Seeking a Second Opinion with Multiple Myeloma
Last year I had a stroke in July. The hospital I was at couldn't find anything that caused it, so they blamed it on my birth control pills. They sent me to a neurologist, hematologist, and a cardiologist outside the hospital. None of them could figure out anything else was wrong with me. I kept on telling them I can't breathe. I knew something else was wrong with me but I didn't know what.
Answered prayers
I looked for a new family physician in Gainesville. She was no help either. I was starting to give up thinking that I was crazy. Something inside kept on telling me don't give up. One day I was looking for a new doctor and I got a message from my old family physician doctor that she left the practice. I called up to see if there was anybody taking her place and maybe just maybe this doctor would help me.
My prayers were answered and I got such an extremely intelligent family physician that saved my life. She told me that if you think something's wrong, we are going to look until we can either prove you right or wrong. She said it's going to cost some money but as long as you're okay with that she would help me figure it out. In a couple of weeks, I found out I had heart failure and something was wrong with either my liver or my bones.
Diagnosed with multiple myeloma
She sent me to Shands Hospital to see my new cardiologist and new hematologist. I couldn't believe I was able to get the top doctors that ran those departments. With a couple of blood tests, they told me I had multiple myeloma. The cardiologist specialist couldn't figure out at my age that my heart would be failing and I had a stroke so he started doing more tests. He found out I also had Amyloidosis which is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in your organs and interferes with their normal function. This is what caused my heart failure and my stroke.
Thankfully, I'm now with doctors that know what they're doing and they're saving my life. I'm on my third chemo treatment. I was very scared but they take such great care of me at Shands Hospital. Every Monday for 4 weeks for the first treatment. I'm lucky that I can go home afterward for right now. I have to stay away from my family and friends. Thank God I did not give up.
If you think something's wrong, and the doctors aren't listening, you may need to go find a new doctor.
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