An article on the National Fibromyalgia Association website struck a nerve with me and I am sure will strike a nerve with hundreds of other Fibromyalgia sufferers.
In the article, Sick and Tired Dr David Saul, says how he feels ashamed to be a member of the medical profession when he hears from Fibromyalgia patients that they are left in tears from a doctor’s office after being addressed in a rude and abrupt manner.
I have read more times than I can count of endless sufferers being given the brush off and told it’s all in your head ( myself included) so to read this being written by a Doctor was a breath of fresh air. He goes on to say that whenever a patient with FM hears any of those statements it surely goes against the famous dictum from Hippocrates, “Divinum est opus sedare dolorem” Divine is the work to subdue pain.”
One quote from a sufferer says it all “It is humanly impossible to explain living with pain and fatigue to someone who does not have it.”
Sick and Tired – By Dr. David Saul
Reprinted from FMOnline
I feel ashamed to be a member of the medical profession when I hear from my fibromyalgia (FM) patients that they left in tears from a doctor’s office after being addressed in a rude and abrupt manner.
For doctors who are sceptical about the diagnosis of FM, this article is for you. Perhaps you have assessed a few (or many) patients with generalized pain. This pain is either steady or episodic and defies any common structural or mechanical cause. You are then faced with the absence of any laboratory and diagnostic testing to confirm the diagnosis of FM. You find that the typical FM patient seems to overdo the crying, whining and complaining of pain, which to them is often seen as incapacitating. You likely have tried various medications without any beneficial response.
When you really don’t know what else to do, you might just give up on the patient and the whole concept of FM. However, medicine is full of unknowns and processes yet to be determined. As doctors, we should still try to practice good clinical medicine despite and amid various uncertainties. But, for the patient who complains of FM-related symptoms, have you ever felt perhaps a tiny bit concerned about the psychological impact you may have on her, should you respond with any of the following statements?
- It’s all in your head.
- Buck up and fight through the pain.
- There is no such thing as fibromyalgia.
- Do you want to get addicted to painkillers?
- You are wasting my time.
Whenever a patient with FM hears any of those statements it surely goes against the famous dictum from Hippocrates, “Divinum est opus sedare dolorem” Divine is the work to subdue pain.”
Read the full article here then share this story like I am on all your social media sites. The more people who read this, especially in the medical profession can only help sufferers get the right diagnosis.
Source: National Fibromyalgia Association
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