URRRRRGH! It is MADDENING how many doctors don't have a clue about ADHD. But what is making me even angrier is how much bullshit they talk just so they don't have to admit they don't have a clue!
Take, for instance, my eye specialist: She found out by chance that my field of vision is impaired. I told her that my eye hurts and that I'm feeling nauseous a lot and that I have taken Strattera for my ADHD.
"Your what?" she says.
"My Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder," I say, patiently. (I know the drill by now)
"Ah! Yes yes yes," she says quickly.
I frown inwardly but let her go on.
She tells me to get my prolactin levels checked because of the field of vision thing but fails to write me a referral to the lab. Instead she tells me to go to my gyno so she can write the referral. Whut? Ah well, I'll just get my referral elsewhere then.
A week later I call her to tell her that my prolactin got checked and is fine.
She says, "Great! Great! I'd like you to see a neurologist."
Sure, sounds good to me.
So I went to pick up the referral and right now, at home, I was about to make the call to the neurologist and I wasn't quite certain whether I was reading it correctly (it is partly handwritten). Wouldn't have know what to make the appointment FOR so I called the eye specialist's practice and asked what she wanted the neurologist to check, because I couldn't read it. Her assistant/boyfriend picked up:
Me: "Excuse me, I can't read the referral. What is it for exactly?
Answer: "Well, what you said you wanted.
"Me: "Huh?"
Answer: "Well, it says Antihyperactive Therapy. It's what you said you're doing.
Me: *multiple headdesks*
Well, turns out I was reading correctly I just didn't WANT to be reading that. She has NO IDEA so she just cobbles a couple of words together that don't even make sense in the SLIGHTEST! GNAAAAAH!
To be honest, I'm still sort of wondering whether this ominous "hyperactive therapy" is what I am DOING, SHOULD BE DOING or whether it is something they are supposed to be CHECKING FOR. Coincidentally, if you google that it doesn't bring up jack shit.
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If you are a doctor and reading this and you don't have a clue about ADHD and your patient mentions they have it, follow these steps:
1. Say: "I'm sorry, I don't know much about that."
2. Say: "But let me read up on it and I'll get back to you."
3. Educate yourself.
4. Help your patient.
Under no circumstances are you to just PRETEND that you know what ADHD is and then randomly stick some words together.
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