The US healthcare system has two lanes for anyone with undiagnosed medical issues: slow and express. In the slow lane your primary care provider (PCP) assesses your symptoms and determines a course action. This may include blood tests, imaging, and specialist referrals. It makes sense in many cases but for me, was a failure.
My PCP initially ordered blood and urine tests, and made referrals for an endoscopy and echocardiogram. Then he referred me to a urologist, wrote a prescription for hyperthyroidism and set a follow-up appointment a month later. This is how the system works in the slow lane.
I feared they were missing the forest for the trees. Would investigating each symptom individually fail to recognize a single cause. I struggled to understand how my symptoms were related, but began to think they must be given their onset and worsening happened simultaneously. I worried the follow-up would not provide the answer.
This approach was tedious. I waited five weeks for the echocardiogram appointment, eight for my endoscopy and urology appointments. My symptoms worsened daily and it would be at least eight weeks before my PCP had information from these appointments.
Thankfully, at my follow-up appointment my PCP changed lanes. The significant worsening of my condition worried him. My wife and I were already prepared to discuss the need for a different approach as she, Google and I concluded I had an autoimmune disease.
My PCP recommended I go to the emergency room . . . the express lane. After 12 hours in the ER I was admitted to the hospital’s neurology floor. In those twelve hours I had three echocardiograms, one x-ray, two CT Scans, one sonogram, two urine tests, and 33 blood panels. Within the first three hours the ER team determined my symptoms were either caused by a serious cardiac issue or an autoimmune disease. A few hours later they ruled out the cardiac issue and focused on statin-induced necrotizing myositis.
I have no idea how long it would have taken me to get diagnosed if I had not changed lanes, but in hindsight, I am certain I would not have come this far in my recovery without it.
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