I would love to say it’s all the doctor’s fault, but that would be a lie. In my case anyway, I’m the one who didn’t tell the doctor everything, didn’t want to moan and groan about at the time what I felt weren’t really problems at all just little things that got in my way from time to time, like dropping a glass or tripping just thought I needed to pay better attention to what I was doing that’s all. As the years passed I just thought I’m writing checks my body just can’t cash, trying to do the things I did ten and twenty years ago and party like I did in 1982 when I took drugs and drank a half pint of Jack Daniels every night on the weekends. Thank goodness I stopped doing that I had reached my lowest point. Had nowhere to go but up, was a lot of hard work dealing with and letting go of my reasons for hiding from myself, it was time to start living my life head on, instead of living in a fog!
In 1999 I ended my term of service in the U.S. Army Reserve thought I was getting too old, couldn’t pass the P.T test having to do the sit ups and then pushups within a half hour after that had the 2 mile run, I couldn’t even walk it fast enough to pass, after 2 year active duty and 17+ years in the reserve I was no longer in the Army. Doctor’s had told me it was my heart, later found out they were only half right.
Had my job working at Jiffy Lube have always loved working on cars. Helping people take care of their cars never did push anyone to have services done not my style. Had built my dream house full log small, had the plans for it from 7th grade, life was grand living the dream.
This part is from
The journey of finding myself and living with Multiple Sclerosis
“When I finally told my partner Jane, my right leg wasn’t working, as it should, she told me I needed to tell the doctor everything. So together we made a list. I was tripping over nothing or miss-stepping. My right leg was tired and heavy. I was seeing two of everything then Jane added, “That’s been true for as long as I’ve known you and that’s 7 years.” I was dropping things and losing my grip. After sitting down following a hard day of work, I found that when I tried to get up, my legs didn’t want to work. I had to lift myself up with my arms. With the list in hand I told my doctor everything knowing it’s harder to diagnose a problem if I wasn’t honest about what I’m feeling.”
You see, I hadn’t put it all together until I wrote the list. My uncle Ervin was the one that told my Mom to make sure she writes everything down! My Mom told Jane didn’t know that at the time.
My Mother’s brother was a Doctor but to me he always was my Uncle and one of my God parent’s. The lesson I learned from this is I was partly at fault for not telling my Doctor’s everything or writing it all down.
You may feel differently than I do but for me, without all the information how would anyone know. Doctors have a license to practice medicine, we are important tools, or obstacles they have to work with. Just like us they are human.
