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Member Since Feb 2015
Location: California
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#1
I have asked my doctor specifically what my diagnosis was (cyclothymia vs bp2) and he said cyclothymia - now by accident I took a peek at the patient portal website and saw my diagnosis along with some notes and meds were given by my pdoc. There it states bp2! I do not think it is worth worrying but I found it weird. Maybe that my initial diagnosis was bp2 and he changed his mind later?
Should I ask again? Or should I just let it go? After all, it has no bearing on how I feel or do from day to day... __________________ Cyclothiamia - on Depakote with occasional Thorazine for severe insomnia. |
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MickeyCheeky, Wild Coyote
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MickeyCheeky, Wild Coyote
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#2
Tim, I wouldn't know how to explain that either. One could speculate about the reasons. It may not be the case, but insurance reasons could be part of it. Doctors sometimes have to fudge things to get good ole insurance companies to "payayayayaaaa". Some try their darndest not to.
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MickeyCheeky, Wild Coyote
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MickeyCheeky, TimTheEnchanter, Wild Coyote
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Member Since Mar 2018
Location: USA
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#3
Its probably just that he hasnt changed it online. I have old diagnoses on some of my patient portals that either werent updated for me for some reason- probably because it just didnt matter enough or werent updated because because I was meant to update them but didnt.
I cant say for sure but I would say that the diagnosis you recently asked for is likely the one that is up to date. Of course, again, cant say for sure |
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Wild Coyote
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Phoenix_1, TimTheEnchanter, Wild Coyote
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#4
Maybe he just hasn’t officially changed it. My psyd thinks I have sza no type but still has bipolar 1 as my official dx.
__________________ Bipolar 1 w/psychotic features or schizoaffective bipolar type PTSD generalized anxiety OCD celexa, prazosin, Lybalvi and prn zyprexa and klonopin |
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*Beth*, TimTheEnchanter, Wild Coyote
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Member Since Mar 2019
Location: USA
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#5
My doctor hasn't changed my diagnosis even though she has speculated for months that the original diagnosis is wrong. She said it is better to leave it alone for insurance purposes. My therapist said the same thing. It must be easier to justify the treatment I need that way.
I think there's nothing wrong with asking. You would need to have the correct information for a number of reasons. For example, you'd need to be able to explain your correct diagnosis to the intake personnel should you ever need to go into IP. They might not believe you if you weren't able to explain the discrepancy. |
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Anonymous46341, Wild Coyote
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*Beth*, Phoenix_1, TimTheEnchanter, Wild Coyote
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#6
There is nothing wrong with asking your doctor directly.
I often ask my doctors: What is my diagnosis? How are you coding my "case" for billing? They tell me. One doctor thought I was in a really bad place when he had changed my diagnosis. He did not say anything. A little while later, I'd thought to myself: I think I have BPII. I then asked him and he hedged on this. I then told him to please not treat me with "kid gloves." He immediately came clean and told me my new diagnosis and why he had changed it. Sometimes, doctors hold off on telling their clients because the client is not doing well. This is considered "ethical," if in the doctor's judgment, informing the patient might put the patient at a further risk. For instance if a severely depressed patient is suicidal and the doctor feels the patient will be increasingly hopeless/suicidal if given the diagnostic info at this time, it is ethical for the doctor to withhold that information until the patient is in a better place. There can be a discrepancy between the diagnostic info we have been given by our pdocs and the info with which our insurance is billed. I do think this is the cause for the differences most often. There can also be other reasons. Just ask! __________________ May we each fully claim the courage to live from our hearts, to allow Love, Faith and Hope to enLighten our paths. |
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Anonymous46341
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TimTheEnchanter
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Location: Downtown Vibes, California
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#7
My suggestion is to ask your pdoc. Definitely. It would bother me if my dx was changed like that. I would want to know why.
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