I’ve been meaning to write with post for a while as I’ve been getting lots of emails lately about why I insist you should go to the doctor for a diagnosis, rather than just reading a list of CFS symptoms and presuming you’ve got it.

I hear you. Who likes going to the doctor?! Who likes tests and the uncertainty in between test results? Who likes the feeling of feeling powerless and weakness because you’re feeling ill? I know going to the doctors is difficult and many of us find reasons to put it off for as long as possible (“I don’t have time…”,” I’m sure it’ll sort itself out…”, etc), basically because we’re frightened of what the doctor will say or find.

Lego doctor picture taken from here

Do I have Chronic Fatigue?

The reason I say that a Chronic Fatigue diagnosis is an important step in your healing is because this fatigue and the symptoms you are feeling could be any number of things, including:

• Glandular Fever
• Hormonal trouble
• Thyroid Trouble
• Fibromyalgia (often put in the CFS group, but people are affected more with muscle pain than fatigue)
• Adrenal Fatigue
• Lyme’s Disease
• Lupus
• Arthritis 
• Depression

I’ll be honest, the process of testing for CFS is a long one, as basically everything else has to be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. I had blood tests (several lots), ECGs, Cat scans, MRI scans, X-Rays- you name it…and yes, it can be scary (moving into the tube for the MRI scan still gets me to this day!). BUT, if it isn’t CFS and it’s a condition that can be easily treated, then you can move on with your healing and your life in a positive way.

If it is CFS, in many ways it’s a blessing. At least you now have a name for it. Chances are you’ll also be developing a close relationship with your doctor. I have to admit, I wasn’t very lucky in this respect- I had a really harried who used to tell me to stop trying to do his job for him. He would literally spend 3 minutes with me before writing me yet another prescription for something that I knew deep down wasn’t going to work for me.

Now, I’m definitely not here to doctor-bash. I have friends who are doctors and they are incredibly hard-working, kind and loyal people, who do what they do passionately and love people. They love spending time getting to know patients and they love people. I know many of you have had amazing experiences with doctors and many have suggested medication, supplements to take and ways to improve your lifestyle. Just because I didn’t have that doesn’t mean I hate the medical profession. BUT, I knew that I had to take my healing into my own hands, because the support I got from doctors wasn’t supporting me in the way my soul and spirit wanted. I knew that there was something more to my illness which pills and treatments wouldn’t help with. I’m grateful to the doctors I spoke with who supported me and who guided me on this path.

So, go and get your diagnosis. Get someone to go with you and remember that doctors will always do what is best for you and will help you in whatever way they can. Ask questions, know your options, but most of all, if they do tests, don’t panic! How else are they going to know what’s wrong with you? There is nothing you can do to get the test results back any quicker, so just forget about them for a while (easier said than done, I know, but try!). When you get the results back, again, ask questions, know your options, but most importantly, know that you are now truly on your path to healing. After your diagnosis is where the true healing and inner work starts.

I’d love to hear your experiences with doctors and getting a diagnosis- please reply in the comments box below.

Love and faith,

Katie      xxx