I reached for the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator to blast the weeds near the alley only to find no water pressure. Of course there was no water pressure, I had just shut it off to add another hose to reach that same alley. Trudging back to the valve, I thought about our little problem with ol' Petey Esdy. It is true that in some cases, after exhausting every test he can think of, a doctor will turn over the patient to the mental health folks because "I can find no physical cause for the symptoms, therefore it must be in the patient's mind." This is a defense mechanism to prevent the medical professional from being caught in that most dreaded of conditions, being wrong.
If the patient does indeed have a mental illness, such as PTSD, then the doctor is right and correct, but is that always the case? I wonder if some patients do not have a mental illness at all, but are instead suffering a long-term (chronic) infectious disease. As I have no medical degree to defend or medical-school induced pride to stand on, I can say that I don't know without shame or excuse making. I get to freely explore a vague hypothesis that not all diagnosed mental illnesses may be correct. Some of these diagnoses may have a physical basis or cause.
The lack of water pressure at my fertilizer applicator - pretending its a Martian explosive space weapon is a lot more fun - was a fact, not a symptom of the mental illness in my mind. Whatever you may think of me after reading the previous posts, I didn't look in the nozzle to check like the dolts do in the comics. I simply ran the little Martian's delays quote through my head a few times. Physical symptoms may have physical causes, in fact they probably have physical causes. I don't think any MD would dispute that as their medical coding and billing staff ring up the bills and bills for each physical test ordered. The problem comes when the tests are 'inconclusive' or many of them give conflicting results. The doctor may move from investigation to condemnation: "The tests are good, therefore the patient is mucking about with me."
Chronic infections are flat-out denied by some scientists and doctors, others may deny their existence only in some diseases or cases. The action of biofilms may not be the same for all virus or bacteria infections. I suspect this type of infectious agent behavior is not well understood by medical science. (Certainly it isn't by me!)Yet, treatment may be denied in one patient with his or her doctor (more likely the insurance carrier), and given in another case. Sometimes I have watched a doctor or nurse marvel at what the patient knows, other times I have felt a Yosemite Sam paraphrase lurked just below the doctor's verbal plane, "Patient's is so stupid!" As one who almost qualified as a professional patient for a couple of years back in the day, that learned attitude was frustrating.
Most patients have an earnest, and honest, desire to be healed, and they will help in their case as much as possible. I'm not writing about the smoker patient diagnosed with lung cancer never, ever having a cigarette ever again, but that patient who goes home, fires up the Internet connection and begins serious research into the condition or lack of a concrete diagnosis given to him or her by the doctor. Yes, there is a danger in Internet self-diagnosis. A few hours with WebMD or HealthSouth and a person might just think he has a list of diseases and conditions a foot thick and might as well start the treatment by making out his last will and testament. That's why we have quacks to tell us, "Ain't nothin' wrong with you. Go see your mental health counselor next Tuesday!"
In PTSD, or other mental health conditions, there most certainly is something wrong with us, but just for today, give a thought to what is or appears to be mental and what may be physical. Is that gut spasm or cramp caused by an anxious thought, or is it the cause of your anxiety? After years of this, I'm still not sure which kick starts the process. While Paul the Epistler may say that all things are lawful for me to eat, not all things may agree with me tum-tum. It may be that a restricted diet will help me avoid some panic attacks. It may be that there is a PTSD virus that lurks undiscovered in the biofilm. Of course, if a scientist or doctor reads that statement, snorts, and dismisses it as impossible, then he or she will never become famous for discovering that new virus!
As a patient, I can become learned. This is what I have, I have learned all about it, and there is no cure so pity me and don't try to suggest I try this or that. Once there, nothing in medical science is going to help me. We all must continue to read, write, converse, research, and help in whatever way we can in this thing. If the scientists and doctors become learned quacks, then we'll just have to go around them. Becoming stuck in a position closed to all ideas or inquiry helps no one, and that goes for a whole lot of so-called incurable diseases and conditions.
Pay attention to your dreams and ideas, something there may help us all. God bless and keep you!
Bucky
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