Yes,absolutly!!! Sometimes I think becuz its more of a womans disease they dont take us seriously.Mentioned it to my doc and he really didnt say anything.Although he did say that he thinks the hep.c set of the Fibro.Maybe you can find someone who specializes in this??God Bless, val

Its not just for women. I go through the same thing. Especially discussing pain with my doc. If you want to talk, lets chat a little!

Hi hun! The last time I went to the doc he didn't look at the symptoms and told me to "start dealing with my life"... Than asked me why I didn't believe the tests that were taken over a year ago. I told him because the symptoms I am coming in with are NEW and that is what I was told to do. He didn't want to admit anything and left me there dumbfounded... at that moment I decided that I needed to responsibility for my health care. I went straight to the neurologist. She found my new symptoms disturbing and I am getting what I finally need. updating my tests along with new ones and I am that much closer to being diagnosed. I share the struggle with you in the doctors office. I had to take my emotion out of it, and stick to the facts. I had to go directly to the neuro rather than waiting for a referal from a doc. She looked at my history and is helping me connect the dots. HUGS..... Jen

It's comforting to know that Im not alone, but it sucks at thed same time. Thanks soooo much for the support y'all.
Hugs for ya,
Niecy.

I went to the internist yesterday and I told himmy face and eyes are swollen every morning and he said well they are swollen now and he thinks all my symptoms are psychological. So this am I took pictures or my face. It is a terrible dangerous thing when the doctor stops listening to you and I am very angry about it.

OH that stinks neicy. My doctor listens very carefully. I just could not deal with someone that wouldn't. I will just hope that your doctor gets on board soon and sees you more than just a patient. They need that "human" factor to shine through!
(((Hugs))
EllaBlue

I have gone through that from the beginning with doctors. I am 29 now and I think I have seen about 100 different doctors. I finally have a great primary and rheumotologist. Still sometimes I feel like they look at me like I have to be exaggerating. The medical proof is there but I still feel like they don't truly get it. Hang in there and believe in yourself. We all do!!! Hope this helps.

this just pisses me off so much i have ha the same thing happen to me .its just not bad enough that we live in terrible pain.but we have to deal with doctors who dont believe us or dont care ,they should be ashamed of themselfs.

You have to keep fighting to get yourself heard. If one doesn't listen, go to another one. This is your life and your body-you only get one.
I am 30 years old and have been living with lupus since about age 19. I have always been treated as though I was not as sick as I was, or that it was in my head by doctors, and loved ones. It's very frustrating, you feel like no one understands the overwhelming pain and fatigue. It's hard for others to understand how one minute you need to lay down before you pass out, and then hours later you are feeling "normal".

In June of this year I had a really bad skin flair, and was put on prednisone. This did not work, so they upped the dose to 60mg per day. After months on this, suddenly, it was extremely painful to walk. My bone scan came back normal, and my doctor asked me how my "mood" was, as though this was all in my head. After many harrassing phonecalls, I convinced them to give me an MRI. This revealed that I have bilateral aseptic necrosis. (Basically the bones in my knees are dying due to lack of blood supply. This is caused by the prednisone that I am on, and because it is dangerous to go off pred. right away, I am still on it. I am now wheelchair bound. Was sent to Ortho who said the condition will last at least months to a year they want me to get a second opinion, where I was refered to can't see me til April. Don't know if I will need surgery. I feel as though my life is in suspended animation. I hate being dependent on those around me. Can't support myself, waiting on disability-hopefully I will qualify. Because doctors and the gen public don't understand Lupus, they don't take it seriously. So frustrating

I have been blessed with a great doctor who realized very early on that things were "not in my head", rather were very real things going on. I did see on rheumy who made me think that she thought I was making stuff up, esp when I heard of the types of docs she wanted to send me to. I did the visits for her, however I got the feeling that she didn't take me seriously and I didn't go back to her.
You have to keep fighting and believing in yourself. You will find the right doctor, sometimes it just takes lots of hard work.

Change doctors until you find one that is able to do their job properly. I went through a great many before getting an accurate diagnosis. A few were so bad I simply did not go back. Others seemed to know what they were talking about but did not listen to me. You are the only one who knows how bad you feel. If they won't listen to you then they are working in the dark.

The next time you go to your doctor be blunt about not feeling you are being listened to and explain that you will be taking your business elsewhere if you are not given better treatment. Remember, your insurance money is paying the doctor's mortgage. They are just people like the rest of us and occasionally they need a kick in the rear to get them to wake up.

If you do decide to go to a new doctor be upfront in the begining. Tell the new doctor what you expect from them.

This is not advice I came up with on my own. An ER doctor told me to do these things after my I kept ending up in her care because my own doctor kept ignoring my concerns.