The Martian Princess Chronicles
A Martian Princess living with the hidden disabilities caused by residing on planet Earth
There is a disturbing scheme that is being rolled out by the British government across GP surgeries in the north east of England, but anyone and everyone who uses the NHS in the United Kingdom should be worried. Continue reading “Substandard Medical Treatment Will Be Their Legacy”
Much as I hate to admit it, I’ve been feeling a little s******d of late (yes, the word makes me very uncomfortable). Having a prolonged and confusing flare-up of my Endometriosis has led to me slipping into a strange and disconcerting existence where the Fibromyalgia doesn’t have to fight so hard to retain dominance. The additional issue that my GP appears to believe that Fibromyalgia doesn’t need to be treated at all has left me having to figure out my own regimen without access to any kind of safety net or physical support network. Continue reading “Let’s talk About Stress, Baby…”
In my previous post, I wrote about how an irrational fear had caused me to accidentally sacrifice something that eventually turned out to be incredibly pleasurable. The issue I’m dealing with now is what to do when the danger is real and the apprehension is logical. Continue reading “Remembering The True Purpose Of Fear”
Due to an interesting encounter with another GP, I made a second Subject Access Request in order to actually see the values of cortisol in my blood, plus whatever statements the previous GP had made about my condition. Gentle reminders usually have to follow the initial request, and this approach has worked in the past, but even with the nudges, all I was getting was silence. As the blood results were my real concern I decided to try and get that information in isolation from the rest of the records: and getting my tetanus booster provided the perfect opportunity. Continue reading “The Patient By Gaslight”
I’ve detailed in the posts here and here how difficult it was to get someone to take my symptoms seriously. One of the most important aspects of that journey was how convinced the doctor was that I was suffering from some kind of anxiety – to the point of talking over me when I tried to protest. At the time, I just believed that he was making a huge assumption based upon one blood test. Nearly nine months down the line inconsistencies have surfaced that suggest something else may have been at play. Continue reading “A Hidden Agenda?”
If you’ve read my previous posts you will know that it took getting a confidence boost from a pro Skateboarder for me to have the final showdown with my GP, that eventually led to him being proved wrong about what was happening inside my body. What that last consultation showed, though, was that I actually had a very well stocked arsenal but I was using it both incorrectly and inefficiently. With that in mind, here is a rundown of the tools you can use when dealing with an obstinate medical professional. Hopefully, these will eliminate the need to be struck by inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, inspiration is wonderful (and I will forever be grateful to Rodney Mullen….) but it’s not always as forthcoming or guaranteed. Continue reading “6 Tips For Dealing With A Difficult Doctor”
Read Part 1 here
I adore Rodney Mullen. For those of you who don’t recognise the name, he is the Godfather of modern street skating. Pretty much all of those impossible looking tricks you see people doing (the ones that look like pure wizardry) were invented by him. Now, I’m not a skateboarder myself, but at that particular time I was going through a Roller Derby ‘fresh meat’ training program (the Derby thing will get it’s own post in good time…) and I was finding that Mullen’s TED talk ‘On Getting Up Again’ was really helping me deal with getting used to hitting the floor so often. At least, that’s what I told myself – in truth, I just really like hearing him talk. Continue reading “The Uphill Struggle For A Diagnosis Part 2”
A lovely woman I used to work with saw me wince as I tried to close a door. She asked all the usual, polite questions – was I okay, had I been injured – to which I replied that my shoulder was just inflamed, as all my joints were wont to do. No big deal; I was coping. A few more delicately presented but probing enquiries led me to explain that I had pretty much given up on getting any help from my GP: Osteopathy, yoga, and the Endometriosis diet were holding my body together, despite all the pain. She then told how all of her mother’s symptoms were dismissed as being related to old age, so she decided to keep a pain diary. Lo and behold, a pattern emerged, and her doctor could no longer continue to ignore Continue reading “The Uphill Struggle For A Diagnosis Part 1”
The Martian Princess Chronicles 