they where viewed as “neurotic” and my negative response to the accident instead of being the results of a serious brain injury. The same people, who would never expect me to use a broken arm that wasn’t healed, didn’t give it a second thought when they sent me back to work using a broken brain.
How much of my problem could be attributed to the physicians who saw me during the first three months after the accident is hard to say. What is not hard to say is that their attitudes, their indifference, their errors were a major part of the problem. The medical profession has a name for this: Iatrogenic Medicine. Wikipedia states: “The terms iatrogenesis and iatrogenic artifact refer to adverse effects or complications caused by or resulting from medical treatment or advice.”
The handicap superimposed on my life, sapped my determination, which put my normal “never give up” attitude in flux. My physical and mental ability to cope was now severely limited. While my broken bones were given the time to rest and heal, my brain was expected to carry on as if nothing had happened to it. We now know even a mild blow to the head can cause serious trauma, and the car accident inflicted more than a mild blow to my head.
Although my story is much less tragic than many others in similar situations, it encompasses so many of the flaws of the medical/legal/insurance system today; it is a total representation of the problem. The medical issues would have been enough to make my problems life changing, but add to it the issues with the insurance companies and the saga receives new twists and turns. I didn’t learn until later that the doctor who was assigned to my case worked with an insurance company and had no choice but to side with the policies of the company that employed him.
It is sad when a patient is diagnosed with whatever disease or illness the insurance carrier will cover. It is a dilemma – doctors need to cover their bills, but if they diagnose a patient with an illness that isn’t covered – they don’t get paid. Who suffers? We all do.
The problem of receiving proper medical care is a complicated one at best, because it involves so many different facets of health care. Bottom line – be your own best advocate. Seek second opinions, even if you are made to feel foolish doing so, find patient based support groups, read all you can, ask tons of questions without fear of being seen as a pest – your health and maybe your life hangs in the balance, and you’re worth fighting for.
Ethel Dimont is a lecturer and author. In 1962 she co-author Jews, God and History, along with her husband Max I. Dimont, which received critical acclaim and has sold almost 2 million copies which the Los Angeles Times praised as, “unquestionably the best popular history of the Jews written in the English language”. Because of the success of the book, Ethel, along with her husband Max, has traveled the world over, having met with heads of state such as David Ben Gurion, Menachem Begin, Martin Buber and several other Arab Middle Eastern leaders.
In 1972 a car accident changed the focus of Ethel’s life. An improperly diagnosed closed head injury caused a slow erosion of her health. She has now authored a book dealing with the struggle of a brain injury, also known as a “closed head injury.”
Since her accident, she has unceasingly researched and sought answers for this often over looked invisible injury. Her book takes you through the struggles of living with a misdiagnosis, to finding the correct information that can help lead to a recovery.
Ethel is a native of New York City, but moved to St. Louis, Missouri after her marriage to Max in 1946, who has been deceased since 1992. Her daughter, three grandson, and two great grand-daughters still live in New York City.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/disabilities-articles/to-become-a-neurotic-get-yourself-the-right-doctor-896438.html
Written by Anissa Wardell - Contact your local Congressman to make a difference!
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