I Haven’t Seen a Doctor in Years

I haven’t seen a doctor in years, but before I go into why, let me tell you a brief story about myself.

It all started with a bacterial infection in 2009. I had contracted Helicobacter Pylori, which leads to a world of digestive issues such as nausea, abdominal pain, and well… I think you know the rest. I was prescribed antibiotics to get rid of the infection, which, fortunately, worked like it was supposed to, the infection was apparently gone. However, the symptoms wanted to stay and hangout for A LONG while after. I decided to go back to the doctors to see why I was still feeling the symptoms of the bacterial infection. I assumed the prescribed medication didn’t work, however, my doctor ran more tests and reassured me that there were no more signs of infection. I was left with a shoulder shrug and suggestion to start taking fiber, which I quickly learned only aggravated my symptoms more. As a result, I continued seeing more doctors and specialists as regularly as possible because I was suffering from something that had no name at the time, and it was really starting to affect my quality of life in a negative way.

No answers

Life got so hard because of the fact that the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me. I underwent a number of tests and procedures, but nothing conclusive would show up. At the same time, I was losing jobs almost back to back because I couldn’t handle the pain at work, and before that, I had to drop out of my college classes. People thought I was making my pain up, including some doctors because I wasn’t doing a great job expressing myself. Can you imagine telling a bunch of people that the reason why you can’t function in life like a normal person is because you constantly have to use the toilet, and, on top of that, suffering from depression because of it? I was told that it was probably all in my head and I was just looking for reasons to be less active in life. Kick a man while he’s already down, why don’t ya?

Can you imagine how discouraging it is to go on when you’re suffering from something that negatively affects your quality of life and no one is supporting you? However, thanks to my loving and encouraging wife who eventually came into my life soon after the hardships was building up, she helped me stay persistent in attending doctor’s appointments so that I continued my journey in figuring out what was wrong with me. To make this story short, when I finally got diagnosed in 2014, I no longer saw any reason to see a doctor regarding my IBS anymore.

Taking matters into my own hands

After years of going through a number of procedures and tests that gave me no answers to my pain, and also dealing with medical professionals who didn’t have my best interest at heart was beyond discouraging and depressing. On the day I got diagnosed, I decided from that day forward that I would take my health into my own hands. I will no longer expect anyone else to care for me and my health more than myself, therefore I alone must take responsibility for that. The years before I got diagnosed was, at many points, a dark journey for me, and that experience taught me a lot about myself and the world.

This is not to say that I will never visit a doctor again, I certainly will and must. However, what I am saying is that I will do my best to try and study my body, my symptoms, and my lifestyle to become more informed on what I need to get out of my doctor visits. No one else on this planet knows me as much as I do, therefore it is up to me to decide what treatments, testing, and procedures are best for me.