Finding Medical Help
So your first stop might be Pediatrics. If that is the case, make sure you get a CBC and CMP lab test as a baseline. They MAY NOT SHOW ANYTHING WRONG! But that doesn’t mean your symptoms aren’t real. Here’s more information from Johns Hopkins Professor Dr. Peter Rowe on having a normal physical exam despite being sick.
If you aren’t getting anywhere, you may want to try getting to a specialist. This of course, depends on your symptoms and what is bothering you. If they aren’t already offering it, ask your pediatrician if they will refer you to a specialist for your main complaint.
Try googling the best local hospital you have and your symptoms and see what and who comes up. Read about those doctors and see if their interests might match your situation. Call them.
If you call a doctor’s office and they have a waiting list, put your name on that waiting list! It took me a year on the waiting list to finally meet my amazing doctor, and it was worth it. Talking to someone who embraces complexity and imperfect information will be very affirming and will put you on the path to getting better.
Besides specialist MDs, you might also want to try an Osteopathic Doctor (DO) or Naturopathic Physician (NP) because they take a systems approach to looking at patient complaints. They aren’t so focused in their thinking about one system of the body. And that is important because many of these chronic conditions, and certainly post-viral syndromes, like long-COVID and long-MONO, involve multiple bodily systems.
When you DO get to a doctor, make sure you write down your questions before you go and bring those as well as any health records or trackers you’ve done on your own. This will help you keep track of important dates and ensure you cover everything you want to cover with your doctor. You may also want to bring something like this document from the Bateman Horne Center that will help you and your doctor focus on your visit priorities and if/where you are experiencing symptoms in your body. Don’t be afraid to be a little pushy, your doctor’s job is to help you.
