SOOOOOOO PISSED AT MY NEUROLOGIST!

[soccero]

So I asked him to write a letter for my professors, which he has done before, just stating that I have medical issues and may be out for drs appts or just because I'm having a bad day. so he writes I have Intracrainial Hypertension and Intractable Migraines  neither of which i have! I have chiari, hydrocephalus, Eds, ect. but hey, he wrote the letter right?
Molly

[kwalker0004]

Hi, I recently just started back at college. I trying to finish both majors before I have to have surgery so I understand where you are coming from. My professors asked me to provide documentation( just the ones that I must be in class for such as my Anatomy and Physiology and my Calculus class and my Radiology classes as we will be picking up patients and since it is a no no for us to pick up more than 10 lbs, I must provide a medical note saying that I cant do it, that way my teacher knows that I am just making my group members doing all the work. I am also working with animals to finish my veterinarian major as well.

I know it is frustrating but since they don't need to know exactly what is wrong or it violates our rights as patients and students a simple note just saying what your limitations should work for you as it has for me. Most of my classes this semester are hybrid, which means I do all the work from home at my own pace and have a week to get it all done, I only come in to class for test. This has helped me tremendously as some days are just not bearable to do all the work that is required. My professors were understanding and has worked with me, as I have had them in the past and they know I am usually a great student who doesn't complain a lot like most students. I do all my work and turn it in when I get it completed. Some professors have been reluctant to except it until they received a letter from my doctors but once they did they pulled me aside and let me know that would like to know more about the condition and very understanding towards it all.

Best of luck with your classes. May your teachers understand( which they are most likely too) they aren't like high school teachers.  

[Ball123]

Yes, it is a bit strange..

[soccero]

I understand what you are saying, its just that what he wrote is simply not true so I'm not sure why he wrote it. I do not have migraines, I have chiari malformation which causes awful headaches but not migraines. also i don't have intracranial hypertension, but i have hydrocephalus which causes many different issues. I just don't know why he put false things in there.
molly

[Ball123]

Hi!

I understand your frustration but I still try to figure out why he wrote that. Maybe he felt that he didn't want to write exactly what you have since this is kind of personal medical information. But then he felt that he somehow maybe needed to specify it a little bit. So he decided to write what he wrote.

It might not have been a completely thought through and logical decision. But if you look at it it seems that he maybe wanted to describe your symptoms rather than your diagnosises. Your chiari and hydrocephalus gives intracranial hypertension (at least locally) and intractable migraines. If he would just have written that you have intractable migraines people might not have taken you seriously enough plus that intracranial hypertension can give some other and more serious symptoms, so he decided to add that to the migraines, to put some weight behind the letter and to prevent people from speculating that your "migraines" are just anxiety or depression or bla bla. This way they will understand that you have a serious neurological condition creating horrible migraine-like symptoms.

(There are a lot of people out there who don't think that migraine is a real illness. It is treated as "oh, you have migraine, then at least there is nothing wrong with you" when in fact it is a serious neurological disease that is both chronic and uncurable. Probably because there are no tests for it, specific medicines and because it mostly affects women. "It is one of those mysterious untestable diseases that seem to hit women and probably has the root in the old hysteria diagnosis that was extremely popular a hundred years ago" That is the kind of mentality that lives on to some extent. The old structures still linger on..)

[soccero]

thats what i figured as well. thanks!
Molly

[soccero]

thank you for your response! that is whats so frustrating is my issues are already documented through school, they don't go into detail, but its under the disability Student Services so it states that i have a disability i need accommodations such as lecture notes, no scantrons, extra time on tests, and if i have appts to respect that, obviously i try not to schedule appts during my classes because that just causes more work for me lol so when my teacher asked for a letter from my dr, i said sure but it took me by surprise and then the letter that i got really has nothing to do with my issues. haha its a no win lol but oh well! thanks for your help!
Molly

[selmaS]

  I agree the tech terms are not important...only that you have medical issues and may be out from time to time for appointments...JMHO

[Elisaandbucky]

Hi, Molly,

I am an English professor and I wanted to tell you about my experience with students who have special health concerns. I typically don't announce this generally because I can imagine some would try to use illness to get excused from course requirements, but if a student comes to see me and tells me about a medical issue, i don't require any medical documentation if the illness causes the student to require some extra time for assignments. If the medical issue causes absences, for the first 2 absences, I will offer an outline of my lecture notes so that the student can keep up with the class. I really respect students who care about their academics enough to let me know about their issues at the beginning of the semester. It is still January, so maybe explain the medical issue with the professor - but make sure you do so in private, so other students don't learn about it and try to get the teacher to excuse them for a medical issue.

[soccero]

i have Disability Support Services at school which give me accommodations, one of my professors suggested that i give her a letter from my dr stating i may be out for appts or because i am not doing well, just so she remembered and did not take off. (I have handed out letters before) so i asked my nl to send me another copy of my letter for school and this time he wrote in about migraines and IH, neither of which are my issue, then again does it really matter that my professors have technical terms?
Molly

[soccero]

thank you for the info! i really appreciate it, but i don't even know how to go about fixing that. i really hate my neurologist! but at least he wrote the letter!
Molly

[selmaS]

  I am so sorry you are having problems with your Drs....I know they can be aloof much of the time...

Can I assume you wanted the note so your teachers would be more understanding of you and your work? I can not imagine your teachers requested the info....

I hope the note helps, even tho it is wrong...lol...all you can do is laugh at it as it does not help to get upset...only causes stress and that causes pain....

((hugs))

[bean418]

Molly it is against the law in Maryland for schools or employers to ask detailed medical information.  All they have to say is that you have medical reasons.....no details.

JH should know better especially with all the stringent HIPPA requirements they have.

Dr. H wanted me to wear a neck brace for 24/7 for 2 weeks.  I was getting ready to start a new job and was concerned.  He told me to wear a collar shirt....LOL no collared shirt would EVER cover that neck brace.  I expressed concern to my JH PCP and he is the one that informed me of the law.

Regardless I did not do it as I covered my 2 weeks prior to starting the job but nonetheless.....thought you might want to know.

Take the bull by the horns at JH and tell them what to do and how to do it.

Hope you feel better soon.