Is it Gulf War Illness or Undiagnosted Sympthoms

This is a book VA and Military doctors are afraid
that you will read, said Jagmedic.

What's Wrong with Me?
The Frustrated Patient's Guide to Getting an Accurate Diagnosis (Paperback)
by Lynn M. Dannheisser (Author), Jerry M. Rosenbaum (Author)

BOOKS
Help your doctor give you right diagnosis
Fed up with not knowing what ailed them, a local doctor and lawyer
wrote a book to help others with the same problem.


Nine years ago, life became a blur for Jerry Rosenbaum.

Lights were too bright, borders too soft, and opening his eyelids --
which felt like they had turned into sandpaper -- for extended periods
of time was next to impossible. Rosenbaum, a doctor in Miami-Dade County
for 20 years, had no idea what was happening to him. And worse, neither
did his colleagues.

At 45, he had developed what he and a patient of his, former Sunny Isles
Beach City Attorney Lynn Dannheisser, called a ''mystery malady,'' a
term that birthed the idea for their coauthored book, What's Wrong With
Me? The Frustrated Patient's Guide to Getting an Accurate Diagnosis.
Dannheisser, who has suffered from three mystery maladies.

The problem for many patients, Dannheisser said, is that people expect
doctors to immediately provide all the answers -- even if the patients
aren't disclosing the right information.

''Patients can certainly help their doctors,'' said David Lubarsky,
chair of the anesthesiology department at the University of Miami, home

to the school's Center for Patient Safety. ``Obviously, the best patient
is an informed patient.''

That's why, Dannheisser said, it's imperative for patients to become
more proactive with their doctors. To help, Dannheisser and Rosenbaum
created an eight-step guide to help patients be more prepared for their
appointments.

''You don't have to be a doctor in order to help your doctor,''
Dannheisser said.

However, as Rosenbaum's case shows, being one doesn't guarantee success
either. Eventually, running a practice with hindered vision became too
much for Rosenbaum to handle -- his mystery malady had forced him into
an early retirement.

But just six weeks ago -- after nine years of pain -- Rosenbaum finally
made headway with his eye problem. After scouring the Internet, he found
a surgeon who specialized in helping people who suffered from the same
symptoms. Finally, Rosenbaum was able to put a name on his disease --
blepharospasm, or involuntary eyelid muscle contraction -- and have it
treated.

Now, Rosenbaum said, he's able to keep his eyes open -- without pain --
for extended periods of time. With continued healing, he hopes he may
one day be able to reopen his practice.

''I'm keeping my fingers crossed,'' he said.