ME: joint pain

[Jessica Pillsbury]

I had surgery on my shoulder in December to repair some cartilage that had torn. I was supposed to be back outside being physical by April at the latest. Of course other reasons keep me from doing what I want now, but my surgeon can not figure out why my shoulder still hurts so bad.
I have had MRI after MRI and at least 4 or 5 opinions, all from "shoulder specialists" and not a single one could tell me what was wrong. They discussed going back in and checking it out but after my last results with that, it was not an option for me.
What I'm wondering is if the CFS is making it worse than it should be because I experience occasional joint stiffness in other joints.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Or can anyone shed some light on my situation?

Thanks, Jess

[TonytheTiger]

Jessica, did you have physical therapy for your shoulder. What about anti-inflammatory such as clinoril? It could be adhesions. Have you been doing range of motion exercises? You should or the shoulder might freeze. The best docs to see are the ones that work on athletes. Go to the same doctor that treats Derek Jeter or at least some decent college team.

[Jessica Pillsbury]

I've been on a whole slew of meds. Bextra, Vioxx, Ultram, Vicaden,
Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Prednisone, and more. I went through the physical
therapy cycle for three - four months. I do R.O.M. exercises daily, I don't
want to freeze up. And all of my shoulder guys were sports guys, each one
recommended highly.
Not sure what adhesions are. Similar to adhesive capsulitis? I do know what
that is, trying to avoid it.
I am running completely out of energy to continue going to doctors,
especially when they all give me they same look of confusion.
~ Jess

[TonytheTiger]

Jess, I think you've done everything I would have. I don't have any idea what the problem might be. Adhesions are often had by baseball pitchers. Occasionally, the pitcher just has to retire. Nobody can help him.

[Rob]

Hi, well about five years ago, I had a disc herniation in the lower spine,
and i was told by two specialists that it would heal in nine months to a
year. . well, i am still in excruciating pain, and i take a very strong pain
med to deal with it, which does, finally work to a large extent . . .so, i
guess that there might be some connection between CFS, which I have had for
over a decade, and problems healing . . . my MRI's show no healing taking
place in the disc area, which was surprising to the doctor a couple of years
ago. .

don't know if this is any help, but i understand and empathize what you are
going through.

rob.

[Jessica Pillsbury]

Thanks Rob. Sorry to hear you are in so much pain. When it rains it pours...
~ Jess

[Wendy Swope]

Jessica,

Sorry you are having such a time, dear! You need a second opinion from
a shoulder surgeon who wasn't involved in your surgery. The doctor(s)
involved might have made a mistake during surgery or the physical
therapy that followed. With malpractice being such a big deal today,
the doctor isn't going to want you to check this out with anyone else.
Do it nicely, but do it anyway, to rule out complications from the
surgery.

If a second orthopedic doctor who specializes in shoulders can't figure
out why you still hurt, there are a number of conditions associated with
CFS that could be causing your pain and should be considered. First,
find yourself a rheumatologist who will help you explore the problem.
A good rheumatologist knows all about auto-immunity and joint health.
Conditions you may need to rule out include chronic tendonitis,
fibromyalgia, and arthritis (joint surgery may have required the removal
of damaged cartilage, which can cause severe pain and, later, arthritis;
ask your current doc if he had to remove any cartilage).

Last thing I can think of to check for, and it's a long shot, would be
"frozen shoulder". If you can't move your arm because of the pain
you're in, it is possible you have a frozen shoulder and need
specialized physical therapy, but I think (at least *hope*) that your
current doctor would have picked up on such a condition right away.

Gentle, healing hugs,

Wendy

____________
"Jessica Pillsbury" wrote in message
news:003701c335fb$45cf9000$f2da...@ne2.client2.attbi.com...

[Jessica Pillsbury]

Wendy, I did have my shoulder checked out by two surgeons who were not
involved in the surgery. My surgeon actual did reccomend it because he
couldn't figure out what was wrong. My surgeon didn't remove any cartilage
but is worried about future arthritis. I am scheduled to see a CFS doctor in
October who also specializes in chronic pain, I plan to ask her about it
too. I have tried everything from steroids to accupuncture. Nobody seems to
know anything else to do.
I notified my lawyer today that I want to move ahead with my case so that I
can get reimbursed for some of these expenses. He said that he would include
coverage for any further medical needs for my shoulder into the case so at
least ther is that.
Thank you for the suggestions though.
~ Jess

[kma]

Jess,

I can relate to your shoulder pain, as I have 'frozen shoulder'. I think
it's also called adhesive capsulitis. My dr. told me that it's often an
autoimmune reaction. The pain was unbearable the first month and I had to
sleep in a recliner because I couldn't bear any pressure on it. I chose
massage therapy for treatment because I don't do well with physio. I've had
it for 7 months now and the pain is diminishing and my range of motion is
slowly starting to improve. Something else that helped with the deep ache
was Traumeel. It's a homeopathic cream that I rub in the shoulder area
twice a day. No smell to offend and very gentle. I'm sorry you're going
through this.

Mary Anne

[TonytheTiger]

Jess, many things can cause shoulder pain including insufficient blood flow, nerve impingement, muscle or tendon strain, damaged joint capsule, damaged cartilage. You can distinguish between muscle and cartilage problems. If stretching hurts, and exercise does not the muscle is okay. If exercise hurts and stretching doesn't, the problem is in the muscle or blood flow or nerve.
----- Original

[Chris Poole]

I'm not sure if I can access the newsgroup from work.
Not sure how to send an e-mail to the group either.. so
I am responding to this as a test.

:)
Christine

[loddie_may2003]

Hello all,

I may be totally off the wall.....or my doctor is....but has anyone ever heard of a parasite verses CFS??

My doctor is checking me for Parasites.......have been sick since last fall.....nausea, diareha, dizzy...weak....fatiigued, anxiety attacks and just an over all flu feeling. Also vision problems.

Please let me know what you think.

Hope you all have a great weekend with energy and a feeling of wellness.

Laurie

:)
Christine

Jess,

Mary Anne

---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!

[Shadow]

At 07:15 AM 6/21/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>I may be totally off the wall.....or my doctor is....but has anyone ever
>heard of a parasite verses CFS??
>
>My doctor is checking me for Parasites.......have been sick since last
>fall.....nausea, diareha, dizzy...weak....fatiigued, anxiety attacks and
>just an over all flu feeling. Also vision problems.
>
>Please let me know what you think.
>
>Hope you all have a great weekend with energy and a feeling of wellness.
>
>Laurie

Hi Laurie. I have the same symptoms plus intermittent fever, swollen
glands and a few others but all of my docs at the time I was diagnosed went
with CFS. I've been checked for parasites (stool samples) a few dozen
times and nothing ever showed up. But that doesn't mean they won't find
something with you and be able to take care of it. Let us know how it
goes. Take care.
Vicki

[msauve]

Hi Laurie

Parasites can often be a problem in CFS. How is your doctor testing you?
Unfortunately most stool tests I understand are very unreliable for detecting
parasites. If he thinks you are at high risk for parasites, he should treat
you anyway to be sure. My gp has two patients currently with CFS symptoms who
he is treating with flagyl. If it works, he may do the same on me as I got
sick in Japan 7 months ago.

Good luck. Keep us posted on how it goes for you.

Monique

>===== Original Message From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome discussion CFIDS/ME
<CF...@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> =====

[loddie_may2003]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply, I also have swollen glands, periodic sore throats and periods of low grade fevers.....geez.....What will it take for a Dr. To totally diagnose this for me?? I have been off work for only 4 weeks and cannot imagine the way I feel going back to work at this point.

How frustrating.....but.....I guess I will do anything the docs want me to try and FINALLY feel better.

Thanks again,
Laurie

---------------------------------

[loddie_may2003]

Hi Monique,

Thank you for your response, He is testing me my stool samples.......and i have a colonoscopy scheduled for the 3rd of July.

Would not it be great if he did find parasite and I did not after all have CFS???? !!! then they could treat me and then I would finally feel good again???

Am I now off the wall?? If I am it is a dream worth thinking about.

Hope you are doing okay.

Laurie

msauve <msa...@ualberta.ca> wrote:
Hi Laurie

Parasites can often be a problem in CFS. How is your doctor testing you?
Unfortunately most stool tests I understand are very unreliable for detecting
parasites. If he thinks you are at high risk for parasites, he should treat
you anyway to be sure. My gp has two patients currently with CFS symptoms who
he is treating with flagyl. If it works, he may do the same on me as I got
sick in Japan 7 months ago.

Good luck. Keep us posted on how it goes for you.

Monique

>===== Original Message From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome discussion CFIDS/ME

=====
>Hello all,
>
>I may be totally off the wall.....or my doctor is....but has anyone ever
heard of a parasite verses CFS??
>
>My doctor is checking me for Parasites.......have been sick since last
fall.....nausea, diareha, dizzy...weak....fatiigued, anxiety attacks and just
an over all flu feeling. Also vision problems.
>
>Please let me know what you think.
>
>Hope you all have a great weekend with energy and a feeling of wellness.
>
>Laurie

---------------------------------

[Jeanne Redmon]

Hi Laurie,
I know someone wrote a paper on parasites and CFS. I can't find it right now
but will keep looking, and post it if I can find it.
Your symptoms sound typical of CFS. I have had them all for lots of years. I
hope you will get relief soon.
Hugs, Jeanne

**************************

[loddie_may2003]

Jeanne,

Thank you for writing to me. I would love to read the paper on this if you find it. If not, thank you for thinking of me anyways.

I hope all here has a bright sunny shiny day without symptoms of our wonderful conditions!!!

Hugs,

Laurie

---------------------------------

[msauve]

Hi Laurie
Of course you are not off the wall. I think we all hope to find something that
is the causes or causes of our illness so we can eliminate it. I have met a
few who have. Let's hope one day we do too!

Take care
Monique

[Patricia M]

>Would not it be great if he did find parasite and I did not after all have
CFS???? !!! then they could treat me and then I would finally feel good
again???
>
>Am I now off the wall?? If I am it is a dream worth thinking about.

Seems kinda bizarre now, but when I tested positive for Hep C in 1998, after
being dx'd with CFS in 1992, I was actually thrilled! Finally! I had
something legitimate.

So yes, I can understand how you feel.

Pat

[loddie_may2003]

Hello all.

I am writing to tell you of my experience yesterday with a neurologist that I had looked so forward to seeing and was set up by my family Doctor.

I went to him in great hopes of him helping me. I took my list of symptoms and all the meds that I have been taking. I had been to him one time before for Guillan Barre and just knew that he was going to be able to help me.

WRONG!!! He could have cared less what my list of symptoms were, or what meds I was on, had me do a couple of short physical acts....( finger to nose, walking heel to toe etc.,) and said that he had gotten reports from my Doctor and that there was really nothing that he could do for me. I was trembling from being so weak yesterday. It was a bad day for me and I explained to him that.

Well.....guess what he told me?? He ask me if I consumed alcohol ( why would he ask me that and what gave him the idea?) and I said now and then I had a couple but only at night to sleep. He told me that all of this could be from alcohol !!!! I have had nothing to drink since Saturday and that was coffee with Hazlenut!!!
And before that....it was the last Saturday with the same drink.

I was so insulted and hurt, he totally blew me off and told me that I may think about some counciling for stress....( I am not stressed other than I want so much to feel better !!!) and exercise, gave me a script for sleeping pills, put me on a higher dose of Welbutrin and off two more weeks. Said that there was nothing he could do for me!!

I was thinking.....I remember when I worked 12.5 hours a day that I had told my family Doctor that one time.....my work was so stressful that at night sometimes after my long day at work ( Corrections Officer) that I had a couple of drinks to sleep......well for goodness sakes, that was a long time ago......certainly not while I have not been working.....and certainly not everynight and certainly not needing it!!! I also had told my family Doctor that if I did not have 1-2 drinks that I would take a sleeping aid instead.

I told the neurologist yesterday that I was insulted, I could not stand alcoholics and drunks and that my last marriage ended due to his alcoholism, but he would not listen to me. It is like my family doctor talked to him and told him what he thought about me and that is their diagnosis. Like I am a alcoholic sick girl that does not want to work anymore!!!???

I cannot sleep over this. I am so upset. I am going to call my family doctor today and tell his nurse what a big fat joke that appointment was, due to whatever he told the neurologist. I am also going to make sure that she knows to tell my doctor that he needs to get off of the alcohol thing. Geezzzzz.....I cannot believe, that he actually thought the reason that I was trembling was due to alcohol. I was so weak yesterday, headache and had terrible vision problems,,,,,,how in the world would my one coffee and hazelnut from saturday afternoon have anything to do with that???

I am so hurt and so lost. I am convicted apparently by my doctors now that I am an alcoholic, only because when I worked those hours a while back that I would have 1-2 drinks at night sometimes to slow down and relax.

With CFS....we are dizzy and weak enough. We get headaches enough, we feel icky enough without having to have alcohol to make us feel worse.......why won't they listen??
Why would we want to drink and be drunk and feel worse than we already do???

I need to get over this...can anyone give me a piece of advice??? I only slept 4 hours last night and woke up this AM angry and hurt of what happened yesterday.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this......I am just so upset.

Laurie

Pat

---------------------------------

[Marnia He Sapa]

Yes, the bad ones are beyond polite descriptors. But they are not all
bad. I do understand -- a couple weeks ago I drove six hours, stayed in
motels etc for days in order to see a doc who spent 4 minutes to blow me
off, after, as you say, not even reading the information I'd provided (and
which his nurse had said was excellent). What does this say? It says this
particular doc -- neuro for you, internist for me -- in fact isn't informed
and isn't honest enough to say, I don't want you for a patient because I
don't want to deal with this murky CFS. And as to being accused, more or
less, of being alcoholic because you were shaky -- I've had people inform
me that I'm alcoholic, a cocaine addict etc because I couldn't walk
straight, or sleep, or was shaky, or looked like living death or whatever
-- I'd always be just floored and say "Why do you think that?" Well, guess
what? In every single blessed case the answer started "I know because I'm
a recovering alcoholic or cocaine addict or whatever and I know your
biggest problem is you just haven't admitted etc." I knew a fellow with
Parkinson's who said he got the same stuff -- always from people who don't
know you well, and who certainly didn't know you before you fell ill. I
know it's really upsetting, but don't let it get to you. Well, it has
gotten to you, but what I'm saying is, deep breaths. Warm bath. Herb
tea. Dim lights or no lights at all. Nice soft relaxing music you can
reach to turn off from where you're lying down. Melatonin or a sleep med
if you take 'em. Think of all you've survived already. Think how sheepish
they will feel when eventually all the research is in, the disease is
better understood, and there is some form of standard treatment even if no
cure. You have survived thus far, you are stronger and more flexible than
they can possibly appreciate. Now get ready for a giggle. People who know
me reasonably well often suggest that I take up drinking a glass of wine or
whatever because they are sure it will help me sleep. Why? Because it
helps them sleep! Projection is an amazing thing. So all those folks who
say it's all in your head, or your a malingerer, or an addict -- are really
giving you some pretty scorching information about themselves, and know
nothing whatever about you. And lastly, my dear one, get thee a new family
doc. Them what willfully misunderstand, misdirect, blow off, deny,
diminish and dismiss don't merit your time, precious energy or the $150
bucks they charge for a 4-7 minute office visit! And get somebody to paint
your toenails! Nothing cheers a person up like the silliness of painted
toes! hugs, Marnia

[loddie_may2003]

Marnia,

Thank you for writing to me.

I bet you were so upset taking all the time, gas and miles to be blown off in 4 minutes!

For me, hearing other peoples experiences makes mine look not so bad after all. Even tho I still am so upset and hurt.

I am planning on getting a new family Doctor. This was all so uncalled for. I am also planning to write the neurologist a letter and explain my feelings to him as I will not be seeing him again either!

Hot bath??..... I am headed there right now. Then maybe a nap after very little sleep last night.

Thank you again,
Laurie

---------------------------------

[Marnia He Sapa]

Laurie, yeah, I felt like smacking the guy 3 of the 4 minutes. Travel
always screws up my already disturbed sleep patterns -- I hadn't slept the
night before, so I wasn't shaky, I was "glazed."

>For me, hearing other peoples experiences makes mine look not so bad after
>all. Even tho I still am so upset and hurt.

Well naturally. Jeez, the man invalidated your entire experience of
life-destroying disabling disease because he doesn't know diddley. There
are several terms for such people, none of them polite. And yours is
plenty bad, just unfortunately common. I'm glad you're changing family
docs, and hope you get a good lie down. I'm headed there too, this is the
fourth night this week for awful insomnia, I've at least been down prone
all the others, but couldn't face lying there for ten hours again -- the
travel always knocks my already screwy sleep all to the dickens. Overtired
= gross insomnia. Stupid senseless illness counter-intuitive! :) I need
my toes painted! best, Marnia

[Lisa]

The last time they sent me for an Independent Medical Exam, she asked me about my alcohol use (which I admit is more than is good for me) and in her report, exaggerated every specific I gave her. I said, 2-6 beers once or twice a week, never before 3pm, and never in my life have I had even one drink every day for longer than two weeks, became "Some weeks she drinks 6 to 8 beers from noon until 3 pm for 2-3 weeks in a row (it helps her sleep) but then she stops abruptly reasoning that "I cannot be an alcoholic as I can quit so easily." " I never said anything like that. It's the stereotypical "I can quit anytime I want to" of the alcoholic in denial.

I can't remember if I told her, but 20 years ago, before CFS, I did "self-medicate" for depression and drank a lot more than I have since.

I suppose, at her discretion, she could have concluded that I'm an alcoholic in denial and probably drink more than I reported (although it wouldn't have been true) but to state as a fact that I drink more than I do, and to quote me as saying something I didn't . . . if only I had taken a witness or tape recorder, I wonder if that would come under "malpractice." That was very prejudicial and cost me a LOT of money.

Even at that, her conclusions listed "Intermittent Alcohol Abuse" 7th down on the list and below Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (that was 3rd).

In spite of that long list, she found me not disabled and cleared for full-time work, so they cut off my disability income. But that's a long story I told already with a relatively happy ending.

But, anyway, know you're not alone. I think so many doctors are so insecure about the lack of a definitive blood test for CFS that they'll grasp at any other diagnosis. Hmm. There's no definitive test for either "depression" or "alcoholism" either -- so why are they so eager to grab those diagnosis? Oh, I'll bet it's because they can pass those problems off to someone else. "Go see a shrink. Go to AA."

--Lisa

[loddie_may2003]

Lisa,

I did not hear your ending.....I would love to hear how you came out on things in your relatively happy ending that you stated.

Thank you for sharing with me your situation......it gripes me how we are treated by some doctors. And I also feel that they can pass us on by naming it alcoholism and or depression....no way to clearly diagnose those either......but then off we go to a shrink or AA.

Thanks Again,
Laurie

--Lisa

loddie_may2003 wrote:

wrote:
> >Would not it be great if he did find parasite and I did not after all have
> CFS???? !!! then they could treat me and then I would finally feel good
> again???
> >
> >Am I now off the wall?? If I am it is a dream worth thinking about.
>
> Seems kinda bizarre now, but when I tested positive for Hep C in 1998, after
> being dx'd with CFS in 1992, I was actually thrilled! Finally! I had
> something legitimate.
>
> So yes, I can understand how you feel.
>
> Pat

---------------------------------

[Bethany Wilson]

Hi Laurie,

Unfortunately, most of us have had an experience like yours. Sorry you had
to go through that. The first time is the worst!

Going to a doc like that is like going to a dentist for a heart attack. They
speak, with annoying confidence, from their knowledge......which is
nothing!! At least a dentist would call 911. Hopefully.

I was diagnosed in July, 1989 as having Epstein-Barr. I've never been to a
doc since for CFS. I used to be married to a doctor, and one thing I learned
from him was not to "bother" (his words, not mine!) a doctor when you had
something that couldn't be treated. Colds, viral illnesses, upset stomachs,
etc. He was a pediatrician and would tell me when to take the kids to the
doc, like if they might have a strep throat.

So I've done my own doctoring all these years, by talking to people on this
list and trying out dietsa and supplements that made sense to me. I had one
shouting match with a doc here that I went to see for a "frozen shoulder." I
mentioned I had CFS. He said he didn't believe in it. We got into an
argument. The loudest part went like this - him:"All you people ever want
is to come in here and get on disability!!"....me: "I'm not on disability
and I've never applied for it in my life!!" ....SILENCE ...(accompanied by
stunned look on his face hahaha)

He had me confused with a patient (someone I knew) who was coming in to have
him sign off on her disability forms. I went home and called my friend to
warn her. She took her husband with her to the appointment (he's a shrink)
and the doc signed the papers with no protest. Later, I learned the local
Womens' Center has a list of docs to avoid, and his name is on it for being
"demeaning to women." Even his advice about my frozen shoulder, which is
what I went to see him for, was wrong. I figured out a way to cure it by
myself - many painful weeks later.

Unless I travel across the country to see one of the well-known CFS experts
like Cheney or Bell, I assume total ignorance on the part of any doc I see.
I discount their opinions about CFS as much as I would my next-door
neighbors. There are docs out there who will admit their ignorance and
actually learn something about treating CFS, but they're hard to find. I
finally gave up and called that friend I mentioned earlier to ask if her
husband knew any decent shrinks in this area. From reading CFS-L, I wanted
to try a couple of meds, and I wanted a shink to prescribe them, not some GP
who didn't know about side effects. So now my only doc is a shrink 70 miles
away who prescribes my meds and thinks about things for me to try (which I
never do because his knowledge is so limited ;-) He's a child and adolescent
psychiatrist - now who would ever think to consult him about CFS? But he's
an interesting guy from South Africa, so we spend the 30 minute session
talking about stuff in general, not my illness.

People who are uninformed speak out of ignorance, and health professionals
in general classify you according to others they've seen before you. They
don't see you as an individual. I was a health professional before I got
sick, so I know that when they're seeing a new person, they don't look for
individuality, they look for signs and symptoms they're familiar with, so
that they can put the person into a category they're familiar with. That's
the job they're supposed to do, and if they lack knowledge, they can make
egregious errors.

Better luck next time!
Bethany

[loddie_may2003]

Bethany,

Thank you so much for your very interesting letter.

I am not sure who I would talk to if it weren't for this forum. I am still so ashamed, embarrassed and intimidated from yesterday. I tell my Mom everything but I cannot tell her about the Doc treating me as if I was an alcoholic.

I called my family Dr. today and talked to his nurse. She read me exactly what was sent to this neurologist. There was mention of alcohol but nothing that should have even been thought about for a second, as in "this patient drinks 1-2 alcoholic beverages a night sometimes". I am not sure why the neurologist treated me like he did, other than thinking about what you said about the Dr's not seeing me as an individual. She told me that she was going to tell the Dr. about it and see if he wanted to do anything else with me.

Still upset.....need to stop my whining and realize.....there is not alot of hope.

Thanks again,
Laurie

---------------------------------

[Lisa]

After a year, two appeals totaling about 500 pages, $7000 spent on a lawyer, loans I had to default on with a resulting staggering tax bill, I did get my disability income back. Not for CFS. Because I'm crazy.

My social life, career and financial prospects were cut off at what should have been the flower of my life, many doctors and most layman blame me for this, because of my weight, drinking or laziness, and I'm dependent for my subsistence on an arbitrary hand-out that I can lose at any moment. You're damn right I'm depressed! I'd be crazy if I weren't.

But, so far, they haven't sent me for another IME, and the continuing disability payments have allowed me to get my taxes and debts paid off, so I'm better off than most people who haven't been able to work for 15 years.

To paraphrase the ending of a favorite short story of mine, that's as happy an ending as could be expected with CFS.

--Lisa

[Marnia He Sapa]

More to the point, these particular doctors are not qualified to make such
a diagnosis. Every time disability review comes round, instead of the
state of Oregon (who handles it here for the feds) sending me for a helpful
test -- molecular medicine, MRI, fMRI etc -- they send me to visit with a
very wonderful local psychiatrist, as their choice for "their"
physician. Cheaper than any other tests, you see. I really like
her. Anyhow, she puts me through cognitive tests and all sorts of things,
very conscientious, but she is also watching for things I'm not even aware
of, tiny compensatory things for rest, what happens to my voice over two
hours. Not 4-7 minutes. She is charged with diagnosing whether or not I'm
depressed and she is very very clear with me that there is no way any
competent professional could find me so. Arm chair psychologists, on the
other hand, make a list of symptoms which serve their theory, then trim,
hammer or embroider what ever is said by or observed superficially in the
patient(or friend or spouse) to fit. When these people are doctors, their
notes carry some weight unless directly refuted by several other doctors at
disability review. It's assinine, but if the point is to deny disability
claims, it's used. Yes, I didn't take one last time either, and I even
have one, but I do think, with new doctors especially, new to us, a tape
recorder is a good idea. Also for any disability appointments. I think
people could likely be fired/reprimanded for some of the things they say,
put in notes, quote, that are grossly incorrect if one had evidence it was
incorrect. But the presence of a recorder might, for these types, be seen
as confrontational. Bad docs- phooey! rant rant. I'm done. best, Marnia

>Laurie

>
>Lisa <lisa...@uci.net> wrote:
>The last time they sent me for an Independent Medical Exam, she asked me
>about my alcohol use (which I admit is more than is good for me) and in
>her report, exaggerated every specific I gave her. I said, 2-6 beers once
>or twice a week, never before 3pm, and never in my life have I had even
>one drink every day for longer than two weeks, became "Some weeks she
>drinks 6 to 8 beers from noon until 3 pm for 2-3 weeks in a row (it helps
>her sleep) but then she stops abruptly reasoning that "I cannot be an
>alcoholic as I can quit so easily." " I never said anything like that.
>It's the stereotypical "I can quit anytime I want to" of the alcoholic in

>denial.(snip)

>I suppose, at her discretion, she could have concluded that I'm an
>alcoholic in denial and probably drink more than I reported (although it
>wouldn't have been true) but to state as a fact that I drink more than I
>do, and to quote me as saying something I didn't . . . if only I had taken
>a witness or tape recorder, I wonder if that would come under
>"malpractice." That was very prejudicial and cost me a LOT of money.
>
>Even at that, her conclusions listed "Intermittent Alcohol Abuse" 7th down

>on the list and below Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (that was 3rd).7th down on