If I'm doing the Right Thing ... why do I feel so wrong?

[hiddenmuse]

I know that by going to the allergist for a second opinion, I'm doing the Right Thing^TM. I'm picking up where the internist seemed to blow me off (in the bad way, you dirty birdies ... heh) - yet, it almost feels like I'm 5 years old and undermining the authority of a grown-up, of Someone Who Knows Better^TM.

I know, I know ... it's my body, I hired this doctor - and if I don't feel comfortable with her bedside manner and/or the way she handled my presenting complaint(s), I can go to another doctor (or specialist) for a second opinion - or fire her. I wouldn't be this way if I were facing the Big C, or something else potentially terminal - I'd be clamoring to get a second, maybe even a third opinion (okay, so that would be denial speaking...) rather than taking the word of just one doctor.

Still, it feels strange. I didn't like the treatment (or lack thereof) that I received at the hands of my internist, so I am going to a specialist, to have my suspiscions confirmed or refuted - whichever the case may be. It's what I did when I suspected that I was sinking into a heavy depression - and what I did when I didn't think that my internist could properly treat a sports-related knee injury ... why I can't wrap my mind around the fact that this is the exact same idea is beyond me.

Also, it'll be good to find out what all I am allergic to - up until now, it has been like a crapshoot, total luck of the draw. Whatever the allergen of the season was - that was probably the allergen that had me positively miserable at that time. The only definites seem to be pet dander and grasses - not just any pollen that may come from their being mowed, but just coming in contact with them (i.e.: walking in the grass barefoot, or sitting on the lawn, without a towel or blanket between the grass and me) can give me a nasty case of hives.

Comments

[full4zaccordion.livejournal.com]

Well, think of it this way: you're going to someone who specializes in the area where your problem lies. An internist only has a general knowledge of each area and can only take so far, so that's why you go to a specialist. If you had a heart problem, for example, you'd go to a cardiologist because he or she would know more about the heart. So, think of it not as undermining authority, but as simply going to someone who knows more about allergies ;)

[ellegina.livejournal.com]

You ARE doing the right thing. I can't help but think of my Grandmother who has since passed away...but I used to take her to her family doctor (she had to visit him once per month for diabetes and heart problems) where month after month she would tell him that she was having difficulty breathing, but he would pretty much ignore her or tell her, "yeah, it's your heart condition". We knew something more was wrong..I suspected allergies or asthma, so I set up an appointment with a specialist....turns out that she had emphysema the whole time!

The point that I'm trying to make is to never feel guilty for taking charge of your health. Be proud!

[prrrn.livejournal.com]

i've always wondered what allergy tests would tell me too, but i've never had strong enough motivation to find out. i'd look at it as an opportunity to get that curiosity satisfied (as well as sorting out the asthma stuff)!