Orange Cone Alert!

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water...

There is a new internal medicine doctor in the neighboring village. I figured I'd give him a try and if I was very lucky, find myself a doctor closer than an hour and a half away. People gave him good informal reviews, but always prefaced it with, "He's very young." I took that to mean he was inexperienced...and young. I had hoped with fresh medical training he was at least knowledgeable.

The trend in my area is for clinics to screen prospective patients to judge in advance if they are worthy of health care. Yeah, this is just an indication of our very bad health care system. I'm pretty sure they do this to weed out all the opiate addicts, but don't drug addicts deserve health care, too? I find it offensive and insulting, but this is the new normal out in the Bush on the edge of civilization thanks to the drug addiction epidemic.

I actually attempted this process about a month ago at a clinic with a nest of new nurse-practitioners. As instructed, I ordered medical records from the fired-rehired-fired again idiot nurse practitioner. A month later she had still not sent my records. I decided I didn't need another useless nurse-practitioner in my life and gave up.

So this time I thought I'd be smarter about this and ordered records from another doctor, one who was more efficient and professional to expedite the process. I waited two weeks and never heard from the internist's office. I called. I had been approved! They just failed to inform me. Not a good sign. I made an appointment. That took a total of three weeks.

Dr. Orange Cone entered the room with a scowl on his face. He was young. Really young. And very hostile. He demanded to know why I was there. I proceeded to tell him of my hospital emergency visit. He listened impatiently, scowling the whole time, and avoiding eye contact. I noticed his fingers were neurotically tapping his leg. I wondered if he was a drug addict himself.

When we got around to discussing drugs, I tried to tell him of my intolerance and the debilitating side effects I get from most. He scoffed and sarcastically lectured me on how every one needs to take drugs. He demanded proof, "How do you KNOW? Where are your allergy tests?"  How many doctors throughout the years have dismissed my information and told me I was being ridiculous? He informed me I must take drugs anyway and suffer the misery. I was shocked to the point of amusement. I scoffed back at him. Maybe his scoffing was catching?

When he ordered labs I asked why he didn't order the thyroid antibody tests. He reprimanded with an impatient, sarcastic tone it doesn't matter if I have Hashimoto's or not, only if my thyroid is working. So. Incredibly. Ignorant. The appointment should have lasted about an hour, but after fifteen minutes he started excusing himself repeatedly,"If you don't have anymore questions...." He'd get up only to sit down again when I'd ask another question. At one point he got up and moved to sit across the room, avoiding eye contact, and tapping his fingers incessantly. His responses were flippant, rude, and sarcastic. It was like a teenage temper tantrum.

I left the appointment feeling violated and confused. Why would the boy-doctor, someone I had never met, be so rude and hostile to some he'd never met? Did the Orange Cone hate his job? Did moving to a small town from a big city suck the soul from his orange-cone-ish being? Was Orange Cone a drug addict? He couldn't stop jittering. Or was Orange Cone just an entitled, arrogant, disrespectful kid pretending to be an adult? Or maybe he doesn't like naturopaths?

OH MY GOD! I totally screwed up! The medical records I had sent were from a naturopath with information about my chemical sensitivity. I know better. One doesn't cross-contaminate between a holistic doctor and an AMA ignorant. Even though MCS now has a medical diagnostic code it still isn't accepted nor is modern medical training more open-minded about chemical sensitivity.

When I came to my senses and realized what I had done I reviewed the conversation in this new light. I recalled toward the end of the appointment he sarcastically and impatiently demanded to know if I had any other conditions not mentioned. I said, "Menopause, but there isn't anything to be done." Was he fishing for my admission of chemical sensitivity hoping to continue berating my health issues? I didn't say anything, but my records would have unknowingly divulged my secret. This is the state of medical care for the chemically sensitive. I have to pay for that useless appointment. What a waste of my time and money!

Orange Cone Procedures: See the danger. Go around. And keep going. I know I'm supposed to forgive and not be angry at this abuse of power and lack of health care, but that's not going to happen.

WHY ME?

Or more importantly, why not you? Why are some people more sensitive to everyday chemicals and others not? There are many theories: some valid...some not so valid.

Most American Medical Association doctors will tell you it's a psychological condition. Yes, you're just crazy and you are causing this yourself.  They don't even need to tell you - you can see it in their eyes and their attitude. You WILL feel insane if you see too many of these "professionals" who are locked within the confines of their narrow minds and corporate boys' club mentality. Reading I might be insane, I spent too many days sitting in perfumed rooms or around smelly people trying to "heal" myself and re-train my brain into thinking there was no problem. I rationalized if it's all mental then I have control. My job was at risk along with my health and I was willing to accept any theory as long as it would help me. I would have done anything to fix it. I practiced visualization and mind control techniques while breathing in the poisons. Yes, I was fine, I told myself, until my lungs would stop working and I would run gasping to the nearest exit. Needless to say, mind over matter didn't work. It's not a mental condition.

I have heard some people have been told God is punishing them. This is so ignorant I can't even comment on it.

My favorite reason for being chemically sensitive...my mother's cousin told me it was because I was not married. She was a 75 year old retired nurse so this was a variation on the American Medical Association's insanity theory. She was also not married so I'm not exactly sure of her reasoning, but she had been married so I guess she must have thought she was better than me.

Most of your friends and relatives will tell you, for lack of a better idea and no understanding, they think it's your immune system not doing its job. This would make sense as our immune systems should guard us against illness, but this is not necessarily the case.  In fact, my immune system is hypersensitive and overactive. I was asked by an environmental specialist who was assessing my condition, "Are you sick all the time, or not at all?" Not at all. In fact I remember the day my whole system went into high alert. I could smell every tiny bit of lotion, shampoo, soap, and fragrance on each person who came within five feet of me. Whoa! It was surreal and shocking. My reaction time went from fifteen minutes or so to one breath of toxic air.  My immune system is working overtime trying to warn and protect me which is what our bodies are designed to do. Although inconvenient and at times frightening, I don't see it as a faulty immune system. I believe this is why people who have other health issues become chemically sensitive. Our bodies become defensive as they try to protect and heal themselves.  I haven't had a cold, flu or sore throat for eleven years. One of few benefits of being chemically sensitive.

In addition, research indicates some chemically sensitive might have damaged or missing enzymes that would normally allow us to detox the chemicals out of our bodies. Instead of flushing out naturally, they are stored until we are overloaded. The overloading creates the poisoning. Reducing this load is the primary goal of most MCS patients.

Research programs for MCS are hindered, especially university research, because most of it is financed by chemical companies, and well, chemical companies won't be funding any studies that might affect their bottom line. Until there is more research, we won't clearly understand why some people are extremely sensitive to everyday chemicals and others not.

What reasons have you been given?