Finding a Diagnosis
What do you do when you or a family member is sick and you can’t figure out what’s wrong? You go to the doctor! You search until you find a diagnosis. And what happens if you go to the doctor and they don’t know? They send you to other doctors. All the doctors then run lots and lots of tests. And still no answers. What do you do then?
Looking for Answers and a Diagnosis
And that’s where a lot of us are searching for. I am searching for answers to health problems that can’t be seen and if they are not seen are they real? Of course, they are! I know it and so do many of you. But why are we made to feel as if they can’t find answers and they can’t see the problem. Then it could be in our head. I can’t be the only one to hear this, can I?
Getting Worse
This is a journey I have been on and one my son is still on. He’s been sick since January and getting worse each month. Here are some things we’ve done that have helped, what didn’t, and where we are now.
Sam started getting sick in January by passing out and vomiting many times a day. This was my very robust son. He loved playing with his nieces and nephews. Sam loved to cook and was good at it. He worked in a factory carrying heavy beams on his shoulders and welding steel to parts. Sam’s always been very strong and loved that he was. But starting in January, he wasn’t. In the last 9 months, he went from carrying 300 lbs. to carrying 10 lbs. But that’s something you can’t see.
Sam is now throwing up a dozen times a day. Now Sam is constantly in pain and as weak as a kitten. He gets dizzy a lot so can’t go far from home by himself because he’s passed out too many times for us to be comfortable with that. He sleeps more and more because only then can Sam forgot how bad he feels. We are still looking to find a diagnosis.
Many Doctors and Tests- No Diagnosis
He’s seen his primary doctor, a cardiologist, a vein doctor, a gastrologist which we thought for sure would have answered since a lot of it was abdominal pain. And a neurologist. Nothing showed up on CAT scans or MRIs except hairline fractures on his spine we never knew he had. He had tests of every kind all with no answers.
And the ER and Not Finding a Diagnosis
Sam made so many visits to the ER that they knew him. Run a few more tests, hydrate him by IV and send him home.
I know when I was finally diagnosed it took 2 years. So I thought I knew what we had to do to finding out what was wrong with Sam.. But it wasn’t working. I was so frustrated. Sam was so frustrated. Even the doctor was frustrated. At the last doctor visit, she told us that now she was looking for ZEBRAS. The old saying “if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” Well, now we’re looking for the unusual. And again, we are still no closer to findind a diagnosis.
Trying Anything to Help
His father and I have been looking for anything to help Sam. We’ve had the house checked for any metal, mold, toxin or poision we didn’t know about. Did you know there are a lot of tests for houses too? We put in filters for the house, the water, and the showers. We’ve been improving his diet and reading nutrition books trying to decide what would help with Sam to build up his strentgh. I’ve been making soups with bone broth that have helped him somewhat. At least Sam kept more of that down.
Getting a Referal to Mayo
Sam’s last doctor visit we asked for a referal to Mayo clinic. So we found out Sam’s insurance isn’t taken at Mayo. So we started a Go Fund Me account #SendSamtoMayo. We no longer know what to do or where to go bedsides there.. We still need to find a diagnois and we still feel no closer. If you have other ideas please send them.
i personally know the uncertainty and frustration of not finding a diagnosis, both fom myself and my son. It’s heart breaking and frustrating and hurts not knowing what to do. I wish I could say that we’ve already been to Mayo and we’ve found a diagnosis but that’s not true, YET! The biggest lesson I have for you is
BE PERSISTANT!
You can’t stop looking for answers. Find people to support you, and ask for help.
Blessings,
Christina
Christina Renee
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