#1 ·
So, after over a year of relentless pain—starting mostly under my right ribcage and eventually spreading to the right side of my upper back—the medical community still hasn't given me a single clue as to what's actually going on. I’ve been through the ringer: nephrologists, cardiologists, four different gastroenterologists, two neurologists, two neurosurgeons, a chiropractor, spine surgeons, a handful of physiatrists, and rheumatologists. Even a psychiatrist. We’ve run every blood test imaginable, abdominal MRIs, four ultrasounds, spinal MRIs, gastroscopies, colonoscopies... honestly, I’ve lost track of how many tests there have been. The only thing keeping me upright is opioid painkillers; without them, the intensity would literally kill me. What really hits home, though, isn't just the physical agony, but the staggering indifference from the doctors. There is zero interest in actually solving the puzzle, and absolutely no interdisciplinary teamwork. It's like every specialist is working in their own little vacuum. Look, if you're dealing with some kind of discomfort but aren't actively dying on the floor, I wouldn't recommend embarking on this kind of Odysseus through the medical system. The odds of anyone actually finding an answer are slim to none.