MY DOCTOR IS MY PAIN/or No Pain, No Gain.
And I have been through the medical wringer
these last several years ALL BECAUSE OF SINUITIS?
I have repeatedly complained about medical malfeasance, wrong
dental diagnosis and having teeth pulled when it wasn't
necessary.
I have had it with doctors. From now on it is self-healing for
me. This week I had an MRI because of the persistent pain on the
right side of my face, and the fear is ALWAYS there, that perhaps
it more serious than just a blood vessel pressing against the
trigeminal nerve. MAYBE I HAVE CANCER? So I finally scraped the
money together and had it done.
When I payed the $600, which was my cash discount on a $1,200
MRI, I asked the lab to please also file the bill with my
insurance company and they really got bent out of shape.
How dare me even suggest it?
They said that wasn't how they do it. I was paying cash because I
wasn't going to put it through an insurance company. And I said,
that's right, "I'm paying cash, because my deductable is too high
and I therefore wanted a discount." They said that isn't the way
they do things. They implied that I have to get with the program.
Let's play the game their way. What they didn't say was they
don't submit a bill for $600 to insurance companies, they charge
insurance companies $1,200. And I said I know what they're doing
and I still need a bill to submit so my deductible will be
reduced by that amount. So they said they would give me a "SUPER-
BILL" for the insurance company. And they were reluctant to even
do that. Of course they they were reluctant, because it is a
scam. Incidently many physicians also get referal fees from these
labs. What a deal! And some of us have to work for a living.
So the MRI revealed that there is something in my head afterall.
I still have some brains left, although I was beginning to have
grave doubts about that. My disorientation lately was a result
of the medication doctors just love to prescribe, and they weren't
even good drugs!.
The good news is my brain is "normal." Amazing how they can
determine that from an MRI? Shows how much they know, right? It
didn't show any neuralgia, which I have been taking anti-seizure
medication for: tegretol and delantin. It did show "sinusitis,"
which apparently the neurologist misdiagnosed as neuralgia. And
my apparent senility, ie memory loss, etc. was a product of the
medication.
So I spent thousands of dollars on my teeth, tests and doctors.
only to find out all I needed was an antihistimine. Pass the
Benadryl please.
I would have been better off going to a Shaman. Or sitting in a
Native-American sweat lodge.
As a post-script to this story, my neuralogist called this
morning and said the MRI doesn't always indicate neuralgia, but
does eliminate the posibility of a growth. But, he says sometimes
it does indicate neuralgia. So what is it? Either it is or it
isn't and wasn't that what all those tests were all about? He
said I still had all the "classic" symptoms so I should continue
to take tegretol and dilantin. Well, I have news for him. I
stopped taking them all when I heard the results of the MRI and
now that I am using an antihistimine sprayer and taking oral
antihistimines in lieu of his dilantin and tegretol, I feel
almost human again and even the pain has subsided.
My neurologist also said to me if the medication doesn't work, I
need to see a neurosurgeon. Sure I do!
I think a second opinion is definitely better--but even better
than that, I think getting a Native-American "Medicine-Man" to
rattle some eagle feathers IS BEST.
Hank Roth
