Description
This article is from the Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (CFS) FAQ, by cfs-news@cais.com (Roger Burns) with
numerous contributions by others.
2.01 How do I find good medical care for CFS?
It is very important to find a health practitioner who is familiar
with this illness. The symptoms of CFS can be mimicked by other
illnesses (autoimmune illnesses, cancer, hepatitis, diabetes, etc.),
and if you in fact have another illness that is not properly
diagnosed, you may be losing out on getting treatments that might be
effective for you.
It is still an uphill struggle to find a doctor who is experienced in
diagnosing and treating CFS. The best source of advice for identifying
local doctors who may be familiar with CFS is your local support
group. And the best way to identify local support groups is to contact
one of your national organizations (see question 5.06). If there are
no CFS- knowledgeable doctors in your area and you wish to find an
out-of-town specialist, you may read about such specialists from time
to time in the newsletter of your national organization.
If your own doctor is sympathetic but not knowledgeable, you might
gather together some medical articles which discuss CFS treatments and
encourage your doctor to study them. (See question 2.036 below.) Read
the essay on "Dealing with Doctors When You Have CFS" by Camilla
Cracchiolo, R.N. which can be obtained by sending the command GET CFS
HANDLEDR as an e-mail message to the address
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.
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health, chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS, medical care
