At My Wits End About Fatigue I Have

[Forever Learning]

I have been experiencing fatigue almost every day. Some days worse than others. Usually, I MUST take a nap in the afternoon, usually 2 hours.

 

This is messing up my hopes to get a job. How will I work all day if this tired stuff hits and I can't stay awake? I am freaked out.

 

I've had alot of tests run during several different visits to the doctor, I don't seem to be diabetic, my iron levels and B vitamin levels are ok, and my thyroid levels are ok.

 

They increased my Synthroid which seemed to help A BIT (I don't have a thyroid, removed in 2002 due to thyroid cancer). Still tired though.

 

What diseases could make you tired/fatigued, and your joints ache off and on?

 

I am thinking of cutting all wheat and dairy from my diet. I recently paged through the book "Wheat Belly", and thought maybe I have a sensitivity to wheat, or other food allergies, that have snuck up on me.

 

I am wondering if I could have food allergies that are finally taking a toll. I am older than most of you guys (I'm 43, turning 44 this summer). I had my female hormones checked (results not back yet) to see if something there was out of whack. The average age of menopause is 51, but I could be entering 'perio-menopause', the stage before menopause, and my hormones shifting could have something to do with it.

 

This fatigue is really scary. I was on a low dose of Celexa, which I loved, but I tapered off it, because I read Celexa can make you tired. So I'm off Celexa, and all medications except my Synthroid - but still tired.

 

My thoughts were possibly Mutiple Schlerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a recurrence of thyroid cancer in my lymphatic system, hormone shifts, Lupus, or Fibromyalgia. I don't know much about MS or Lupus or Fibro.

 

Anyone think of something I'm missing? I am scheduled for a sleep study. I don't drink alcohol or do drugs of course. Eat pretty healthy. I am not depressed, even though I stopped the low dose of Celexa. Don't think I even need to go back on it.

 

Thanks for ANY INPUT, I am at my wit's end, mostly scared because I have to get a job and I can't be this fatigued and work.

 

p.s. I want to switch to Armour type thyroid medication (dessicated pig and cow thyroid gland), since Synthroid (synthetic, man made thyroid hormone) doesn't convert T4 to T3, but very few doctors want to prescribe Armour for various reasons of possible inconsistency within the dosage of the pill.

 

Anyone know anything about that or know of someone who felt better after switching to Armour?

 

 

 

 

I will gladly accept anyone's input regarding different causes of fatigue. I am at the point of researching anything that might help. I also quit drinking coffee entirely about 2 weeks ago (had quit before as well) to avoid the ups and downs of caffeine throughout the day. I drink a tea mid-day with a small amount of caffeine occasionally.

 

Thanks in advance guys!

Edited January 30, 2013 by Forever Learning

[EasyHeart]

What diseases could make you tired/fatigued, and your joints ache off and on?

Those are classic Lyme Disease symptoms.

 

The problem with lyme is that very few doctors are up to date on diagnosing/treating it. The test most doctors use is completely worthless.

 

PM me if you want more info.

[Forever Learning]

Those are classic Lyme Disease symptoms.

 

The problem with lyme is that very few doctors are up to date on diagnosing/treating it. The test most doctors use is completely worthless.

 

PM me if you want more info.

 

I did think of Lyme, but I didn't remember being bitten by a tick. Is there any other way of getting Lyme?

 

I also thought of Mononucleosis. Thank you, I will PM you after I take the kids to school.

[AlexDP]

 

My thoughts were possibly Mutiple Schlerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a recurrence of thyroid cancer in my lymphatic system, hormone shifts, Lupus, or Fibromyalgia. I don't know much about MS or Lupus or Fibro.

 

 

 

Someone knows how to use google..

 

It's multiple sclerosis though, not schlerosis. Randomly assuming MS, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia isn't going to help you. Especially because the last two might not even be existing conditions. The mind messes with all of us.

 

If you say you think it could be a recurrence of thyroid cancer that would definitely be the first place to check. Although googling isn't necessarily bad, I think you should see a doctor as soon as possible and tell him about the thyroid cancer.

[AlexDP]

I did think of Lyme, but I didn't remember being bitten by a tick. Is there any other way of getting Lyme?

 

I also thought of Mononucleosis. Thank you, I will PM you after I take the kids to school.

 

Visit the CDC website. Blacklegged ticks are responsible for spreading Lyme disease. The ticks themselves are mostly infected in the northeastern and north central US. So if you're from Texas..

[Mint Sauce]

easily forgotten: heavy-metal intoxication, e.g. lead from old plumbing tubes. Isn't usually checked in blood samples, so ask specifically.

 

MS should come with sensory or mobility problems.

[Emilia]

I wish I could add to this but it's so difficult. It took me ages to work out how to control my bouts of irritable bowel syndrom through elimination. This is of course even worse.

 

Is there are a process of elimination in the case of chronic fatigue?

[EasyHeart]

I did think of Lyme, but I didn't remember being bitten by a tick. Is there any other way of getting Lyme?

 

I also thought of Mononucleosis. Thank you, I will PM you after I take the kids to school.

More than 80% of people with lyme disease never remember getting a tick bite. Deer ticks are the size of a pin head, so they're easy to miss. There's some evidence that lyme is carried by mosquitoes, but that's not been confirmed.

 

It's worth checking out if you're not finding anything else to explain your symptoms.

[KathyM]

I'd suggest that you keep working with your doctor to find a medical reason for the fatigue.

 

You should also make sure your diet is healthy (high in fruits and vegetables) and well balanced with all the food groups.

 

Make sure you're getting enough exercise during the day.

 

Always go to bed at the same time each night, and get 8 hours of sleep at night. If you are having sleep problems, that is probably the source of your fatigue if you are not getting a good night's sleep every night. Look up strategies for getting good sleep (keeping the room dark and quiet, staying in bed if you wake during the night, etc.).

 

You may want to see a therapist to determine if you have a mild case of depression. You said you were not depressed, so I don't know if you've been checked out by a therapist. Some people who do not suffer from Major Depressive Disorder could have something called Dysthymic Disorder, which is a mild case of depression that has been long term, and which can give symptoms of fatigue, low energy, poor concentration, etc.

 

So basically, the avenues to check are medical, diet, exercise, sleep and psychological disorder (i.e., depression or other issue). It may be a good idea to indulge in one or two cups of coffee a day if it gives you more energy and you are able to concentrate better after drinking it. Some people just need that extra boost during the day to have enough energy. But no more than two cups per day, and none after 2:00 p.m., or it might interfere with your sleeping.

[AlexDP]

I wish I could add to this but it's so difficult. It took me ages to work out how to control my bouts of irritable bowel syndrom through elimination. This is of course even worse.

 

Is there are a process of elimination in the case of chronic fatigue?

 

Yes. And doctors know about these processes. I know I'm heavily biased because my parents and grandparents and uncles are doctors (hell, I don't even really know why I'm not a doctor, but hey), but you really ought to see a doctor.

 

If you don't, and you start yapping away about fibromyalgia, it's hard to be taken seriously.

[Els]

Sorry to hear that, FL. {{{hugs}}} It does suck to feel exhausted and with no energy to do anything all the time. I went through a similar bout when I was suffering from chronic insomnia. Though I think some people just have innately lower energy levels than others for some reason. Did yours dip drastically at any time, or has this been going on since you can remember? Any major changes in your life/health when it happened?

 

If this has been fairly recent and no changes to anything, I'd guess perimenopause (though you should still get all your checks as planned). Fatigue is quite a common symptom for perimenopausal women.

[Forever Learning]

Thanks everyone.

 

Yes Elswyth, I keep reading that periomenpause can cause fatigue, and it hits around my age.

 

They have a clinic here in Houston, called the Hotze Health and Wellness clinic, but it's expensive. I wish I could afford to go.

 

Dr. Hotze has a daily radio program on the AM radio, about women, my age, with similar complaints, mostly of fatigue, who are put on anti-depressants by their doctors when nothing else is found to be wrong. The anti-depressants don't fix the problem. It's usually adrenal gland fatigue and hormone imbalance, estrogen / progestrone, along with hypo-thyroidism. He is a big fan of Armour thyroid. That's why I'd love to try it. PLus get some progesterone supplementation to boot.

 

I don't know how long this has been going on. With all my distractions of getting divorced in 2011 and issues with my sons, I didn't really notice how fatigued I was. My memory is really poor now. I can't remember how to spell some words anymore, and I used to be an excellent speller. I read about a woman who developed Alzheimers at my age, early onset, and with my memory as poor as it is, I wonder if I don't have that. You guys in your 20's will think I'm joking but I'm actually very serious about that. But Alzheimers doesn't usually mean fatigue.

 

I am going to look into the Lyme disease. I'm also waiting for the hormone tests to come back in the next few days to see if they offer any clues.

 

I wish I could find a doctor who would prescribe me Armour thyroid medicine, I'm so eager to give it a try. Big Pharma has a strangle hold on these doctors, most won't prescribe it, but they do at the Hotze clinic, but I can't afford to go there. Bummer!

 

I am going to try another doctor I know to try to get some Armour. It's so hard to get, you would think I was trying to get Oxycontin (very controlled painkiller) or something like that LOL. It's just stupid thyroid medicine but it's the old fashioned kind from pig and cow glands, and doctors aren't hip to it anymore.

 

Thanks again for the input everyone.

 

*******************************

 

Emilia, what foods did you eliminate from your diet that helped you?

Edited January 30, 2013 by Forever Learning

[AlexDP]

Thanks everyone.

 

Yes Elswyth, I keep reading that periomenpause can cause fatigue, and it hits around my age.

 

They have a clinic here in Houston, called the Hotze Health and Wellness clinic, but it's expensive. I wish I could afford to go.

 

Dr. Hotze has a daily radio program on the AM radio, about women, my age, with similar complaints, mostly of fatigue, who are put on anti-depressants by their doctors when nothing else is found to be wrong.

 

I don't know how long this has been going on. With all my distractions of getting divorced in 2011 and issues with my sons, I didn't really notice how fatigued I was. My memory is really poor now. I read about a woman who developed Alzheimers at my age, early onset, and with my memory as poor as it is, I wonder if I don't have that. But Alzheimers doesn't usually mean fatigue.

 

I am going to look into the Lyme disease. I'm also waiting for the hormone tests to come back in the next few days to see if they offer any clues.

 

I wish I could find a doctor who would prescribe me Armour thyroid medicine, I'm so eager to give it a try. Big Pharma has a strangle hold on these doctors, most won't prescribe it, but they do at the Hotze clinic, but I can't afford to go there. Bummer!

 

I am going to try another doctor I know to try to get some Armour. It's so hard to get, you would think I was trying to get Oxycontin (very controlled painkiller) or something like that LOL. It's just stupid thyroid medicine but it's the old fashioned kind from pig and cow glands, and doctors aren't hip to it anymore.

 

Thanks again for the input everyone.

 

*******************************

 

Emilia, what foods did you eliminate from your diet that helped you?

 

FL,

 

I say this with all possible kindness, but in this thread you have said you think you might have:

 

- Multiple sclerosis

- Constant fatigue syndrome

- Lupus (it's not Lupus!)

- Lyme disease

- Thyroid cancer

 

And now you think you could possibly have Alzheimer's. Apart from Constant Fatigue Syndrome these are very very serious illnesses. Not only can you not try to diagnose this yourself, you are also in need of (possibly urgent) medical care.

 

If you REALLY believe it's one of the things you mentioned, see a doctor now.

[Emilia]

Emilia, what foods did you eliminate from your diet that helped you?

 

It won't really help you I don't think. I'm lactose intolerant which was what triggered my IBS in the first place but during my period I would still get it even if I kept lactose/dairy out of my diet.

 

So I realised that root vegetables (potatoes, carrots), bananas and soya milk made it worse. Once I kept those out my diet during my period I didn't get IBS again. This is quite random, I had to do something like a food diary basically.

[Els]

Thanks everyone.

 

Yes Elswyth, I keep reading that periomenpause can cause fatigue, and it hits around my age.

 

They have a clinic here in Houston, called the Hotze Health and Wellness clinic, but it's expensive. I wish I could afford to go.

 

Dr. Hotze has a daily radio program on the AM radio, about women, my age, with similar complaints, mostly of fatigue, who are put on anti-depressants by their doctors when nothing else is found to be wrong. The anti-depressants don't fix the problem. It's usually adrenal gland fatigue and hormone imbalance, estrogen / progestrone, along with hypo-thyroidism. He is a big fan of Armour thyroid. That's why I'd love to try it. PLus get some progesterone supplementation to boot.

 

I don't know how long this has been going on. With all my distractions of getting divorced in 2011 and issues with my sons, I didn't really notice how fatigued I was. My memory is really poor now. I can't remember how to spell some words anymore, and I used to be an excellent speller. I read about a woman who developed Alzheimers at my age, early onset, and with my memory as poor as it is, I wonder if I don't have that. You guys in your 20's will think I'm joking but I'm actually very serious about that. But Alzheimers doesn't usually mean fatigue.

 

Some memory loss is likely and common as aging occurs. Based on the way you write, it's fairly unlikely that you have Alzheimers. Possible, of course, but unlikely. You should try discussing your concerns about the possible diseases you might have with a doctor (book a long appointment). They can help you eliminate them better than we can. It doesn't usually have to be a famous doctor who's on the radio. The average GP should be able to help you through this or refer you to someone who can.

 

It won't really help you I don't think. I'm lactose intolerant which was what triggered my IBS in the first place but during my period I would still get it even if I kept lactose/dairy out of my diet.

 

So I realised that root vegetables (potatoes, carrots), bananas and soya milk made it worse. Once I kept those out my diet during my period I didn't get IBS again. This is quite random, I had to do something like a food diary basically.

 

Hope you don't mind me derailing your thread, FL. But Emilia, did you ever get IBS symptoms immediately after waking up (ie after a 10 hour fast or so)? If you did, did you find that cutting out those foods still helped with that?

[Forever Learning]

Elyswth, you can derail my thread anytime!! I hate staying on topic. I like it when people ask various questions and learn things from one another in the course of conversation.

 

********

 

Thanks Emilia for that info. Every bit of info I get helps, it really does.

 

*********

 

 

Alex - I have been to the doctor probably 4 or 5 times for this in the past 6 months. I go to the Po' Folks type hospital so the doctors there are random and not real concerned about me. That's why I try to learn all I can to help myself with anything/everything.

 

I mentioned all the things I mentioned, really just to get input from anyone who might have a little info on any of those subjects. Sometimes, I learn more from people around here, or as much, as from the articles I read on the internet. I do have another doctor appt in mid February, soonest I could get at the Poor Folks hospital. I may see another, different doctor sooner. Good points though! And thank you for your input.

 

**************

 

Thanks Kathy M for the very good pointers. I agree with everything you said, but for now, I am not going back to coffee, because of the article I read about caffeine triggering a high release of insulin. I think that happens to me, let's see if I can find that particular article......

 

Believe me, I really love coffee!

 

Coffee and Dieting (INeedCoffee.com)

 

Here's some verbage from within that link....

 

*****************************************

 

Coffee and Insulin

 

"Both The Zone and Dr. Atkins frown on coffee because it can negatively affect blood sugar, which will affect the body's ability to burn fat. How can a zero calorie beverage affect blood sugar? According to the Canadian Diabetes Association:

Drinking caffeine in large amounts as coffee over a short period of time has been shown to raise blood sugar. Caffeine does this by enhancing the effect of two hormones

(adrenaline and glucagon). These two hormones release stored sugar from the liver resulting in high blood sugar.

And what happens when blood sugar levels are increased?

From the Running Planet article The Glycemic Index - How to use it to Increase Your Energy And Lose Weight:

This results in large amounts of insulin being dumped into your blood stream

. Remember that the job of insulin is to regulate your blood sugar. It needs to do something with the excess glucose (sugar). The easiest thing for insulin to do with it is to store it in your body as fat.

Simply put: coffee can affect your blood sugar which could interfere with the body's ability to burn fat. "

[Forever Learning]

easily forgotten: heavy-metal intoxication, e.g. lead from old plumbing tubes. Isn't usually checked in blood samples, so ask specifically.

 

MS should come with sensory or mobility problems.

 

Thanks for making mention of this. I have a mouth full of mercury fillings. My pipes in my house are 1983 or newer. I should get a lead test anyway.

 

Thank you for mentioning this. I need to google chelation therapy and learn more, it isn't a bad idea. I appreciate the tip.

[Eternal Sunshine]

Doctors tend to be quite useless with vague symptoms such as fatigue, (often even in other cases). Sorry AlexDP.

 

It took my mum 3 years to get diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (she had blood in her stools, the most common symptom for it, but it was dismissed as stress and being menopausal). It also took me years to get diagnosed with endometriosis (despite abdo pain that was again, dismissed as stress). My dad had a host of misdiagnosed health problems. I know these are personal anecdotes but only about 1 in 5 doctors will even be bothered to really explore further. If your problem is not shown in a standard blood test, good luck to you.

 

Googling is also very frowned upon by doctors. Again, a stock mentality that is just wrong. Most people are not crazy hypochondriacs and will be more dedicated to research their persistent health problems than a random doctor. I say educate yourself FL, as much as possible.

 

All the problems I mentioned above, my family basically diagnosed themselves via google and then went to a doctor to ask for a specific test for that specific condition. This was after years of frustrating and useless doctors visits. Why do we even need to do their job for them?

 

I also want to add that my ex's father was a surgeon. He told me multiple anecdotes of surgeons from his hospital drinking till 5am even though they had surgeries that morning. He was laughing about how their hands shook (from alcohol) when they held scalpels.

 

The ugly truth is that most doctors become doctors because of money and prestige. Most don't give a f-k about human lives

 

Sorry for the rant FL.

[ascendotum]

I agree with EH that you could have lyme, even though you don't remember getting bitten by a tick. You can order the kit from Igenex labs yourself but will need your doctor to authorize it when you send blood back.

You still might have issues with your thyroid. Mosts docs only do TSH but there are 5 separate path tests that can be done to investigate issues. Lots of people have felt better switching to Armour.

You could have CFS, which is good in that it gives you name to tell people, but not in terms of finding a remedy for your health woes. Its a 'waste paper basket' diagnosis. It will be a slow process of elimination...chemical sensitivities, food intolerances, heavy metal toxicity, mold toxicity, blood disorders, hormone imbalances, gut issues, bacterial infection, viral infection, parasites, mineral/amino acid deficiency, methylation cycle issues, sleep disorder and so on. If you are female > 45 you will have a harder time being taken seriously by a lot of doctors if their basic blood tests show you as being in the normal range. After you have passed that stage seek out a environmental/chronic disease type doctor, who will perform more specialized tests. You can start things off with a food elimination diet for diary and gluten...also drop sugar + junk food.

Edited January 30, 2013 by ascendotum

[Mer-Maid]

I became ill when I was 14 and for 24 years I suffered severe health problems that caused me to be homebound for 10 of those, and fatigue was always one of my symptoms, so you have my deepest sympathy.

 

The most difficult part of trying to get help is because so many ailments share symptoms, and everyone is different, but I'll just tell you what it was that caused my fatigue (plus pain, weakness, depression, and many other things).

 

All of my health problems turned out to be allergy [not hay fever, but more sensitivities, to food and chemicals especially] and when my allergies were treated, my symptoms got better. ALL of my health problems were solely because of allergies - hard to believe, but this treatment has truly changed my life!

 

I personally know the toll food allergies alone can cause, even if they just make a preexisting condition worse - but thankfully there is an acupressure treatment that can treat allergies [and is the way I got better after so many years of suffering]. Some practitioners also offer acupuncture (but acupressure is what I used).

 

 

You can read about the treatments and the affect allergies and sensitivites can have on your body and health at NAET . com (without the spaces, of course). NAET stands for Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique and Dr. Nambudripad has written books explaining her treatment as well as the different illnesses related to allergy, you can search for her name on Amazon or elsewhere. The official site also lists practitioners by location, even in countries other than the US.

 

 

My best wishes to you!

[pie2]

Elyswth, you can derail my thread anytime!! I hate staying on topic. I like it when people ask various questions and learn things from one another in the course of conversation.

 

Love this!!

 

------------------------------------------------------

Don't know if it's relevant to your situation, or if it's already been mentioned, but exercise gives me lots of energy, and just makes me feel good (after it's over, at least )

[2sure]

I'm 48. I was exhausted for a year. Tried everything, had all the tests. I needed to change up my physical activity to short daily work outs. Not enough to wear me out, just 30 minutes. I do yoga every other day . I feel much better. If I gain weight I pick it up, but my energy is back.

[Emilia]

Alex - I have been to the doctor probably 4 or 5 times for this in the past 6 months. I go to the Po' Folks type hospital so the doctors there are random and not real concerned about me. That's why I try to learn all I can to help myself with anything/everything.

 

I mentioned all the things I mentioned, really just to get input from anyone who might have a little info on any of those subjects. Sometimes, I learn more from people around here, or as much, as from the articles I read on the internet. I do have another doctor appt in mid February, soonest I could get at the Poor Folks hospital. I may see another, different doctor sooner. Good points though! And thank you for your input.

 

 

I had to work out by myself what was wrong with me. I knew it was something to do with the digestive system and didn't have potentially disruptive symptoms like yours but I knew going to a doctor with vague symptoms like ES said would have been useless.

 

I started getting cramps in my lower back and in my abdomen that stopped me from sleeping for days on end and drove me to dispair - though I could take painkillers that were muscle relaxant, I was really worried about getting addicted to them long term.

 

I figured out quite quickly it was IBS and that it related to lactose intolerance but when it started appearing around my period it was upsetting times because I thought I would be experiencing it every single month until menopause.

 

Luckily the Internet is full of information, a lot of ladies posted about hormone changes and some food intolerances around this time so now I hardly ever have to take painkillers because I worked most of it out. When I was in Morocco I had to do without certain foods and I realised excluding those from my diet made my IBS symptoms almost disappear!

 

So yeah, the internet is great and you definitely learn a lot. My mother usually goes down the doctors route and she isn't much more successful to get vague symptoms worked out. There are some really good posts on this thread regarding this.

Edited January 31, 2013 by Emilia

[Emilia]

But Emilia, did you ever get IBS symptoms immediately after waking up (ie after a 10 hour fast or so)? If you did, did you find that cutting out those foods still helped with that?

 

It seems my symptoms build up according to how much of the food I had that shouldn't have. ie it can get gradually worse during the day if there is dairy in something and I don't realise (though a small amount I can tolerate) or if I had something the previous night that's still in my body in the morning.

 

So it's about volume building up. If I have a slice of cake with some dairy in it and I'm extremely careful with what I eat for a couple of days, I might only get a twinge and then it goes. If I drink lots of coffee with soya milk while on my period my symptoms will get worse and I get back cramps and general discomfort in my abdomen. If I have too much of root vegetables in the evening while on my period, I will get cramps in the morning.

 

I'm able to control the severity basically as long as I realise I ate something I shouldn't have. So cutting out those foods helps with IBS symptoms yes. Now they have almost disappeared or the severity has decreased considerably.

[AlexDP]

Doctors tend to be quite useless with vague symptoms such as fatigue, (often even in other cases). Sorry AlexDP.

 

It took my mum 3 years to get diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (she had blood in her stools, the most common symptom for it, but it was dismissed as stress and being menopausal). It also took me years to get diagnosed with endometriosis (despite abdo pain that was again, dismissed as stress). My dad had a host of misdiagnosed health problems. I know these are personal anecdotes but only about 1 in 5 doctors will even be bothered to really explore further. If your problem is not shown in a standard blood test, good luck to you.

 

Googling is also very frowned upon by doctors. Again, a stock mentality that is just wrong. Most people are not crazy hypochondriacs and will be more dedicated to research their persistent health problems than a random doctor. I say educate yourself FL, as much as possible.

 

All the problems I mentioned above, my family basically diagnosed themselves via google and then went to a doctor to ask for a specific test for that specific condition. This was after years of frustrating and useless doctors visits. Why do we even need to do their job for them?

 

I also want to add that my ex's father was a surgeon. He told me multiple anecdotes of surgeons from his hospital drinking till 5am even though they had surgeries that morning. He was laughing about how their hands shook (from alcohol) when they held scalpels.

 

The ugly truth is that most doctors become doctors because of money and prestige. Most don't give a f-k about human lives

 

Sorry for the rant FL.

 

You know why doctors are often useless with symptoms like fatigue? Because the grand majority, and don't interrupt me here, cause I see them every day, the grand majority are people who are looking for attention more than anything.

 

Why googling is frowned upon? Because, again, the grand majority are crazy hypochondriacs. The rare few who know how to use google, and that includes not assuming you might have MS or Alzheimer's (which are, to be frank two diagnoses who are fairly wide apart).

 

As for surgeons laughing and drinking.. Maybe in the good old days. But today? Not so much. Here we enter my territory. You see, I'm an attorney at a law firm specialised in insurance law. It is almost becoming globally impossible to help surgeons get a decent insurance, because their liability is so damn huge. A drunk surgeon messing up is looking at millions of debt, jail time and most likely a whole lot of psychological problems.

 

But nice try, doctors are all in it for the money. Nevermind that they might earn much more in far less time in other industries and work 18 hours a day. No, it's the friggin' lazy people who were incapable of going to med school who know it all by googling. Good luck with that.

 

As for you, Forever Learning, it's good that you went to see a doctor and you should tell them about your fears, but please don't go thinking you must have MS or Alzheimer's. That's sort of ludicrous.