Advocate for Yourself when Doctors Dismiss your Symptoms

"Doctors can't know everything, but when patients (often women) find their condition undiagnosed and have their concerns dismissed, it can be truly disorienting. For twenty years-from childhood into my thirties-I suffered from an undiagnosed ectopic atrial fibrillation that caused me to pass out in dance class or heave after a tennis match. My doctors initially believed me, but after a few tests revealed what they thought was just a rapid heartbeat, they blamed my symptoms on female emotions."

"Years later, my toddler son, Luke, was struck hard on the head by a playground swing and changed overnight from possessing an easy-going personality to one of excess agitation and anxiety. I knew immediately that the blow from the swing was the cause. But, because it was a closed-head injury with no outward signs, the pediatrician, and later two pediatric neurologists and several child psychologists did not recognize the traumatic brain injury (TBI) that lurked beneath."

"Sixteen years went by before a third neurologist finally identified and confirmed the diagnosis of TBI. Throughout his school years, Luke was blamed for not reaching his potential. In reality, he desperately needed remedial help but without the correct diagnosis, he received no help at all. Eventually, failing at everything despite having a high IQ, Luke decided suicide was an easier route than living without hope."

Undiagnosed medical conditions can produce mysterious symptoms that clinicians sometimes dismiss as emotional, particularly in women. One patient endured ectopic atrial fibrillation from childhood into adulthood, experiencing fainting and vomiting after exertion while clinicians attributed symptoms to emotions. A child's closed-head injury without visible signs produced sudden agitation and anxiety that multiple pediatric specialists failed to identify as traumatic brain injury. Delayed diagnosis denied remedial support, led to academic failure, and culminated in suicide despite high intelligence. Patients depend on clinicians to trust reported symptoms; dismissal can cause humiliation, prolonged harm, and tragic outcomes.

Read at Alternative Medicine Magazine