Are you having doubts about the diagnosis given by your doctor? There are a few possible cases of illnesses where specialists could make a mistake in their own opinion. Some common symptoms regarding many diseases are not easy to read even by a good doctor, therefore could miss a sign. This can lead to a misdiagnosis and respectively to incorrect treatment.
This can be due to the fact that many ailments have similar symptoms, and the real reason can only be detected by tests that your doctor has considered unnecessary because he is already confident in his judgment.
However, if you are aware of most confused conditions, you may be able to help yourself by asking the right questions and prevent or correct those medical errors.
1.Symptoms: immobilisation of half side of your body, headaches, dizziness, sudden blurred vision, lack of balance, muscle coordination or speech.
Doctor said it could be vertigo, migraine, or inner ear disease.
It could be: heart stroke
This is where the confusion comes: Data shows that about 15% of stroke cases of people under 45 years old are misdiagnosed. When patients are younger and otherwise healthy doctors can be easily misled and therefore focus on a much minor problem. But, if you leave the emergency room with an undiagnosed heart attack, the risk of a second one could potentially rise. This could lead to missing the opportunity to reverse the damage done to your body like speech problems, vision impairment, paralysis and irreversible damage to the brain.
Tip: if one of your body’s side is paralyzed or you have any of the above mentioned symptoms, call Emergency Medical Service immediately especially if the symptoms last for more than an hour.
2. Symptoms: Headaches and / or tinnitus, pains in the back, neck and / or teeth.
Doctor said it could be a migraine or ear problems.
It could be: temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
This is where the confusion comes: When the joint which connects the jaw to your skull has an inflammation, the pain spreads and causes headaches and ear problems. Temporomandibular joint syndrome is best treated by a dentist, but the symptoms will likely make you go to a different doctor, where he may misdiagnose you. The consequences may be serious pain that could easily be relieved if you weren’t misdiagnosed in the first place.
Tip: If your doctor is not sure about the diagnosis, did not assign enough tests or prescribed medications that simply do not work, you should go and see a dentist.
3.Symptoms: Fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain and tightness, or palpitations.
Doctor said it could be stress or panic attacks.
It could be: heart failure or heart disease
This is where the confusion comes: Heart failure is way more difficult to diagnose in women than in men where fatigue or difficulty breathing may be the only sign of a problem. In fact, almost half of all cases of heart failure in women are initially misdiagnosed and heart disease is still among the most common causes of death in women.
Tip: if the treatment recommended by the doctor does not help, go and see a cardiologist immediately.
4.Symptoms: sadness, fatigue, weight gain, insomnia and / or muscle pain and stiffness.
Doctor said it could be depression.
It could be: hypothyroidism
This is where the confusion comes: Doctors have a habit of linking long-standing sadness with depression, and they may not think of testing you for hypothyroidism. It is a condition in which the thyroid cannot produce enough hormones. If not treated, it can cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and ironic or no — clinical depression as well.
Tip: If prescribed medications by your doctor don’t lift your mood, ask for a TSH blood test to be made to reject or confirm the possibility of hypothyroidism.
Thyroid scintigraphy in managing hypothyroidism
Thyroid scintigraphy is a diagnostic procedure that provides an image of the thyroid function. It is conducted with the 99mTc-pertechnetate radiopharmaceutical (technetium pertechnetate).
Thyroid scintigraphy gives an opportunity to evaluate:
Volumetric processes in the neck area
Hypofunction of the gland (Hypothyroidism)
Hyperfunction of the gland (Hyperthyroidism)
Thyroid gland located at an atypical location (ectopic thyroid gland)
Malignancies of the thyroid gland. Radiation iodine scintigraphy (131I) is not performed in patients with surgically removed gland tumor
Grave’s disease
Ductus thyroglossus
Goitre
Thyroiditis