Three years ago I did a gallbladder cleanse and was surprised to have a cluster of parasites come out after the gallstones. They were half a dozen organisms the size of small, skinless grapes, with "spiderlike" legs floating off them. They were very delicate and floated in the water.

I took them over to my HMO to get them identified and brought along my gallstones. I thought the doctor would be impressed by the largest stone, which was over 1 inch across. The doctor, whom I had never seen before, was offended by the Gallstones but took the specimen to be examined by the pathology lab. (It's quite a long story--the sample never made it to the lab.)

A year later, I went in for a sore throat and upset stomach. I was told my symptoms did not exist, as if I were a hypochondriac! This led to a 1 1/2 year attempt to see my
records. When I finally saw the doctor's comments for the visit, she had written that I imagined I had gotten out my Gallstones and that I had brought in spiders in tapwater. She indicated that my psychiatric history had been discussed and that a psychiatric evaluation was recommended! Although I complained to numerous administrators that there seemed to be some kind of problem with the hospital record, nobody would show it to me. I finally had to agree to pay $81 (.83/page plus tax and shipping) to get a copy. I have filed a complaint against both the doctor and the hospital and included extensive documentation including a picture of my gallstones, to no avail.

Please be aware of how your hospital record can be used to red flag you or discredit you. I am told all I can do is attach a note to the file, but it will remain my permanent record. I recommend you get a copy of your medical records, including doctor's comments, and that you be aware of how far some doctors will go to protect their monopoly.

Please let me know if you have any information on this subject.
glkbreeze(at)yahoo.com

Obviously, more needs to be done to make hospital records more easily accessible so unscupulous doctors will be hesistant to falsify records.