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>>>> Help ME Circle <<<<
>>>> 4 April 2008 <<<<
Editorship : j.van.roijen@chello.nl
Outgoing mail scanned by AVG AV
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Quote from below:
*..Unfortunately, some providers view patients with
a myriad of complaints common in chronic
illnesses. such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue
syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and other
multi-system illnesses, as psychosomatic if the
cause is not immediately found.
It is not uncommon to have colon cancer and be
told it´s "anxiety". Nor is it uncommon to have
Crohn´s disease and be told it´s "malingering".
Prescribing psychiatric drugs that make the
patient´s condition worse draws out pain and
suffering while increasing the societal cost
burden..*
~jvr
``````````
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/57370
American Chronicle
Friday, April 04, 2008
Failure to Diagnose Fibromyalgia Costs
Taxpayers and Overburdens the Healthcare System
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lourdes Salvador
April 02, 2008
Fibromyalgia is a disorder classified by the presence
of chronic widespread pain, often accompanied by
fatigue.
Have you ever wondered what fibromyalgia costs
society and sufferers? Researchers at Ghent
University in Belgium did and what they found is
alarming!
Costs before diagnosis were compared to later costs,
assuming the diagnosis had never been made.
Failure to diagnose true cases of fibromyalgia
increases costs in excess doctor visits,
investigations, and prescriptions.
The highest cost was for tests and imaging, followed
by pharmaceuticals, referrals, and repeated office
visits. These costs go beyond the fibromyalgia
patient to society as a whole.
Since insurance providers are often burdened with
the costs, insurance rates may increase for everyone.
Longer waits to see busier doctors also impacts
everyone when fibromyalgia sufferers are improperly
diagnosed.
Therefore, the fibromyalgia diagnosis reduces
resource useand increases savings.
Thinking logically, this would apply to nearly any
medical condition. If a person is not feeling well,
they will keep seeking answers, additional tests, and
medical opinions in order to get better. All too often
those who are high users of medical care are viewed
as whiners, complainers, attention seekers, or
malingerers, when in reality a medical condition is
undiagnosed. Once the condition is diagnosed, costs
go down, treatment ensues, and the patient returns
to a more productive life. Everyone wins.
Unfortunately, some providers view patients with a
myriad of complaints common in chronic illnesses.
such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome,
multiple chemical sensitivity, and other multi-system
illnesses, as psychosomatic if the cause is not
immediately found. It is not uncommon to have colon
cancer and be told it´s "anxiety". Nor is it uncommon
to have Crohn´s disease and be told it´s
"malingering". Prescribing psychiatric drugs that
make the patient´s condition worse draws out pain
and suffering while increasing the societal cost
burden.
Instead, medical providers need to be more aware of
the various causes of symptoms and also be more
open minded to ruling out all possible causes and
listening intently to the patient with an open and
believing attitude.
Patients should to do their own research and
advocate for themselves. Disorders like fibromyalgia
need not impact life more than necessary or cost
society burdensome amounts.
Reference
Annemans L, Wessely S, Spaepen E, Caekelbergh K,
CaubPre JP, Lay KL, TaVeb C. Health economic
consequences related to the diagnosis of
fibromyalgia syndrome. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Feb
29;58(3):895-902.
Copyrighted © 2008 MCS America
~~~~~~~~~~
There's also the long-term cost to taxpayers. Despite a prior diagnosis of a physical illness and the specialist's recommendation that the first treatment should be to improve the quality of sleep, I was given anti-depressants, and when I said they didn't work, I was given different anti-depressants.
As a result of the PCP's stubborn refusal to accept the expertise of the specialist as to the correct diagnosis and medication, I didn't recuperate and go back to work in a few months as I had hoped, and as had happened when the specialist treated me ... I deteriorated to the point that I'm told I'll never work full-time again. It's taken a few years, but I've now recuperated to the point that I can work a whopping 6-10 hours a week!
When you pay your taxes this year, be sure to thank that arrogant doctor, and many others like him, who have caused you to pay disability benefits/Medicaid/welfare to patients who could have gone back to work if they'd gotten the right treatment in the early phase when it could help. Instead of them supporting themselves, you're going to support them the rest of their lives because they didn't get the right treatment/diagnosis and are now permanently disabled.
It doesn't even have to be something as controversial as CFS/fibromyalgia -- according to Dr. Groopman's book, people have nearly died of cancer because doctors went for the easy answer "stress" or "anxiety" instead of investigating further. (When I finally got the referral for a colonoscopy, years after my symptoms started and with a family history of colon cancer that should have made that a first guess, the GI doctor asked "what took you so long to get this test?" and when I said I couldn't get a referral, he said "I hope I find something so you can sue them for all they're worth!")
And, lo and behold, once I had a doctor who took my complaints seriously and looked for a PHYSICAL cause for them instead of stereotypes, and gave me the right pills instead of the brush-off, I started to improve. Too little, too late, though.
Plus, I need to have quite a few teeth pulled because the other medical group let me throw up every day for years, and all that stomach acid rotted the enamel. It was easier for them to tell me I was throwing up before dawn because I'm allergic to the milk that I'm going to drink with breakfast 2 hours later, than to think through that it's probably not caused by food if it's happening 12-18 hours after you last ate, and you can't have an allergic reaction to what you haven't eaten yet. Again, the doctor who listened instead of assuming solved the problem in seconds ... if I hadn't eaten in 12-18 hours, then my stomach acid had nothing to work on but my stomach. A couple antacids taken at bedtime solved the problem for $3, but only after the damage was done to my teeth.
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