Specialist Appointment Coming Up: Should I Go?

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anacoluthon33

Peer Supporter
Hi everyone,

I've arrived at a crossroads. Just wanting a take or two on it.

I've more or less accepted my condition as TMS, even though I'm not really progressing with it and I'm not as proactive as I could be in committing to a program. A large part of me is still "sitting on the fence," as it were.

That said, I'm on the right track in terms of not engaging in "fixing behaviours": I'm not Googling symptoms or cures, I'm not chasing doctors, that kind of thing.

The crossroads I'm at is this. A referral for a neurologist, made over a year and a half ago, finally came up. They called me and booked an appointment for next week. (I'd forgotten all about that referral.) For the record, I've seen multiple specialists over the past few years and I've got a clean bill of health from them all. I've never seen a neurologist before, however, and this would truly be the "last stop"; I wouldn't even know who else to consult after this.

I see the appointment going one of two ways. First, like the other previous appointments, nothing happens, other than I've got a clean bill of health and should get on with my life. Second, the specialist does indeed see something, and the solution is most likely medication of some sort, which I am generally opposed to taking on principle.

Both ways seem to argue that I'm best off cancelling that appointment, and believe me, I fully understand and realize the TMS principle of NOT chasing doctors to validate and fix you. A big part of me sees cancelling next week's appointment as personally empowering, as well as an important step in committing more fully to the mind-body approach.

However—a small part still holds out hope that this is the key, or at least a key, and that cancelling an appointment that was 500 days in the making is foolish, especially if there's a hope of a hope involved.

So, what do you think? Is it silly to take time to go to an appointment where either option isn't really going to change anything? Or is it misguided to downplay that third option, that something could actually happen with this specialist.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Hopefully I've been clear.
 
This is where you get the opportunity to actually become an active participant in your wellness. If you truly believe your symptoms are TMS and that you want to find wellness, you’d be doing something about it. You are resisting and avoiding.
My suggestion is to figure this out on your own.
Where you are now was my turning point. Making the decision myself, empowering myself and taking control of my situation led me to getting better. Whatever it is you choose, do it with a firm mind and conviction. Don’t worry if it’s “right” or “wrong” in someone else’s eyes. Do this for you.
 
@anacoluthon33
I've had a lot of dealings with neurologists (here in the UK in our National Health Service) and my experience has been that they are more than inclined not to commit themselves to a diagnosis without repeat testing. For instance, if they order electrical muscle testing and there's a weakly positive result, they're likely not to diagnose, they'll repeat the test and then, if it's still weakly or mildly positive, they probably still won't diagnose, they'll repeat the test again and keep doing so over a protracted period of time, same goes for blood tests when they're looking to see if you have a particular antibody in your blood - if the test is negative for the latter they are likely to retest months later, and if the result was weakly positive they do the same (retest).... Neurologists like 'all ducks to be in a row', all present and correct... By that I mean that if there are several signs and symptoms and types of test results that can indicate a particular neurological condition they don't like diagnosing (and treating) unless all, or at least the majority, of those 'indicators' (ducks) are present and strongly so. The 'plus' side to this TMS-wise as you're less likely to get a false medical label from a neurologist than with some other medical fields. On the downside, dealings with neurologists can be a long, drawn out affair. (There may be some patients who get sent, for instance, for MRI scans and get a diagnosis quickly from that, but that didn't come into it for me because what they suspected I had wasn't, for example, MS.)

Others may have quite a different experience of neurologists, but I can only speak as I've found, so my advice would be, should you decide to go to the appointment, to mentally 'compartmentalise' your dealings with them and your thoughts about the process with them, and stay strong and keep up with the TMS work. The other thing I can say about neurologists is that the vast majority of them believe in 'functional disorder' aka 'conversion disorder' https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/conversion-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355197 (Neurological symptoms are real and improvement is possible-Functional neurologic disorder/conversion disorder - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic) which is (arguably) TMS and they often refer patients to psychiatrists (which offends a lot of patients, i.e. those who are not open to their symptoms being mind/body).

I wish you the best with making your decision.
 
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Well you can't really live life standing at a crossroad or sitting on a fence so some movement is necessary.

Since I don't know what your health problem is I can't say for sure if all the other tests you have had are definitive enough or not.

Also I'm confused. If you have accepted that you have TMS then why are you not fully committed? What is holding you back?

How can cancelling an appointment be empowering if it leaves you stuck in the same place?

Dr Sarno says very clearly that you must rule out any serious condition.

Most doctors I know are good people & medication may be necessary for certain conditions. There are many here who take meds & still do the TMS work.

You seem to be stuck & fixated on:

No doctors
No medications
Not doing the TMS work.
No anything.

Just my observations.

Mala
 
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