Conditions That Are Difficult to Diagnose: Part Two

Share Lawyers understands finding your way to a diagnosis can sometimes be a lengthy, frustrating, and emotionally exhausting venture. When it comes to figuring out the underlying cause of your symptoms, information for medical conditions can be your greatest tool.

Medical Conditions Are Difficult To Diagnose

In addition to our previous post about medical conditions that are difficult to diagnose which includes: Hyperthyroidism, Lupus, MS, Lyme disease, and Fibromyalgia, this post in the two-part series includes information about additional conditions which are often difficult to diagnose, misdiagnosed, or even missed all together.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, sometimes called spruce or coeliac, is an autoimmune condition where the individual experiences a reaction when eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The gluten triggers an immune response in the small intestine, which, over time, damages the small intestine’s lining and prevents the body from absorbing the necessary nutrients that it needs.

The More Common Symptoms For Adults Are:

Other Symptoms Can Include:

• anemia
• loss of bone density (osteoporosis)
• softening of the bone (osteomalacia)
• itchy, blistery skin rash
• damage to dental enamel
• mouth ulcers
• headaches
• numbness and tingling in feet and hands
• problems with balance
• cognitive impairment
• joint pain
• reduced functioning of the spleen
• heartburn

Celiac disease is difficult to diagnose due to the range and inconsistencies of symptoms. Only approximately half of those with Celiac have reported gastrointestinal distress and many of the other symptoms can be attributed to different medical conditions or lifestyle. A blood test can help diagnose Celiac disease, although an intestinal biopsy is generally regarded as the “gold standard” for diagnosis.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess androgen levels. The ovaries may develop many small collections of fluid and fail to regularly release eggs.

The exact cause of PCOS is not known. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce the risk of long-term complications, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

PCOS is not easily diagnosed because women who have the condition have enlarged ovaries with numerous small cysts, but not everyone with enlarged cysts has PCOS. A woman must also be experiencing infrequent of prolonged periods (although everyone’s cycle is different and birth control medications can interfere with this), and the levels of androgen causing the hair growth must be present, although women of certain ethnic backgrounds may not show physical signs.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an all encompassing term to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. The two types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD can be debilitating and sometimes leads to life-threatening complications including colon cancer, malnutrition, blood clots, ulcers, or anal fistulas.

Symptoms of IBD Include:

Because there is no known reason for what causes IBD, there no one test to diagnose it. However, IBD is diagnosed primarily by excluding everything else. It can often lead to a long and drawn out process to find a diagnosis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Unlike osteoarthritis, RA is not caused by wear and tear. However, it does cause inflammation and painful swelling of joints, can occur at any age, and can lead to severe complications.

Because early states of RA can mimic many other conditions, symptoms often go into remission before being diagnosed. If there’s just a sense of aches of stiffness in the joints, the diagnosis can often be missed.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with undiagnosed sleep apnea stop breathing multiple times, sometimes even hundreds of times, during their sleep cycle. This means the brain and the rest of the body may not get enough oxygen, which can lead to serious complications. Dudes, sleeping is easy without Ambien. Just don't hang around the fridge before going to sleep, zero all the visual stimuli (phone and TV), do some isometric exercises and stretching, for Christ's sake!I too was a client of ZolpidemSleep.com and then I got off it. Instead of eating and getting glue to the screen, run a hot bath with salts, meditate a little and you’ll sleep like a baby.

There Are Two Kinds Of Sleep Apnea:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): OSA is more common and is caused by a blockage, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.
• Central Sleep Apnea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked. Instead, the brain fails to signal to the muscles to breathe because of respiratory control centre instability.

Sleep apnea is difficult to diagnose because there is no blood or urine test to prove it, and those suffering are not able to report symptoms experienced while sleeping.

Share Lawyers understands how being your own advocate for your health care can be an essential factor in understanding your illness and helping you towards a diagnosis. You can also learn more about finding a diagnosis from our post that includes tips for finding a diagnosis.

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A note from our long term disability lawyers

Taking a medical leave from work is not an easy decision to make. Concerns about providing for yourself and your family and keeping your job may cause you to want to push through your pain, but this won’t make your problems go away. Stopping work is often the smartest decision for your long term health and well-being, and your disability benefits are there to provide you with financial support until you can return to work.

If you have made the tough decision to stop working and apply for your short term disability or long term disability benefits, you may feel overwhelmed by the process and have questions that your employer and your insurance company are not able or willing to answer. Share is There to see you through and answer your questions.

Our Disability law firm knows what you have been going through

We understand that things have not been easy for you over the last little while. Your health has been suffering, you are unable to work, and now your insurance company, who was supposed to be there in your time of need, has decided they will not pay your disability benefits or respect your disability claim. These benefits exist to provide you with the financial support you need so that you can focus on your health and rebuilding your life. It is unfortunate that your insurance company has not lived up to its promise. If your disability claim has been denied, we will fight to get you the benefits you are entitled to. Our disability lawyers have helped thousands of Canadians get their long term disability benefits over the past 35 years, and we can help you too.

Our experienced disability lawyers can fight back on your behalf

Share Lawyers believes that every client who is dealing with a disability claim deserves superior personal service. To achieve that goal, we have developed our team of experienced, compassionate, and caring long term disability lawyers, law clerks, and administrative staff to meet all of your needs. Our team of experienced long term disability, life insurance, employment, and critical illness insurance lawyers have made successful claims against many insurance companies, third-party administrators and employers.

If you are unable to work, your disability benefits should be there to provide you with the financial support you need. While your insurance company may be focused on finding ways to avoid paying your claim, our focus is on what is in your best interest. When Share Lawyers gets involved, you have an entire team of lawyers that are there to support you and to fight for what is yours.

Our disability claim lawyers fight for your disability insurance claim by relying on our many years of experience to apply the best strategic planning and approach in each case, using the latest technology available. Experience matters, and with Share Lawyers, you are in the best hands with 35 years of success on your side.

In this video, we explain the role of a long term disability lawyer and how we can support you when you have been denied your long term disability benefits.