I did not understand what gaslighting meant. However, now I do and I also was gaslighted by a couple of my doctors in the past.....which has cost me greatly in my health. Here is a new site for understanding gaslighting and what to do if you are a victim of medical gaslighting.
Brief explanation.... it means when your doctor tells you to lose weight and all your pain will go away, or it is all in your head, or it will go away on its own..... I am sure there are more examples.
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Bassetmommer
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This has happened to me. Went to a new PD, do to a move, and he said to me who told you that you have CKD, which previous Doctor diagnosed. Doctor said I do not have it and told me to get off diet, which had been on for several years. He thought was a hypochondriac I ditched him.
Good article, Thanks for sharing, Bassetmommer. I would have said I hadn't been gaslighted before reading the article but now I wonder. I have been misdiagnosed in the past. I agree too that when you go in for help with something if you're overweight and are sick it's because you're overweight. And for women, it's all in your head gets heard a lot. Or my favorite you don't know how much x you're consuming.
I am where I am health wise because of being gaslighted. First it was my first doctor telling me all my pain was because I was fat. That went on for three years which I was told to lose weight, but oh, take 1800mg of ibuprofen daily..... which destroyed my kidneys. Then again, a different doctor, when my diabetes was not under control... Just lose weight. When I was peaking at over 8, was finally put on medication, which helped...but then the jerk switched it. And then again, my glucose was out of control. He ordered me to stay on it.... but I pulled myself off of it and went back to what I was on. Fortunately, this doctor was removed from the practice and is now out of the country.... no one is talking about it. Then lastly, I spent over $750.00 for a specialist who promised all sorts of things for weight loss to only say at the end, that she had no answers for me. I had over 30 labs done for her. What a quack. But all were legitimate, certified doctors.
I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. You really can't trust the doctors, sometimes you think they are good and then you find out they are not. In the 90s i was taking handfuls of NSAIDS too. Probably part of my problem.
interesting article thanks for sharing . Happen once to me with a neurologist . He said he thought the seizures were in my head I was faking them . I never had a seizure until after my brain surgery the neurosurgeon said I had a couple on the operation table . Good thing I was seeing a neuro therapist in the same office of the neurologist she stood up for me saying she has witness my seizures .I ended up going to another neurologist who I live and who didn’t doubt me been with him for years.
For many, many years I was told that my creatinine, and GFR were off due to dehydration. Until I reached stage 4. Then they finally acknowledged it was actually CKD. But, then they insisted that I ‘push water’, lots of it. I had been drinking 3-4 quarts of water a day (I have nephrogenic diabetes insipidus), on a low-sodium diet that the doctors gave me. I felt good over all, exercised regularly, and lived a full, active life. But, then in 2016 my doctor told me that “for the next 3 weeks and 2 days I was to REALLY push the water – at least 2 more quarts per day”. He said nothing about having some salt to prevent water toxicity (which I learned about when I became very ill from the additional water, and my heart went into severe arrythmia). Yet, at the end of the 3 weeks and 2 days my doctor told me to “push EVEN MORE WATER” for another 2 weeks” (which would then be up to 8 quarts of water per day). I refused, and told him (my GP) that I wanted to see a nephrologist stat. --- So, I stayed on the 6 quarts of water a day, feeling horrible, and no longer able to really function in my daily life to to how bad I felt. --- Then I got to the nephrologist. With all that water on board her testing showed a GFR of 3a. She also said to “push more water, but to also add salt”. So, I have done that since 2016. I have never felt well again. My BP went high and has stayed high (with holding all that water). The doctors still insisted I “keep pushing the water and salt”. So, I did as told, and gradually my heart kept getting worse and worse. Then this winter my lungs were constantly filling with fluid. I ended up at ER several times, and was told I had pneumonia. They did not tell me I was going into CHF. Finally, I just knew I was gonna die if I kept this up, and I cut my salt in half and reduced (only) 1 liter of water, to go down to 6 or 7 liters a day. My lungs, that had refused to clear up all winter, cleared up within 2 days, and my heart function normalized. My BP went from dangerously high, to 121/97. Of course, less water will mean my GFR will go down again. But, really, having a lot of water on board increasing my GFR, does not actually mean my CKD was doing any better. In fact, with all that water on board for 7 years jacking up my BP, would have done nothing but damage my heart and kidneys, and increase my risk of stroke. And, it severely negatively affected how I felt these past 7 years, and my ability to do much of anything. – I feel like I have been ‘medically gaslit for many, many years, and I have zero trust in doctors any more.
Holy smokes, what a horror story. I read about your condition and it seems that pushing water was the answer, but maybe not that much. I am so sorry that happened to you. Your GFR may not come down, but if it does, it probably will stabilize when your fluid levels balance out better.
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