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?????

[AussyRose]

I am feeling extremely blessed to have the neuro I have!!!

She is amazing!  I was told by my primary that my symptoms are rarely found together and could be indicative of MS.  I had a dillusional understanding of the disease, freaked out and immediately went home to research it.  

When I went to my neuro, before anything else I told her, "Here's what happened: went to dr. I listed off most of what I was experiencing (left out ON that had been diagnosed by my opthamologist because I didn't think there was a connection and the bladder too at first)  he ran tests, ruled out blah blah and blah, then he asked questions about eyes, bladder, etc. said possible MS, so after run-around with a few other docs I am here.  I looked up MS because I thought you just got paralysed and died so I freaked out and needed answers.  I don't want it anyway so, I hope I have a slipped disc or something, if that even could do all this.  I just want a Dr. that will listen to me and believe me."  

And she did!  She did a bunch or coordination tests, reflex tests and flashed a light in my eyes a few times.  She saw a few muscle twitches going on in my arm and face.  She told me she believed me because that was her job.  She immediately ordered MRIs and then she herself gave me a pamplet on MS.  She said, "knowledge is power, so don't be afraid of it.  I am not saying you have MS, but there is a chance.  You need to know what you are facing here, at least so you can be extremely thankful if you find out you don't have it."

[crystaly]

I think its to do with having clinical evidence  and fitting in a particular box which ticks xyz symptoms for disorders, . People who fake can do something about it and they may gain in monetary terms , eg benefits But also neuros dx a lot of people as having as zilla said on another post conversion disorder eg people who have ms type symptoms which are really psychological but manifest as physical !  They basically cannot stop the symptoms as its an underlying emotional trauma which is causing the physical symptoms . Hope this makes sense
chris uk

[risnerrose]

I'm a little confused about this post, so if this response doesn't fit . . .OOPS!  

1.  I do wonder why it seems that most neuros are dismissive.  Is it possible that there are so many "fakers" that everyone is looked at with skepticism?

2.  What would the advantages be to "fake" MS?  I'm not seeing any perks at this point :-)

Sherry

[crystaly]

I know my neurologist told me that I shouldnt look on the imnternet as it wasnt constructive. I can understand how some people may gain from faking it in the case of claims for accidents etc Rearending as you call it johnny is  a classic example in the uk for insurance claims. Cant really see how it relates to ms though your hardly likely to display ms symptoms in respect of insurance claims although you may for disability benefits I suppose . I dont think there are many who do for benefits in the uk I dont know about the us though !

[Johnny Utah]

  The book is "Handbook of Multiple Sclerosis" Fourth Edition, Edited by Stuart D. Cook. 22 chapters, 546 pages, the same book Quix referred to yesterday in one of her posts.

  I'm not sure I agree with you regarding people doing their own research. Remember that opinions are like a**holes, we all have one and ... I for one had been trying to find an answer for a long time but didn't search the Internet for a disease. I sometimes searched for symptoms and what might cause them, but not specific diseases.

  I was once in an auto accident where I gently hit the back of a van at about 4 mph. No visible damage to either vehicle, no one injured. The individual driving the van said he would like to settle on the spot and wanted a few hundred dollars. I said I don't usually carry a few hundred dollars expecting to rear-end someone. I said maybe we should call the police and file a report, I am insured for that.

  By the time the police arrived and took his statement, he had gone from saying he was not injured and had no pain to I have to sit down, I can't move anymore. The cop actually looked at me and said "I am noting that he had no injury and believe him to be faking his condition", the cop requested that he be transported by ambulance and he declined and drove away. Later I got an estimate for $2500 in damages including an entire new paint job and work to repair a long dent on the side of his van. Our bumpers were the only thing that even touched and that was at an extremely slow speed. Turns out he was a minister of a local church. My insurance company refused to pay and told me over the phone that people of the church, those with titles, are the ones that they have the most problems with regarding fraud. They expect that no one will question their claim.

  That story just illustrates what I was saying about what was contained in this handbook. Much of it is very good, some of it you have to read and understand that there are people that will use a diagnosis for illegitimate means, not for a disability check (although some might) but more likely for a lawsuit or for damages. A physician has to consider those things because of the world we live in.

  I was not poking a finger at anyone here or of that profession.

  Johnny

[TonkaSpirit]

Hello, what is the book called?  I think most people who come to the neurologist's office stating that they "think" they may have MS has probably done their research.  Like me, I could not figure out what was wrong, so many conflicting symptoms as far as I knew at the time.  Besides the doctors seem to take so long to give out a diagnosis.  Please let me know the name of the book, if you know it as I would like to be prepared to fake it Tuesday at my next Dr. apt. LOL.
Cheers, Terrie