TIPS ON SURVIVING YOUR
DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS
HOW NOT TO BE INSULTED
Most of my patients have been to many health care professionals before me. Most of their medical experiences have been poor, especially if they have Morgellons. So here are pointers to not be called "delusional" and ignored.
Mary Leitao, founder of the Morgellons Research Foundation, first used the diagnosis Morgellons because of its similarity to a description of a children's disease in 17th Century France. [1]
Perhaps in 5-10 years, when this disease is finally recognized as real by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or another organized medical group, perhaps the name will change. But for now it does not matter, you just want treatment options.
TIP # 1: Be aware that you health care provider (HCP) may have never heard of Morgellons disease! Do not offer more than one page of academic references or they will be overwhelmed.
TIP # 2: An average session with an MD is 7 minutes total. Do not talk about all your Morgellons theories and explanations.
Show the doctor the lesions calmly and be quietly.
After a couple minutes consider mentioning two other non-skin symptoms, "I also have fatigue and trouble concentrating." PERIOD. Do not get into a flood of speech that makes you look agitated and wired, and "psychiatric."
TIP # 3: Many Morgellons patients report dermatologists have been neither helpful nor kind. While a family doctor may know you are normal after 20 years with your family, they do not do many biopsies of skin. I would say to the Dermatologist, "Feel free to biopsy this if it does not have a clear cause." If they find "nothing" they have still ruled out other causes.
TIP # 4: Never describe in great detail those things you've observed in and on your skin! You will be seen as wacko.
TIP #5: "Pick" your skin lesions as little as possible! While the removal of scabs and other parts may feel better it may be seen as the cause of your troubles.
TIP # 6: Calm yourself down 400%! If you are agitated, talking 200 mph you will be seen as psychiatric.
TIP # 7: When talking to a physician do not discuss "worms or bugs in your skin" or that you "have the sensation your skin is crawling or something is moving in the tissues under your skin."
TIP # 8: Do not mention fibers or bug parts in your skin. Let the doctor see what can be seen and do not tell him or her what to see.
TIP # 9: Have the proper information in hand when you next consult your dermatologist. If you have MRI's of skin areas or past skin biopsies, or other applicable labs, bring a copy for the physician. Yet do not give him or her 60 pages of records.
TIP # 10: Never show the dermatologist the samples of odd things you have collected from their skin. Never bringing samples of skin, hair, etc. to the dermatologist in a matchbox, baggie, brown bag or saran wrap. This makes you look weird.
TIP # 11: One suggested diagnostic protocol for skin delusions is at the University of California at Davis web site, which educates you- delusion.ucdavis.edu/protocols.html. You should study and understand as much as possible about this process.
James Schaller, MD
The material above is not meant to cause you to lie to your physician or other health care worker. It is merely to allow you to work within the narrow 7 minutes evaluation time common in specialist offices. This material was derived from the advice of Morgellons' veteran Gregory V. Smith, MD, FAAP NMO
- delusion.ucdavis.edu/protocols.html
- penelope.uchicago.edu/letter/kellett.html
- www.quizlaw.com/personal_injury_law/what_is_a_tort.php
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primum_non_nocere
- www.consumer.govqualityhealth/rights.htm
- www.hcqualitycommission.gov/final/append_a.html
- www.hcqualitycommission.gov/cborr/chap5.html
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