Although most of us ME/CFS bloggers try to include disclaimers stating that we are not doctors, have no medical training, etc., this is may not be enough. In the case of this particular blogger, posting strong disclaimers both before and after his posts was not enough to deter the State of North Carolina. As ridiculous as the state's position seems, I think it's best to err on the safe side and stick to two rules:
1. Be clear that you are recounting your personal experiences whenever possible, and
2. When summarizing research, cite to your source(s) and make clear that you are simply paraphrasing or condensing the cited material.
And now for the ultimate irony of this post:
Disclaimer: Although I am a lawyer, I do not practice in the area of medical licensing. The above "rules" do not constitute legal advice, and are only intended as a lay opinion. If you have any doubts about the legality of a blog post or topic, consult a qualified attorney who is licensed in your jurisdiction....or whatever seems prudent to you. Just don't rely on my two "rules."
Wow, my brief chronology is:
ReplyDelete1. I swam in a lake on vacation in Virginia.
2. 1 or 2 days later, I became extremely ill with unrelenting diarrhea, diagnosed as viral.
3. I recovered to about 95% and remained so for almost 3 months.
4. I got a flu vaccination.
5. 2 weeks later, I went to bed with severe chills and sweats and never recovered. I've had ME/CFS ever since.
That's crazy, Elizabeth. Our chronologies for how we got sick are eerily similar. Swam in dirty water, got sick, recovered to 95% for a while, got a vaccination, got sick again...for good.
DeleteWeird....
Makes me want to warn other people DON't GET THAT VACCINATION IF YOU'VE BEEN SICK LATELY.
Do you ever play the "what if" game? It's probably not healthy, so I try not to, but still sometimes it's hard not to wonder.
So similar, so scary. Speaking of warning people, check out this post I wrote: http://elizabethmilo.com/2013/02/01/what-i-know-for-sure/
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the What If game, I do it ALL THE TIME. No, not healthy, but I have not adapted to this illness the way I would have thought I would - I definitely dwell too much in the what if (past and future). What if I had known what lack of sleep, stress and viruses could really do? What if I break a bone when I am allergic to NSAIDs and opioids now? What if I have to travel overseas? What if I had not gone to Virginia? All. The. Time. What if someone had warned me that all viruses hide and all vaccinations take a toll on the immune system? Would I have listened? Probably not.
Six months after I got sick my good friend was having a baby and I asked my GP for the TDap. She put the order in and I was going to do it - we didn't know! My infectious disease doc was the one who said, "no more vaccinations ever. We will reassess when you're 65." wow, I just didn't get it. Even then, I still thought I was invincible.
That God you didn't get that TDAP shot. That's the one that started all this for me.
DeleteI hear ya about the "what if" game. Many of your "what if" questions were very relatable to me (with slight alterations).
Oddly, it looks like my original comment didn't go under the post I intended it to go under... The one where you list your chronology. Sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of one of your other posts,I stole some of your memes for my blog (but gave you credit ;)).
Haha, no problem. I'm glad you found the MEmes useful too. :)
Delete