Can't sleep...and have been fuming (in my own mind) about my recent doctor(s) visits and how angry and jaded I have become about the profession and perhaps care or lack of quality care I think I have received in about the last 6 months. Don't get me wrong they do a lot of good and where would we be without 'em. But... Anyway, I am just venting.
One of my most recent "peeves" is the fact that what they( doctors) tell you and what they write in their reports are not always the same. For instance one of my last reports stated "15 minutes were spent in counselling the patient." S..., if the doctor had spent a total of 5 minutes in the room that would be a generous estimate! Another time, the doctor told me I did not need to see him again (which the scheduling staff confirmed as I was signing out) while the report said I was advised to come back in 6 to 8 weeks. Another time, the report had a long paragraph about how I was instructed to use a particular medication(s) cautiously and judiciously etc. when, in fact, when I questioned the doctor about the medication he was prescribing I was told, "Just take the pills." I have received other reports which contain mis-diagnoses and inaccurate medications. Certainly some of these errors may have been inadvertant but in my case I feel they are too numerous in too few reports. I have received other reports with entire sentences missing. I have begun to think that doctors reports are often designed to impart as little information as possible while making themselves look good and the patient look bad in case something goes wrong. I guess the lesson is always get copies of your reports. However, my guess is if I confronted the docs on some of the issues I would be thrown out. Nevertheless, in one instance, I did question one of my doctors about a diagnosis I saw listed in a report (that was never discussed with me) and I asked him if in fact he was diagnosing that or treating me for that. Well, the answer was no and he reluctantly put a note to that effect correcting or at least disclaiming the diagnosis. Still, he added several sentences about how I denied ever having any of the symptoms related to the diagnosis. Duh, of course I denied the symtoms as they were never pointed out by him or discussed with me as a possibility. Reading the note one gets the impression that I was the one who had made the error or had something to hide.
Another peeve, as I have mentioned in another recent post, is that doctors do not take the time to talk to each other and put multiple visits to different doctors in perspective as far as the "big picture." It seems lately that I feel I am left to try to sort the whole thing out on my own. What do we or our insurance companies pay them to do. I know that we need doctors...that I need doctors. But, I hope they understand that we literally are trusting them with our lives and do not need to have smoke blown in our face or other sundry orifices.
I'm not expecting any replies but I do feel a bit better after ranting about a few dortor related irritants. Maybe others will too.
Doctor peever
Doctor peever
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WOw that's sucks.. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. Every time I go in to see my doctor he starts by reading the report from my last visit out loud, and ocassionally I may correct him on some small details or something, but nowhere near the kind of negligence you are describing.
Surely there is some organization you can complain to?
Surely there is some organization you can complain to?
Zach, I think what your doc is doing is great. I could only hope. i suspect I could complain to the state or something but I'm sure that would involve an identity disclosure. I live in a small town, word gets around and not lots of dr's to choose from. Guess it's a choice I have to make but I think I will have to become more vigiilant and proactive about my care. So should we all.
I'm still ranting particularly after this morning. Went to PT again today.(which I had technically finished last Friday with mixed results). The therapist called yesterday and asked if I would be willing to come back as they had a few different ideas which they hoped would perhaps help a bit more. In any event, I had been getting something called iontophoesis (sp) at the end of each of session and I thought this was again the case today after the exercises today. However, the assistant put some different patches on and said the treatment might tingle but should not hurt. She said that if it did begin to hurt I should not shut the unit off or pull the patch off as it could cause a BURN! Told me just to call her. Things went well. Afterwards after some patches were pulled off one was left on and she told me to take it off in about an hour. I asked about this and she said that the treatment I had been given involved the ionto... forcing an anti-inflammatory medication (dextro... something or the other) into my skin and that the reason for leaving the patch on was that some of the med would likely continue to be pulled into the skin for a bit from the patch which contained the medicaton. She then said, "I guess I should have told you that before we started." Are you kidding me. What if I had an allergy to something like this--which she still did not ask me about afterwards
Anyway, just another example of my "peeving."
Continued good luck with you dr. visits.
I'm still ranting particularly after this morning. Went to PT again today.(which I had technically finished last Friday with mixed results). The therapist called yesterday and asked if I would be willing to come back as they had a few different ideas which they hoped would perhaps help a bit more. In any event, I had been getting something called iontophoesis (sp) at the end of each of session and I thought this was again the case today after the exercises today. However, the assistant put some different patches on and said the treatment might tingle but should not hurt. She said that if it did begin to hurt I should not shut the unit off or pull the patch off as it could cause a BURN! Told me just to call her. Things went well. Afterwards after some patches were pulled off one was left on and she told me to take it off in about an hour. I asked about this and she said that the treatment I had been given involved the ionto... forcing an anti-inflammatory medication (dextro... something or the other) into my skin and that the reason for leaving the patch on was that some of the med would likely continue to be pulled into the skin for a bit from the patch which contained the medicaton. She then said, "I guess I should have told you that before we started." Are you kidding me. What if I had an allergy to something like this--which she still did not ask me about afterwards
Anyway, just another example of my "peeving."
Continued good luck with you dr. visits.
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Walking After Midnight
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Hiya Mark.
That is the most unprofessional thing I have ever heard of.
I say find another Doctor who's not so much of a liar.
I know that's simpleminded and probably a knee-jerk reaction, but it's just blowing my mind that a Doctor would falsify his information, that he's supposed to be using to give you the best treatment.
Sheesh.
I hope you get it worked out. You're a good dude and always have something useful to say to me when I need help, and you're always encouraging. You deserve better than that kind of treatment. Darn it. We all do.
Hope you figure this out.
Randy
That is the most unprofessional thing I have ever heard of.
I say find another Doctor who's not so much of a liar.
I know that's simpleminded and probably a knee-jerk reaction, but it's just blowing my mind that a Doctor would falsify his information, that he's supposed to be using to give you the best treatment.
Sheesh.
I hope you get it worked out. You're a good dude and always have something useful to say to me when I need help, and you're always encouraging. You deserve better than that kind of treatment. Darn it. We all do.
Hope you figure this out.
Randy
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SquirmingSusan
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- Location: Minnesota
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Hi Mark,
Sadly, I know exactly what you're talking about. Going to doctors just gets on my nerves more and more these days. Although I'd really like to know what the one doctor I saw earlier this year for depression wrote on my chart - the one who told me I wasn't depressed, then wrote me a script for Ativan and told me not to kill myself with them... I wonder how she rephrased all that to make herself look good.
And I totally know what you mean about them not talking with each other. I was going to a doctor last fall for weight loss. I was going every week or so, and she wrote me prescriptions for diet pills. She's the one who found out that I was severely hypothyroid. I was also quite depressed. But being hypothyroid can cause depression and weight gain. I told her once that I really wished that I could get all my doctors in the same room so they could figure out what to do with me, because all my conditions affected the other conditions.
But yeah, we're the ones who are left trying to coordinate our own health care, and explain things to the doctors, who don't always believe us because we're not doctors. Very frustrating.
And yeah, the physical therapist should have explained the procedure she was doing. Iontophoresis is a technique where they deliver medicine through the skin with the help of an electrical current. So it probably wasn't a different thing than in previous visits, but they could at least tell you what they're doing.
Good luck with it all. Sometimes I've switched doctors in the same clinic and had a much better experience. Is that an option?
Susan
Sadly, I know exactly what you're talking about. Going to doctors just gets on my nerves more and more these days. Although I'd really like to know what the one doctor I saw earlier this year for depression wrote on my chart - the one who told me I wasn't depressed, then wrote me a script for Ativan and told me not to kill myself with them... I wonder how she rephrased all that to make herself look good.
And I totally know what you mean about them not talking with each other. I was going to a doctor last fall for weight loss. I was going every week or so, and she wrote me prescriptions for diet pills. She's the one who found out that I was severely hypothyroid. I was also quite depressed. But being hypothyroid can cause depression and weight gain. I told her once that I really wished that I could get all my doctors in the same room so they could figure out what to do with me, because all my conditions affected the other conditions.
But yeah, we're the ones who are left trying to coordinate our own health care, and explain things to the doctors, who don't always believe us because we're not doctors. Very frustrating.
And yeah, the physical therapist should have explained the procedure she was doing. Iontophoresis is a technique where they deliver medicine through the skin with the help of an electrical current. So it probably wasn't a different thing than in previous visits, but they could at least tell you what they're doing.
Good luck with it all. Sometimes I've switched doctors in the same clinic and had a much better experience. Is that an option?
Susan
Bajeebers! I would like to say thanks for the support and empathy. I certainly will consider your suggestions. However, I am truly saddened that even one other person should come even close to experienceing what I am moaning about. I have three doctor visits next week--mostly reruns from previous "unresolved" visits. Hopefully these will result in less doubletalk and an improved treatment plan or course of action.
Susan, about that report.... You might want to consider asking for a copy of your file. That is a pretty benign thing to do particuarly if you might not be seeing that particular doctor again.
Amen, Randy.
Best of luck.
Susan, about that report.... You might want to consider asking for a copy of your file. That is a pretty benign thing to do particuarly if you might not be seeing that particular doctor again.
Amen, Randy.
Best of luck.
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DOCTORS!
I cant believe it! I thought I was the only one who feels like that! I'm having a terrible time dealing with trying out different medications. I'm so full of anger....Everyone is sick of me complaining too,.. Its tiring going through this....It takes its toll on our whole lives...I wish there was a specialist around here to help me through this..
Thanks for listening again....
Thanks for listening again....