When writing my first blog, I really had little idea what to say about my future posts, because I was unsure of the topics I would actually be writing about. Thus, I mentioned some things that came to mind as possibilities, e.g., researching my first true crime novel, the oddity of common phrases, and what constitutes wretched customer service, regardless of what industry you work in. As always, I will write about what I know.
While those topics are still on the list of future posts, I want to stray from that for a moment and tell you what has been on my mind lately. Let me take you back in time a few short years and share a couple of experiences with you that I had while seeking medical treatment.
Once, I saw a dermatologist about a worrisome scaly, red blemish on my face that had appeared suddenly, bled frequently, and refused to heal. I was convinced it was skin cancer. The doctor looked carefully at the spot and quickly diagnosed it as nothing more than dry skin. He then directed his nurse to give me a discount coupon for some over-the-counter lotion, which I discarded in the trash can on my way out.
A year later, the ugly spot was still there, still bleeding, so I visited a different dermatologist. This doctor performed a biopsy on the blemish, and not surprisingly, it turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that, if left untreated, can spread deeper in the skin and even to other parts of the body. Mine required surgery, and the surgeon removed a silver dollar-sized chunk of cancerous tissue from my cheek.
Another time, I visited my primary care physician with what I believed was pneumonia in my right lung. I had all the classic symptoms of pneumonia, and I even pointed out to my doctor specifically where it was located. She listened to my lungs for evidence of pneumonia, but stated that she did not hear any. However, "just to be on the safe side," she ordered a chest x-ray. When she came back in the exam room, she confirmed what I already knew−I had pneumonia, and a pretty severe case of it at that. After several months of treatment and rest, I finally fully recovered.
If only those physicians had listened to what their patient was telling them, perhaps they would have made an accurate diagnosis, and much sooner at that. I wonder how many physicians and specialists have their minds made up beforehand without listening to or thoroughly examining their patients, causing them to ignore the warning signs of a serious disease or disorder? Who knows their own bodies better than the patient themselves?
While everyone makes mistakes, those that are charged with caring for our health are more accountable for their actions. I endeavor to not be overly critical of other’s mistakes, but I honestly struggle to be forgiving when the mistakes and misdiagnoses are made by haughty, arrogant individuals who profess to be “experts” in their field.
The advancements made in medical technology in the past few years have been remarkable, and I am deeply grateful for the research by medical science that led to the development of medications and treatments that have improved the quality of life for millions or actually extended the lives by curing certain diseases. Unquestionably, we have all benefited from the work of the brilliant scientific minds and dedicated medical personnel that have made all this possible. My issue, however, is not with the researchers and developers of this amazing technology, nor is it with the doctors and nurses that are involved in our daily care. Rather, I do take issue with all those individuals in the medical community who are self-proclaimed experts, particularly in the field of neurology.
Granted, the extensive education, training, and experience of qualified neurological physicians is praiseworthy, and should neither be denied nor discounted. But, as one neurologist humbly acknowledged to me, despite all the exhaustive research and the comprehensive studies completed over the past several decades, physicians still know far less about the human brain than any other part of our anatomy. For example, while areas of the brain that are injured due to a blow to the head can be located and identified by advanced imaging techniques, not every injury or damage can be visualized this way. Additionally, electrical impulses in the brain can also be measured and graphed, giving doctors insight as to what is taking place during certain episodes of malfunction such as epileptic seizures. Also, even the least educated and enlightened among us are at least vaguely familiar with X-rays, the time-proven method of diagnosing broken bones, tumors, and other abnormalities inside the body. But what even the best, most technologically-advanced imaging techniques do not and cannot reveal is exactly how the brain actually functions. In this highly complex area, doctors and scientists are clueless, and at best can only offer their opinions on what they think is taking place. But without a single shred of scientific evidence to document and support their theories, what they think is happening amounts to nothing more than educated speculation and, forgive me for saying this, guesswork.
Can they answer: What produces conscious thought? How do we reason on complex topics and make intelligent decisions?
Neither conscious nor subconscious thought can be read on an X-ray or other scan. Yet amazingly, many otherwise-capable neurologists arrogantly believe that they have some special sense that enables them to interpret what is going on in a patient's brain without a shred of evidence or proof. They consider themselves experts in the field of neurology, and they are the very ones with whom I take issue. More than one has actually told me that no one knows more about their particular area of expertise than they. True, their proficiency in diagnosing neurological malfunctions and disorders of the brain that they can visualize or measure is undeniable. But when these medical practitioners, without the benefit of actual images or other measured data, resort to speculation and guesswork to confidently “diagnose” certain disorders as being nothing more than mental health issues or even the product of an overactive imagination, while glossing over the reality that they simply do not know or have all the answers, their assertions and claims of expertise, frankly, fly right out the window. Recently, I personally experienced something similar when my occasional blackout, convulsing seizures were dismissed as nothing more than panic attacks, while no other possible neurological disorders were even considered. This was the diagnosis of a self-proclaimed neurological expert, who admittedly is not an expert in panic attacks or any other psychiatric disorder. In this particular instance he took the easy way out for himself and prescribed anti-seizure medication "just to be sure." I am thankful for the new medication, because, so far, it has proven to be effective in my case.
The bottom line: Every medical misdiagnosis constitutes medical malpractice, at least in my book, whether or not the medical profession views it that way. And all those who misdiagnose yet insist on being revered as "experts" in these as-yet-uncharted waters are only deluding themselves.
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