The Perils And Pitfalls Of Neuropathy Self-Diagnosis

Today's post from the popular neuropathydr.com (see link below) carries a salutary warning about self-diagnosis when it comes to neuropathy. Now we all know that the symptoms of neuropathy are pretty much unique to the disease and appear to be self-evident but Dr. Hayes is right here that, in the beginning, it's important to get a qualified diagnosis from a doctor before embarking on a recommended, or your own, course of treatment. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and many experienced neuropathy patients build up almost as much knowledge about their condition as their home doctors but because there are more than a hundred causes of neuropathy and equally as many different types, you do need medical guidance to make sure that you're on the right path with your own ideas. It's also important to rule other things out but after you've been given a diagnosis of a specific form of neuropathy, you are free to do your own research and form a partnership with your doctor. The problem is that many patients are sent away with the dreaded (and cop-out) 'idiopathic neuropathy' diagnosis (basically, the doctors don't know what caused it and what form it's currently taking) and then they have little option but to do the research and groundwork themselves. There's nothing wrong with that. People aren't stupid and I'm not sure Dr Hayes is right here to lay so much doom and gloom emphasis on the possibility of death if you take matters into your own hands. It's complicated and neuropathy is complicated but common sense plays a huge role in learning to live with it. There's no cure...there's only limited treatment to reduce the effect of the symptoms, so patients are entitled to search for treatments and therapies that will help themselves; especially when everybody reacts differently to the myriad of drugs, supplements. treatments and therapies! The doctor has a point here - self-diagnosis in the beginning, is not wise and in the best of all possible worlds, you will form a partnership with your doctor and reach the best conclusions for your own individual case but of all the common diseases that plague us in the 21st century, neuropathy is the one where patients have the means to help themselves. The internet is a wonderful thing but it has its own pitfalls too and in the course of your research you should never rely on one article or site for your info - you need to back it up with many others that say the same thing (preferably with evidence) and of course, reading and believing advertisements with wild claims about cures and wonder treatments is a sure-fire route to problems and disappointment. However, as I said, neuropathy patients are not stupid!
 

Neuropathy Self-Diagnosis and Treatment
by john | Feb 26, 2018 |

Ever heard the phrase “The man who represents himself has a fool for a client?” The dangers of self diagnosis and treatment of conditions like neuropathy could cost you your life.

While the old adage above is applied to the legal profession, the same can be said about patients who attempt to diagnose and treat their own illnesses and injuries. Especially when their symptoms indicate they’re dealing with something that could be serious.

The internet has made it easy for us to research our own health issues and become educated patients but it has also made it easy to misdiagnose and inaccurately treat those medical conditions. Often from very unqualified information.

Now this may not be dangerous with a common cold, but if you have (or think you have):

– Shingles

– Diabetic neuropathy

– Post-chemotherapy neuropathy

– Guillian-Barre Syndrome

– Peripheral neuropathy

You could be doing your body irreparable harm by not consulting a highly trained clinician, for proper diagnosis and treatment.

By researching and treating on your own, you’re wasting valuable time and when you’re dealing with neuropathy or any condition that involves nerve damage, because so often you don’t have time to waste.

The delay in obtaining medical treatment could make a small problem much, much worse. Once that window for early treatment is gone, you can never get it back. Treating on your own is an excellent example of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Here are just a few of the things that can happen when you diagnose and treat on your own:

– You could be wrong about the diagnosis and taking medications that you don’t need. That not only means that you’re not “curing” yourself, you could be making matters worse.

– You could be right about the diagnosis but taking the wrong medications.

– You could be right about the diagnosis but need prescription medication in the appropriate strength to address your symptoms.

– You could be putting yourself at risk for serious drug interactions with other medicines you’re taking (especially if you’re taking over the counter medicines and supplements without medical supervision).

– You could be fixing one problem with over the counter medications but making another problem worse or even creating a new problem.

– You could be missing the root cause of the problem – particularly in cases of neuropathy.

– Finally, you could be putting yourself at risk for life threatening damage.


You Need to Seek Professional Care

Treating on your own is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish. You may save a little money up front but it’s going to cost you more in the long run when your health care provider has to play catch up and try to fix the harm done by delaying proper treatment.

If you have symptoms of any of the illnesses we talked about above (especially diabetes), it is vital that you seek professional medical care.

Early treatment provided by a specialist familiar and specifically trained with peripheral neuropathy will make it much easier for your body to repair itself and lessen your chance of developing permanent nerve damage as a result of peripheral neuropathy.

Don’t be afraid to ask for our guidance.

Before you try to diagnose and treat yourself, we hope you’ll consider the potential harm you could doing to your body. And make the right choice – seek professional diagnosis and treatment.

Time is of the essence.
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http://neuropathydr.com/neuropathy-self-diagnosis-and-treatment/