Q...What is this buisness about faking symptoms???

[NrssAngel]

Yeah that's right...medical professionals work so hard to get their degrees...you know staying up all night for exams and preparing for clinical rotations and such just to FAKE symptoms of an illness as debilitating as MS and all for what.....a disability check!!  Not....I would much rather make my 60.00 an hour doing what I love. Give me a break.  I get the whole we don't take care of ourselves but faking symptoms, come on.  Most nurses I know are work a holics just like myself.  I ust to jump at the chance to work doubles here in Cali due to the time and half past 8 and double past 12.  I never left money on the table if I could help it.  Very rarely would I pass up the chance.  And when I was Cath Lab, I was on call 2 weekends a month and 2 days a week.  Yeah...they figured me out.  This infuriates me!!!!  If anything, I run the risk of loosing my job if I'm diagnosed.   What is this all about?????

[Johnny Utah]

  OK, lets put this to rest. I went to shower and it suddenly popped into my head where I found it. I was reading the handbook and came across the paragraph that had to do with other possible causes. I did a search on the Internet for something I didn't understand and it was at that web page that I ran across the statement. It was not targeted at MS patients but at those that may report false symptoms. When I get home I will try to find that web page. There is a reason I couldn't find it again, I wasn't in the right place.

  I haven't reread my original post but I'm not sure I ever even mentioned false symptoms and specifically MS or just made a general statement that I found it interesting.

  Sorry if anyone was offended, pissed off, mad, or irritated with me.

  If it makes you feel any better I still love you all, for all the wonderful things you do, especially when you find room to excuse an individual that makes a comment that is very misinterpreted.


  Johnny

[Johnny Utah]

  I read it before work yesterday, I got home and tried to find it, I spent two hours before going to sleep reviewing the sections I had read or skimmed over. I will continue to look for it, it was contained in a single paragraph and made mention of the reasons some people might fake symptoms to include attention getting and claims. I did a search and still couldn't find it but to be honest the search feature for the electronic pdf file I have is pretty crude.

  I was looking at Chapter 6, Clinical Features, Chapter 7 MRI Techniques, Chapter 8 Biomarkers, Chapter 9 Evoked Potentials, and lastly Chapter 10 Managing Symptoms.

  I am sorry if at the moment I can't find the specific reference, I am working, 3 on 3 off, 12-hr shifts with an hour commute each way so I don't have a lot of time to search for it at the moment. I would certainly NEVER make such a statement without some way to back it up, and again it was only made it to shed some light on some of the things a neuro has to consider when examining a patient and in the case of MS, often times with normal test results or no clinical evidence.

  It wasn't a jab at the health care profession, and I certainly believe as you have stated it probably deals mostly with those on the fringes of that industry, not doctors, nurses, and highly educated individuals that have little to gain from a false report of symptoms. Nor was I even slightly implying that anyone here would ever fake symptoms. I am in the same boat as most of you, none dx'ed and trying to find out whats going on, if I'm faking my symptoms then it's the damn voices in my head telling me to. So many cracks to avoid.

  It's entirely possible I read it in another manual that I recent downloaded. Memory recall is not my strongest suit right now.

  Now if everyone is done flogging me I'm going to work...

[Quixotic1]

Hi, all, I just got up and saw the discussion.  I have been reading this book for a couple months now and I have never seen any comment even approaching the one that Johnny refers to.  Johnny, please tell me the Chapter title and subheading that you found this in.  I need to see it to understand how it would fit in this book - its context.  Quix

[NrssAngel]

Thank you Roxie.  I know I have to face it but I am afraid of what they will find.  I know that might sound crazy but I don't want my life to change.  Don't want to take meds.  

What kind of nursing did you do?  I've done Telemetry, Cath Lab, Electrophysiology Lab and now ER.  I love helping people and have always had a hard time asking for help.  I think that is what is really driving me nuts.  

Angel

[Roxie0818]

I can SOO relate to you!  I went to a MS doc not to long ago (mind you, I was dx 7 yrs ago by a ms doc in another sate). now with lesion on MRI gone from 7 yrs ago. this doc doesn't think I have MS).. so he says to me "since you're a nurse, you prob know too much and quit reading on the internet!".. I was speechless... for a second.. then I said to him "if you were dx with MS or a disease, you wouldn't research it".. he didn't answer me!!    HUGS TO YOU!!  It's hard, I know.. I had to quit my nursing job 3 yrs ago and got on disability.. not that I WANTED to, but took me over a year to realize I SHOULD!
Hugs again!
Roxanne

[NrssAngel]

Sorry for all the confusion guys.  I think I am just feeling a little overwhelmed and scared at the same time.  Johnny........I did not mean to point a finger at you. I did understand that you read it in the book.  Sorry that it may have felt like that.  I am extremely stressed out right now with all this.  :(