On an Allnurses Yahoo Group, a question is asked and the answers are unbelievable. The question is if an elderly patient believes she needs a wheelchair, do you allow her to have it? My thought is, why not? What would bring anyone to even ask this? I'm sure that not all on this yahoo group think this way, so please don't think I'm painting the entire group in the same manner.
One response said they didn't know in this case, but with the kids they were caring for, a doctor told them to make the kids walk no matter what. Please pause for a moment while I pick myself up off the floor because of disbelief. How idiotic of medical advice can you get? How harmful can medical caregivers such as these on this site be?
Please know, I'm not painting all medical providers including doctors and nurses as giving idiotic medical advice. I know there are many that are excellent caregivers and medical professionals. In fact, I hope that what I'm writing about applies to a small subset of providers, but I do know that I have seen and heard and experienced this same condition many times. This is not an isolated case.
I've been through Conversion Disorder. I've struggled to stand, walk, talk, move, and function. At times it came and went. At times, it was better than others. At no time though would medical advice like this have been helpful (if you can call it medical advice). It doesn't matter if someone's ignorant views upon how a patient is behaving is right or wrong. It is what the patient needs. In case you didn't hear that clearly, it is what the patient needs that matters.
If someone has Conversion Disorder, all the drugs and medical procedures in the world are not going to treat it. Acting as if someone is faking it like far too many medical providers do, is not going to help it. Treating someone as if its all in their head and sending them home to suffer isn't going to do much good for anyone. It is high time medical professionals either get enlightened on the subject of conversion disorder or quit dispensing medical advice that is harmful to patients.
If you want to know more about Conversion Disorder, please take a moment and go to Somatosync.com. On that page, you'll read some first hand information and some great advice by Dr. Paul Canali. If you want to read more about my experiences, go to "My Experiences As A Conversion Disorder Survivor" or Conversion Disorder Doesn't Mean You're Crazy.
More than anything, I want to see the medical establishment be part of the solution, not part of the problem. If you don't understand something with a patient, it is time to start seeking out those who do. I plan on writing more about this condition and doing more videos, but I just haven't finished these projects yet. To hide your head in the sand and treat a Conversion Disorder patient as someone who is crazy or is faking it, is so sad. It is inhuman. Your ignorance on the subject should not subject the patient to a life of hell.
If you think I'm upset in what I have written, you are correct. If I have upset you as a medical provider, then maybe I've done what I needed to with this post. After all, maybe you will begin to challenge your own beliefs and opinions on this condition. However my goal isn't to upset anyone, but to stop some of the inaccurate views of this condition.
Reading something like I saw made my blood boil because I know how difficult it was to find my way out of this. I know how much the medical establishment failed me and if it wasn't for my own strength and determination, I would not have made it through. Let's not keep repeating this cycle! Let's find a way to give better medical advice that actually works to solve the problem.
Blog Post And Images (c) 2/9/15 by Don Shetterly
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