When Doctors Were Wizards

I remember, when I was a kid, I would get red bumps or bruises or tummy aches or a stuffy nose, and my parents would take me to the doctor’s office (or the doctor would come to the house), and all would be right in the world. He knew what was wrong, gave it a name, and, as though he had waved a wand and said a magic spell, he fixed it. Remedies could be St. Joseph’s aspirin for children (now banned because it can cause Rye syndrome), a rubdown with alcohol to bring down the fever (now banned because it can cause brain damage), or even the dreaded shot of penicillin. What happened?

I developed a “sinus condition” over three years ago. I am calling it that because I don’t know what is really wrong – and neither does anyone else, it seems. I say that because I have seen 16 doctors and am about to see my 17^th. This is not an exaggeration. I have seen about 10 ENTs, an allergist, an acupuncturist/holistic doctor, an environmental specialist, a rheumatologist, a pulmonologist – and the list goes on. These were the best and brightest at Yale, New York’s Beth Israel, Stanford, and UCSF Medical Center. Most of the time, they just ran out of ideas and passed me on to someone else. And no one no knows why I have symptoms.

There have been theories: deviated septum, partially blocked sinuses, severe acid reflux, neuropathy. There have been medications: 4 kinds of antibiotics, saline rinses, reflux medications, steroids, nasal sprays. There have been treatments: sinus surgery, acupuncture. What there hasn’t been is a cure or even a treatment that worked.

This all started in November, 2008. At first, it was constant throat-clearing and sniffling. Some days, I was exhausted from breathing and couldn’t even go to the gym after work. I would drug myself and go to bed because being awake was so uncomfortable. I had to cancel some social functions, and for others, I was too congested to even talk.

I had one doctor who told me “he was the guy.” He suggested a treatment that didn’t work, and when I came back to see him, he hadn’t even made the time to reread his notes and had no idea why I was there.

I finally found a very knowledgeable doctor in New York who spoke clearly and explained what the problem was with my sinuses. He’s the one I allowed to operate when I ran out of options. Although I don’t feel as bad as I did before the surgery, I am nowhere near where I used to be. For example, throughout my life, I was a first soprano, studied voice, and performed in many community theater and school musicals. I can no longer sustain a note. No one has an explanation for this. I am still congested and nasal-sounding, and I have burning pain in my nose frequently.

So, I will see doctor number 17 next week, another ENT. He will probably put a scope up my nose and charge my insurance company anywhere from $600 to $1000 and call it “surgery.” This time I am not excited to see someone new. I am going through the motions because that’s what I have learned to do. I don’t expect him to have any new insights.

Who knew a nose was so complicated? And why can’t doctors wave those wands and be wizards anymore?