Few things are more disheartening than not feeling well. After all, if you are sick, you cannot participate in the sort of everyday activities that most New Yorkers take for granted. If you cannot find answers to your health questions, though, your illness can be downright frustrating.
As you may suspect, determining how often doctors misdiagnose a medical condition can be challenging. Nonetheless, medical researchers estimate that misdiagnoses may be as high as 40 percent. If you are not feeling well, statistics likely do not impress you much. Instead, you want a plan for recovering from your illness or injury.
Here are five signs your doctor may be either misdiagnosing you or missing your diagnosis completely.
1. There are tests you did not take
Modern medicine has a variety of tools a doctor can use to diagnose illness. If your doctor does not ask you to submit to testing, he or she may not have enough information to make a proper diagnosis.
2. You have general symptoms
The human body only has so many ways it can tell you it is not operating optimally. That is, many diseases have common symptoms. This fact can make diagnosing illnesses extremely difficult.
3. Your prescription does not seem to help
For many illnesses, prescription medication helps. If the medication your doctor asked you to take does not seem to alleviate your symptoms, you may not be treating the disorder that is affecting you.
4. Your doctor rushed you out of the exam room
Medical professionals should listen to all your concerns and provide information about your illness or injury. If your doctor only made a cursory examination or otherwise rushed you out of the room, he or she may not have discovered the cause of your symptoms.
5. You have conflicting opinions
It is never a bad idea to ask for a second opinion. If subsequent doctors have found a different diagnosis for your symptoms, your first physician may have misdiagnosed you.
Sometimes, to receive effective medical care, you must advocate for yourself. You should not, however, have to live with the negative consequences of a misdiagnosis. If you think you have received one, you may need to act quickly to restore your health and protect your legal rights.