Comment by johnnybgoode | Hacker News Reader

Comment by johnnybgoode | Hacker News Reader

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope this serves as a wake-up call to anyone who doesn't believe that someone can be misdiagnosed many times by medical professionals.

Perhaps this is related to what marze said, but based on your experience it sounds like you looked into some CAM approaches (especially from the documentary you mentioned). If you don't mind sharing this with us, I am curious to know if the doctor who came up with the correct diagnosis would fall under this category? Also, your experience with all the different doctors with their own specialties reminded me of functional medicine, an alternative approach. (For anyone who is not aware, "Functional medicine reflects a systems biology approach because it includes an analysis of how all components of the human biological system interact functionally with the environment over time. The Institute for Functional Medicine contrasts this approach with an organ system biology broken down into modern medical specialties.")

Best of luck to you, and I'm glad you now at least know what the problem is. Not knowing why this was all happening must have made it even worse.

Thanks.

I had to Google "CAM" because I wasn't familiar with the acronym off the top of my head. The diagnosing physician was definitely a member of IFM...I distinctly remember a certificate on his wall from them for something. In retrospect, the IFM-affiliated doctors and the DOs were all more compassionate and slightly more helpful than most of the 'traditional' MDs. I guess because they emphasize the more holistic approach/perspective, which is what was needed. The diagnosing doctor was not a New Age-y, 'alternative' type doctor, though, in the way people normally categorize them. Too much touchy-feely, pseudo-scientific stuff makes me nervous.

The documentary I mention mainly contrasts those who believe in chronic Lyme and long-term antibiotic treatment with those that do not. There is one doctor, mentioned fairly briefly, that is what I would call normally call an 'alternative' doctor as it has come to be described in the common vernacular. Long-term antibiotics, while controversial, are not really an 'alternative' treatment as I commonly think of it...? It's a controversial application of a traditional treatment. (Even though, frustratingly, they are happily used for longer periods for things like acne without the outrage.) Maybe I'm reading too much into the word 'alternative' - it's become a fairly loaded term. In any case, I do like a more comprehensive approach and am glad I found it. Otherwise, I'm sure I would still be very ill.

Yes, not knowing what I had was definitely one of the worst parts of the whole thing.

I agree, "alternative" does seem to have a negative connotation at this time, maybe because so many things now fall under that term. Thanks for letting us know the doctor was IFM-affiliated; it's good to know that option is available.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com