Basic Stuff
- Name: MD
- Country: Canada
- State: British Columbia
- City: Vancouver
- Gender: Female
- Education: Ph.D Degree
- Primary Illness: Fibromyalgia (FM)
- Diagnosis:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
- Fibromyalgia (FM)
- Postural Orthostatic Tachcycardia Syndrome (POTS)
- Migraine
- ISTS
- Year Illness Began: 2017
Functioning Interrupted
Work Interrupted
- Former Occupation: Family Physician
- Job Responsibilities at Former Occupation:
Cared for 3000 patients full-time.
- Years of Work Lost: 4
- Current Work Status: On disability
Income Interrupted
-
Minimum Current Annual Income Loss:
CA $340,150
- Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked:
CA $1,542,301
Other Interruptions
- This illness has severely impacted my ability to financially prepare for retirement
- I reduced my work hours
- I left my job or retired early
- I took on jobs with less responsibilities than I otherwise would have
- I decided not to have children (or have more children)
Most Impactful Loss
Had to drastically reduce my panel size to 90 patients over 2 years. I had to go on medical leave in 2021. I see only a few patients per month by telehealth, and the rest see other doctors at the clinic. 10 of my discharged patients have died since 2021.
My Story
Got a severe nasopharyngeal MRSA infection from work in 2017 which went misdiagnosed and untreated for over 3 months. I was bed-bound and unable to return to work in any capacity for 5 months. Worked part-time at a greatly reduced capacity and with great suffering for 4 years, and then had to go on medical leave in 2021. Unable to care for self, let alone others now. Basic activities of daily living are difficult for me now. I am mostly house-bound now. My muscles have wasted, joints hurt, stairs are difficult, and reliant on others for support. Unable to exercise, visit old friends/family, volunteer, or travel. Suffer from migraines since getting sick as well. FM, ME/CFS, migraines, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affect other family members too, so there has a genetic susceptibility in the family.
I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LOSS OF YOUR FORMER CAPABILITIES AND FOR THE LOSS TO ALL YOUR PATIENTS OF HAVING YOUR CARE. IT’S HARD TO FIND A GOOD, CARING DOCTOR, AND I’M SURE YOU ARE GREATLY MISSED BY THEM. I GUESS MRSA WOULD CERTAINLY QUALIFY AS A ‘POST-VIRAL’ SYNDROME INSTIGATOR. I TOTALLY IDENTIFY WITH YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND SEND MY BEST WISHES FOR PEACE, COMFORT AND A BIOMARKER FOR SUPPORT.
Sorry to hear this – being a doctor yourself I am curious to know what your experience has been like trying to get treatment for your conditions?
I didn’t have a family physician when I got sick. Being a physician didn’t help any. I was treated as if I wasn’t one. A walk-in doctor refused to take a throat swab for my sore throat early on in the disease, because he didn’t believe in them. If he had just taken the swab, I would have been diagnosed in a week instead of 3 months. Long wait times. Lack of understanding and compassion. Weird looks like I was crazy when I couldn’t walk it function after being cured 4 months later. My cardiologist, ENT, and infectious disease specialist didn’t believe in fibromyalgia or ME/CFS. My cardiologist didn’t even know what POTS was. I had to explain it to him. Only my similarly afflicted colleague and my BCWH CCDP specialists knew about FM, ME/CFS, POTS, and provided the compassion, understanding and care that I needed 4 years later. It takes alot of patience to be a patient. The whole experience of being a patient has made me a better doctor, although I have been on medical leave for 2 years.
Sounds sadly similar to all our stories, so sorry to hear this. But so happy it has made you a better doctor, your patients are lucky!
My ❤️ hurts for everything you’ve lost to ME/CFS, however I’m thankful you can still see 90 patients via telehealth. I have had severe ME/CFS for 30 years and it’s been a very hard road. I never give up hope though. God can and does still heal. I will definitely pray for healing & strength for you. 🙏