I was thinking about it recently and I decided I wanted to make a post about it.
Diagnosis are not always bad things. Many times they are not. As a person who has a lot of health issues, I can say that I am always thankful to receive a diagnosis for a problem I have gone to a doctor for because I know that is what I am asking them to do. And beyond that, receiving a diagnosis or labeling a person doesn't need to be seen the way that it is. Someone can tell me that I have "So and so disease" and that is alright with me. Many of the diagnoses that are given are ones that you have had all your life and are just now being discovered by said doctor. It doesn't change who you initially are as a person. You are the same person who walked into the doctors office as you were when you walked out. The only difference is now you have a name for the symptoms. And trust me, these names help. When you have over ten health problems all at once, it can become confusing as to what reaction is to what problem. When a diagnosis can be determined, its like a light-bulb in a very dark room. Diagnoses help more people than we can possibly imagine. And they help the doctors too! Diagnoses go beyond understanding the person and their infirmities, diagnoses help in prescribing the right medication.
While medication can seem scary to a lot of people, I am very thankful for it. After having gone through enough anaphylaxis moments to last a lifetime, I am always thankful for my diagnosis and that epinephrine and IV. There is a purpose behind it all and sometimes it just takes a while to fully understand it. When your life really flashes before your eyes, and I don't mean when you are riding your bike down a hill and forget to hit the brakes and ram into a tree, rather I mean it in this context:
Imagine your lunges have collapsed and there is no air getting past the back of your mouth. Then your body gets heavy and you feel numb everywhere. Your vision suddenly gets blurry and you feel like you are drowning in an ocean because you cant grasp onto any thought or any objects because your body has gone slack. Your brain is beyond hyper-active. It would be like standing in the middle of a highway and trying to successfully jump into a moving car. Then the rescue medication you take causes your heart rate to speed up; to make sure your heart doesn't stop. Your heart beats so fast you feel it will literally beat right out of your chest. You can't stop shaking and shuddering and shivering. You feel like you are sweating more fluids than you could possibly have in your body but you are shivering so your body thinks its cold. Your mind suddenly takes in the possibility that you might be dying and impending doom surrounds everything around you. It is not like you really want to die, but your body has just accepted that you are going to. Its then when your body starts shutting everything inside you, your organs, your blood flow, everything, down. You become slower, and slower in everything you are doing; your breathing, your movement, your focus. You don't respond to any interactions around you. Suddenly a "moving rash" appears. Your skin is covered in redness and everywhere is itching. The more you itch though, the more hives that appear (and tear open which causes them to bleed). This all happens within the course of a mere ten minutes. As you arrive at the hospital, the epinephrine is stuck into your arm. There is nothing more welcoming than that Epi-pen and you would give anything to receive it.
That is when medication and "labeling" or diagnoses are greatly welcomed and appreciated. These things do play their part and it is a very important one really. Honestly, imagine not having had a clue what had caused these symptoms... you would not have known to rush to the hospital like I did when this happened to me. I also know I would have most likely died. And this I know. Thankfully, I have my parents trained in the art of looking for these symptoms! I look at diagnoses as a helping hand, because when you really need it, it's there. And its there to help you figure out whats going on and to give possible answers to your questions.
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