Ooh, I like that phrase!
I agree too! My white-coated hierophant (who I actually quite like and still receives me yearly for his somewhat Delphic ministrations) missed out on an obvious Lyme disease diagnosis. I fell apart for over three years, thinking that what I suffered was simply what middle age life produced; complete loss of memory, exhaustion, severe joint pain, and anxiety and confusion, until a different set of white coats figured out just what the hell was wrong with me.
My GP wasn’t malicious, he just wasn’t aware of any post 1970 findings on Lyme. He was quite willing to send me to a number of specialists, most also missing an obvious diagnosis. They all had hobby horses and cures, and didn’t help me one bit.
I can’t say studying the internet or pursuing my personal forensic history uncovered my issue. It was more, and younger white-coats that did it for me, but certainly I’ve learned to put little trust in an initial diagnosis and am especially dismissive of attitudes from medical “experts”.
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