Working in healthcare, I always tell my patients to stay away from the internet. Diagnosing oneself can lead to much anxiety.
I have followed a RA blogger for quite some time. Arthritis Ashley is well known in the RA and online world for her positive notes and resourceful links about health. She has recently written a new book, a memoir. Currently, I am more than half way done with it. It's a easy read, but with my fatigue it is taking longer than normal to finish a book. She shares about her diagnosis, symptoms, and getting through life with a autoimmune disease. While reading it today, I had a AH-HA moment. She was talking about her diagnosis of Chiari. I've heard her speak of this before online, but have never really known what it was. So, doing the patient thing, I googled it. The next thing I know, I'm emailing my doc asking for a MRI. My neurologist has never evaluated me for this and I have had many of the symptoms for years. Just last week, I was at a PT appointment and they asked me to stand on my tip toes. I nearly fell over. I have zero balance. My headaches are almost a daily occurrence, and the neck pain at the back of my head feels like I can't move my head left to right. And, lets not talk about the fatigue. I fall asleep driving home at 4 in the afternoon. What the heck?! Although, we never want a serious diagnosis, we always strive for answers. Something that makes sense. If I have this disease, then the symptoms would feel like they fit.
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