SCIATICA: HOW YOUR DOCTOR CAN HELP YOU
As explained in the previous chapter, sciatica – whether or not it is also marked at times by pain or aches in the lower back – can stem from a wide variety of underlying problems, some of them potentially serious, others less so. However, no matter what your health problem may be, the first step towards a cure is, of course, to have it properly diagnosed.
Although you can probably judge fairly accurately whether sciatica is causing your symptoms, the only way to be sure that this is what is troubling you is to consult your doctor. Indeed, you should always seek medical advice if you’re troubled by any kind of health difficulties that are either severe or occur frequently. Although almost everyone would agree with the preceding recommendation, it’s nevertheless a fact that many people do have a great reluctance to seek help from the one quarter most qualified to provide it, their doctor, and will keep on finding reason after reason to postpone making an appointment.
Research into why so many people troubled by chronic symptoms fail to seek the help that’s available found that this reluctance usually derived from one or more of the following reasons:
Many patients postponed or altogether avoided consulting their doctor because they feared the diagnosis would bring bad news.
Many others said they avoided seeking medical help because this would be to acknowledge that their problems were of more than just a temporary nature and unlikely to go away of their own accord.
Sufferers were also put off because they had heard stories of how people with similar-sounding symptoms eventually had to undergo complicated operations.
Should you, too, be someone who is hesitant about seeking medical help, let us look at the objections raised above one by one:
Postponing seeing your doctor because you fear that the news will be bad.
Although a perfectly understandable reaction, this doesn’t, however, serve your own interests best. First of all, the chances are that your doctor will find that your symptoms are evidence of a comparatively minor problem, one that can be cured or treated quite easily. Secondly, in the event that an operation is indicated, then it’s usually best to have this done as soon as possible before your condition deteriorates further.
An unwillingness to acknowledge that your symptoms are going to remain with you unless they are treated.
While most of us, when afflicted by symptoms that although troublesome are not that severe, may play a waiting game in the hope that the problem will go away of its own accord, you mustn’t overdo this. If your symptoms are persistent or recurrent or are severe enough to cause you to be concerned about them, then you owe it to yourself to seek help, even if just for the sake of your own peace of mind.
You ‘re put off from seeing your doctor because of what you \e heard from other people with similar problems.
Two thoughts to keep in mind: first, it’s probable that the stories you heard were embellished in the telling; secondly, though the symptoms sounded similar, that doesn’t mean that they were. Many different diseases can present themselves with remarkably similar symptoms, but the underlying causes – and therefore the treatments available and their rates of success – will vary tremendously.
As you can see from the above, there really are no good or logical reasons to keep on postponing consulting your doctor – and lots of good ones why you should do so just as soon as reasonably convenient! Remember that the sooner you get medical advice the sooner you will learn what exactly is the matter with you, and the sooner you will be getting treatment which will make you feel better.
*8\124\2*
