#americandreamisanightmare

[proleone]

I am writing this from my bed in the Southeastern region of the United States of America. I am profoundly unwell. In recent years I have been become physically ill, lost my career as a result of the illness and experienced a number of other hardships. I haven't been able to work in two years and I am losing everything.

I have tried for eight years to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment and have been repeatedly dismissed or misdiagnosed by doctors. My health is progressively getting worse. The last eight years of my life should have been spent traveling, finding a life partner, bearing children and advancing in my career. That's what I wanted at least. Instead I am losing everything I have ever worked for. I am now so ill I can barely leave my bed. I am in pain and experiencing a laundry list of debilitating symptoms. I have completely lost hope I will ever receive the healthcare I need to return to a normal life.

Prior to becoming ill I earned a very respectable income in a skilled trade and made great efforts to maintain my health. I was extremely fit due to frequent exercise and excellent nutrition. My story is not unique. Americans are repeatedly dismissed by healthcare professionals. Often patients are falsely accused of having anxiety or depression. This whole narrative is ridiculous, patients with depression or anxiety also develop disease and ailments; the presence of depression or anxiety does not negate the presence of disease. Doctors may run a couple of tests, then use those tests to invalidate patient's symptoms. There is never an intention of diagnosing and treating you.

My first cousin died of throat cancer after being repeatedly dismissed by American doctors. She left behind three children and a husband. She would have adopted more. My mother has been ill for a decade. She has wasted so badly that she is losing teeth due to malnutrition. These are not unique stories. This happens constantly in the US. Patients are denied adequate work ups because they are not believed. Additionally, most doctors simply do not want to deal with any cases which require time or effort to diagnose. Even in my mother's case in which she is OBVIOUSLY profoundly ill, there is no real attempt to help her.

At eight years into my quest for an accurate diagnosis I finally received a referral to an endocrinologist. The wait time for the endocrinologist is six months. The amount of additional suffering I will endure in this six months is immense. There is no assurance this man will help me. In fact, several of his reviews state that patients waited months to see him only to be dismissed. In many cases if you are able to get an accurate diagnosis the treatment can easily be denied by your insurance company. This leads to an administrative fight that healthcare professionals do not have the time to win for you. We can not even get healthcare with insurance. We are spending enormous amounts of money and never have our health issues resolved. The only resolve you will receive in America is death, and you will wish for it after years of poor health. Poor health definitively results in poverty for the average American.