Are you complex?

I saw a reel today that essential asked the question, “Do you feel that the more medically complex you get, the less effort providers spend on finding answers for you?” It hit home for me, especially in light of my recent hospitalizations.

It amazes me that providers tell you that you are on too much medication and then chose to prescribe more medication just to elevate symptoms. On top of that, some providers believe it is their responsibility to re-test to see if you “really” have a certain conditions. This most recently happened to me while inpatient in the hospital. I have secondary adrenal insufficiency caused by long-term steroids. I have to supplement with daily steroids and when I am sick, I require a “stress dose.” The hospitalist that had my case decided to withdraw all steroids and get a cortisol level to test to see if I really had adrenal insufficiency. Of course beyond feeling like absolute crap, my levels came back super low.

I’m not quite sure why providers can’t take your medical history (documented by other providers) as truth, especially when it is complex and large. People do not get things like shunts, surgery, medical devices or even some prescriptions without having to prove their diagnosis. I am all for eliminating unnecessary meds or tests, but let’s not test just to test because you don’t believe someone can be this complex.

The toll of having to prove yourself over and over is huge. It’s exhausting to not only redo tests to prove a diagnosis, but also the psychological impact of not being believed.

We need to do better.