Bad Experience With Dr.s?

[Guest nini]

The intent of this thread is to create a safe forum for those of us who have had negative experiences with Dr.s to vent about our experiences in a therapeutic way.

If you love your Dr. please do not post on this thread. This thread is ONLY for those of us who want to vent about our bad experiences with Dr.s

Think of this as a group therapy circle! It's intended as a safe place to explore your feelings and to not be made to feel like a heel for being angry at the medical community.

Vent away!

[Rachel--24]

YEAH!!!

Love the new title Nini. Great idea.

[debmidge]

Dare I?

I must be a masochist!

[Guest nini]

Thank you Rachel...

I guess I'll start...

My biggest frustration that is bugging me right this moment is my OB/GYN... after 2 miscarriages I had discovered the link between gluten and miscarriages, a friend of mine's mother has celiac and she had told me about it... I started the gluten-free diet after my second miscarriage and got pregnant again, I stayed on the diet through my first trimester (the danger zone) with my daughter and then my OB/GYN told me to go off the diet as it was not good for the baby, ie: not enough nutrition. After that my weight skyrocketed, I developed toxemia and was put on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy. My blood pressure was through the roof. I ended up delivering my daughter a full month early because of this and had such a horrific experience in the hospital... My dr. was in the other room delivering her best friend's baby... the nurses disconnected my daughter's fetal monitor because she was in obvious distress and they didn't want to worry me. I pushed for three hours and the poor kiddo was stuck in the birth canal... I ended up having an emergency c-section when the freakin dr. finally came into the room and both me and my daughter almost died... She wasn't breathing when they brought her out and she was blue... my blood pressure was sky high and I was in danger of stroking out... I also had a seizure on the table. They took my baby to the NICU and did get her breathing, kept me in a separate recovery room and wouldn't tell me what was going on with my baby. My husband was with her and I was all by myself... she was only 5 lbs. 12.9 oz. when she was born, she had serious abrasions on her scalp from scraping against my pelvic bones for three hours...

Fortunately the outcome for both of us was good, and eventually we did get accurate dx. But I still have anxiety over that whole experience. I stayed with the same OB/GYN practice out of fear of having to find another Dr. and facing the unknown, but this year for my annual I have made an appt. with a new Dr.

[Rachel--24]

Dare I?

I must be a masochist!

Too funny Debmidge!

I'll be back later....I have to go do taxes now.

[ianm]

I have found doctors to be a group of people who are completely incapable of thinking outside of the box. All they are taught to do is write prescriptions and when someone comes along that a prescription won't fix they just stare at you like a deer in the headlights. When it comes to nutrition all they know is the same tired old mantra, "Eat your Wheaties and drink your milk." I am an engineer by trade and it is my job to think outside of the box to find new and better solutions to a problem. It really irritates me that people who are supposed to be so smart and educated can be so dense. Doctors have become nothing more than mules for the drug companies.

[Guest nini]

I have found doctors to be a group of people who are completely incapable of thinking outside of the box. All they are taught to do is write prescriptions and when someone comes along that a prescription won't fix they just stare at you like a deer in the headlights. When it comes to nutrition all they know is the same tired old mantra, "Eat your Wheaties and drink your milk." I am an engineer by trade and it is my job to think outside of the box to find new and better solutions to a problem. It really irritates me that people who are supposed to be so smart and educated can be so dense. Doctors have become nothing more than mules for the drug companies.

and they absolutely look at you in shock if you tell them "I don't want a prescription, I just want you to tell me what is wrong with me!" I can't tell you how many times I've gotten THAT one...

[Rachel--24]

IAll they are taught to do is write prescriptions and when someone comes along that a prescription won't fix they just stare at you like a deer in the headlights.

That is EXACTLY true. I've seen that "deer in the headlights" look too many times to count.

The happiest moment for me was getting out of my HMO...I feel so free now. The first doctor I end up seeing turns out to be more of a naturopath. I did not know this when I scheduled the appt....just got his name off a flyer in a healthstore. I finally feel like I'm in good hands and I can stop self-diagnosing and being my own doctor.

After 3 years of suffering and getting no help from the doctors and specialists. In my first round of testing with the naturopath (whom I've been seeing for 3 weeks) I got diagnosed with C. Diff. I was never tested for this previously. In fact when I was sent to the Infectious Disease Specialist it turned out to be the WORST experience of all. I had so much hope going into that appt. and the guy (who was as arrogant as they come) literally laughed in my face, told me I was a hypochondriach and that all my problems were in my head. He was raising his voice and arguing with me. When I asked him why alot of my symptoms improved after changing my diet he laughed and said it was a placebo effect and that it meant nothing. I was frusterated and angry. I told him the appt. was a waste of my time and money...I told him I came to him for help...not to be humiliated. He told me if I dont like it I can always go somewhere else. He told me I was just angry because he wasnt telling me what I wanted to hear.

After the appt. I had a breakdown in my car. This happened after nearly all my doctor appt.'s...I dont even know why I was still continuing to have hope but after seeing that guy I knew there was no hope with the doctors getting to the root of my problems. I was on my own and it was scary. I was worried I'd never be able to return to work and my disability and insurance were about to be terminated.

It was such a blessing that I ended up at the naturpath and he KNEW there was something wrong and was able to identfy it so quickly. He is 100 x more familiar with gluten intolerance than any doctor I've seen in 3 years and he takes it seriously. Not only is he familiar with the condition itself but also the complications it can cause as well as the diet.

When I got diagnosed with C. Diff last week the receptionist said to me "Aren't you excited? See...there really was something wrong all along....it wasnt in your head." Well I always *knew* there was something wrong but what I couldnt understand is why the doctors treated me so poorly. Why would they not listen when I kept repeating my symptoms to them? Why would they just send me home telling me to eat more when I was crying because I had lost 25 lbs., felt weak and was eating normally? My doctor did admit I wasnt looking healthy at that point but just shrugged and said he wasn't worried about me dying because my test results were all normal. He said he's had patients who have gotten so thin that they did die but he didnt feel I was at that point yet. They truelly are not interested in finding out whats the cause when it's not something extremely obvious to them.

The huge difference in mainstream doctors and the doctor I'm seeing now is that this guy LISTENS, he's not interested in percribing drugs to "mask" symptoms but instead gets to the bottom of WHY those symptoms are there.

I'm upset that 1/4 of my tax return is going to my HMO. In my opinion they should be refunding me money. They don't deserve one more cent of my hard earned money. I dont think in any other business I'd be required to pay for such horrid treatment.

[4tomorrow]

I had an awful experience this week. My GI and I were discussing my biopsy results. She saw flattening when she did the endo but my biopsies were inconclusive. I asked her if she could tell me w/o a doubt that I don't have celiac. She said no, but I think it's IBS.

I expressed my concern about all of the issues that can result from untreated Celiac and proceeded to ask her if she had heard of Enterolab. She hadn't so I explained it to her and she went off. Going on and on about "gold standard" at which point she said she would see me in 6 months. I won't be seeing her again.

[Rachel--24]

I have no interest in dealing with the complaint process against my HMO but when I think of that one appt. with the Infectious Disease guy I really want him to know he failed at his job because he wasnt *listening*. I want him to know how wrong he was and I want something to be done about it. In my opinion he should not be responsible for the care of sick patients when he can blatently come out and say the things he said w/out bothering to spend any time listening to me or ordering any tests.

[Judyin Philly]

The intent of this thread is to create a safe forum for those of us who have had negative experiences with Dr.s to vent about our experiences in a therapeutic way.

Think of this as a group therapy circle! It's intended as a safe place to explore your feelings and to not be made to feel like a heel for being angry at the medical community.

Vent away!

Nini

what a great opening

You laid it all out there. Love the 'group therapy' idea.

I spent 10 years in therapy... could of saved alot of $$$$

Good job.

Judy in Philly

[Guest nini]

Nini

what a great opening

You laid it all out there. Love the 'group therapy' idea.

I spent 10 years in therapy... could of saved alot of $$$$

Good job.

Judy in Philly

well, we've all suffered enough abuse, we need a place to feel safe.

Rachel, I'm so sorry that you are still having to pay $$ for such horrid treatment, but glad that you've found someone who will listen to you now.

[Rusla]

I had a lame-ass GI 8 years ago who said I had high paraproteins, which can mean there are many life threatening things. Of course he did not mention this to me. He wanted to do a bone marrow test but as it is a very painful test, I asked if this test was imperative. He told me it wasn't. I am a big time researcher so, I spent many hours in the medical library at the university and found out that there are serious illnesses such as cancer, HIV, and other medical problems that could be caused by this. When I called him back and asked him why he did not tell me that my life could be on the line and that my Thyroid etc. should also be checked he told me to "stuff it and that I was too big of a chicken to have the bone marrow test before," he then said he would talk to me in 6 months. I told him not in this life time. I went to the health food store and fixed the paraprotein problem by taking Moducare.

The doctor who I hadfor 15 years previous to this almost killed me. For a year he tried to tell me I had the flu. I really had the pernicious anemia and the paraprotein problem and handfulls of hair were coming out. The doctor I just got rid of was the one who found that problem. However, this one he became totally worthless also.

[debmidge]

Ok, I'll bite, but it's not a celiac story, and it's not a terrible ending, but it makes you go "huh?"

Several years ago I had shoulder pain and could not raise my arm above my chest or raise it in the position of how you would plug an electrical cord into a socket. Raise arm and twist brought on a pain that ran from my shoulder to my hand. Even putting my arm into my coat gave me this pain. I looked it up in a "symptom" book at Barnes & Noble and found that it described "impingement" of nerve in shoulder.

I went to an excellent shoulder surgeon -- and told him my diagnosis. "No," he says. "The pain is coming fom your neck discs." And he ordered physical therapy. Did that for 6-8 mos and therapist asks "What are you coming here for? Your neck is Ok." Therapist then tells surgeon that my neck is Ok. Next time I see surgeon he says "Well," as if HE just discovered this, "you have nerve impingement." "Oh, really?" I reply. But never once did I say "I told you so." to him. I laughed it off, but did bother me that I spent nearly $500. on unnecessary physical therapy, not to mention time off from work and time invested in doing the PT.

Next step was MRI, then diagnosis of torn rotator cuff; during surgery he finds torn rotator cuff and torn shoulder capsule.

Inasmuch as he missed the mark for the diagnosis he is one of the best orthopaedic shoulder surgeons here and I trusted his work for the surgery part (he worked on a co worker of mine so I knew he was the Dr. I needed for the surgery). I don't know why he couldn't consider impingement in the first place.

And so it goes...

[Guest nini]

Debmidge, I work in a chiropractors office, and unfortunately I hear more stories like that than not...

[tiredofdoctors]

Don't have time to post my tons of bad doctor stories now, but I have to tell you, I love the name of the thread, the comments have been hilarious, and I think this is GREAT!!!!! Lynne

[dlp252]

I'll play too. I've been very dizzy and feeling nauseated for over a month now, and finally went to see my GP. I normally see her for annual exams and referrals to other doctors, but not much else. I think I was her last appointment of the day and had been added in that morning. Oddly, the guy who took my appointment turned out to be more concerned about me than my doctor was. My blood pressure has also been very low for at least a month, so I mentioned that to her and that the reason I know that is because I almost passed out in my surgeon's office during a pre-op appointment and they had taken a reading when I first went in and when I nearly passed out and the BP had dropped a bunch.

My GP didn't have my chart in front of her so couldn't check my YEARS of normal BP readings, so said..."your blood pressure doesn't look too low, but I don't have your chart here". So I say, "I have normally low blood pressure, but I've been so dizzy and the blood pressure has been way lower than normal." She just said it didn't look bad. So, then we talked about the nausea. She said the dizziness and nausea was probably related to my inner ear and to not move suddenly, don't stand too long, don't sit too long and take dramamine for the nausea. She took my pulse and said I looked fine...didn't look at anything else by-the-way...and said to monitor my blood pressure if I can. Huh?

Anyway, that was that...she left. When I got back to the office I made an appointment with my ENT (probably should have gone to her in the first place, but was concerned about the blood pressure thing)...she on the other hand was great! She actually looked at me...ears, nose, throat, gave me some low-tech balance tests (i.e., walking in place with eyes closed, etc.). She doesn't think it's inner ear since inner ear function tests came out well. She has ordered a CT scan which I have on Friday... I wish I could see this one for everything...she has a relative who has gluten intolerance so she is knowledgeable about it and is very supportive. One of the first questions she asked me was "have you been careful with the gluten free diet"... she was thinking I was glutened (and it's quite possible I was). (sorry, I know this is a rant thread, but I just had to put this in for contrast, lol)

I just can't believe the first doctor didn't even look at me! Didn't even make an attempt.

Anyway, I'm calling today to make an appointment with a new doctor...maybe two. It's time for my annual exam again and it would be a good time to see someone new. I'm torn between an internist at the center where my ENT is and a doctor at the clinic Rachel mentioned...maybe I'll see both, lol.

[Guest mvaught]

Doctors, from my experience just don't listen. It is like they think they have the answers and when those answers don't fit in, they just assume that you must be crazy or something. I went to OB - for years trying to convince them someting was wrong with me and after 6 yrs and about 6 doctors - I finally had one diagnose the endometriosis with a lap. After I was diagnosed with that - all of my stomach problems were blamed on it (because it was on my intestines). I had to go to public health for 2 years because of no insurance and they just pushed a bunch of drugs on me but would never consider sending me to a GI. I remember one time yelling at them that it would be their fault if I dies in a car accident - because I was passing out from so muhc pain all of the time and had an hour commute across the causeway (to New orlean) which has no shoulder to pull over on. Then my bladder problems were also blammed on the endo ntil I finally got a GP to send me to an urologies (I had to insist on it - no others would do it). The GI that I went to this past summer thought I had crohn's but then after running his tests, said that nothing was wrong with me. When I approached him about celiac - he ran the bloodwork - but after I had been gluten-free, so he was all snooty when it came back negative like "i told you that you didn't have it ." He is really a jerk and I am not going back to him....and I am just staying gluten-free because I am super sensitive to it (I've been cross-contaminated with gluten and I get sick all over immediately - tell me nothing is wrong!) . My GPat school who tests my thyroid which always comes back wierd - I had to convince that I only do well on the dosage of synthroid that I have been on for 15 years (you would think that after 15 years, I would know). UGHHH, they are so frustrating! ok - i feel better. thanks!

sorry about the typos - i got a little carried away - I just can't stand doctors after what I have been through with them.

[Rachel--24]

sorry about the typos - i got a little carried away - I just can't stand doctors after what I have been through with them.

LOL...I know what you mean. I could go on and on when it comes to this particular subject.

[Guest nini]

now doesn't this feel good to get all of this out?!!! GROUP HUG!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[Guest mvaught]

now doesn't this feel good to get all of this out?!!! GROUP HUG!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Totally feels better! I'm glad we have this new thread where we all understand each other.

HUGS HUGS HUGS

-michelle

[thomas3000]

The problem we have with todays doctors is that they're simply not educated in nutrition and lifestyle. I know for a fact that gluten causes hundreds of health problems. They only know about celiac and believe its a very rare disease. I just wonder how many people have died from undiagnosed celiac or even gluten sensitivity. They only practice what they are trained and that's to drug it, cut it, or radiate it. It's not there fault because most medical schools only teach about physiology and disease. Most MD's and specialists look at symptoms and take a blood test or a MRI or a Ct scan. If it comes back normal they assume it's all in your head cuz they don't have an explanation for your symptoms. And here comes the Prozac. In that case it would be ideal to refer you to a functional medicine doc to run more thorough testing to find the root cause. Conventional medicine is good for emergencies and crisis intervention. If you got shot you wouldn't go to a healthfood store, you would go to the hospital. Same with heart attack or stroke, you'd go to the hospital. But after that your health is in your own hands. If we could combine this type of medicine i.e. The cancer treatment centers of America for instance, who use nutritional therapy along with low dose chemo, we'd have a much healthier population. We all know what it takes to get better and that's by eating from the earth only, absolutely no processed foods. Living foods vs. dead foods. I have a book called "Reclaiming Your Health" and there are countless testimonials on people who have CURED there own cancer and other illnesses by juicing live fruits and vegetables and eating organic. It's so simple really but sometimes we are brainwashed into thinking we need these harsh medical treatments to heal. We simply need to started eating "real food" again. I'm not against doctors and I can help all of you find the right ones!!

[Guest mvaught]

The problem we have with todays doctors is that they're simply not educated in nutrition and lifestyle. I know for a fact that gluten causes hundreds of health problems. They only know about celiac and believe its a very rare disease. I just wonder how many people have died from undiagnosed celiac or even gluten sensitivity. They only practice what they are trained and that's to drug it, cut it, or radiate it. It's not there fault because most medical schools only teach about physiology and disease. Most MD's and specialists look at symptoms and take a blood test or a MRI or a Ct scan. If it comes back normal they assume it's all in your head cuz they don't have an explanation for your symptoms. And here comes the Prozac. In that case it would be ideal to refer you to a functional medicine doc to run more thorough testing to find the root cause. Conventional medicine is good for emergencies and crisis intervention. If you got shot you wouldn't go to a healthfood store, you would go to the hospital. Same with heart attack or stroke, you'd go to the hospital. But after that your health is in your own hands. If we could combine this type of medicine i.e. The cancer treatment centers of America for instance, who use nutritional therapy along with low dose chemo, we'd have a much healthier population. We all know what it takes to get better and that's by eating from the earth only, absolutely no processed foods. Living foods vs. dead foods. I have a book called "Reclaiming Your Health" and there are countless testimonials on people who have CURED there own cancer and other illnesses by juicing live fruits and vegetables and eating organic. It's so simple really but sometimes we are brainwashed into thinking we need these harsh medical treatments to heal. We simply need to started eating "real food" again. I'm not against doctors and I can help all of you find the right ones!!

Yeah I agree - they aren't taught correctly. Plus they are all so specialized that it is a detriment to us...no one doctor knows anything about the whole body. Celiacs have discovered that GI problems aren't the only issue...there is fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, etc. these are whole body problems - so how can some GI REALLY help us and figure out what is going on with celiacs. Auto-immune disorders are rampant in this country - and I think are very connected - how many of us have other problems as well!!

-michelle

[Cape]

Doctors, from my experience just don't listen. It is like they think they have the answers and when those answers don't fit in, they just assume that you must be crazy or something. I went to OB - for years trying to convince them someting was wrong with me and after 6 yrs and about 6 doctors - I finally had one diagnose the endometriosis with a lap. After I was diagnosed with that - all of my stomach problems were blamed on it (because it was on my intestines). I had to go to public health for 2 years because of no insurance and they just pushed a bunch of drugs on me but would never consider sending me to a GI. I remember one time yelling at them that it would be their fault if I dies in a car accident - because I was passing out from so muhc pain all of the time and had an hour commute across the causeway (to New orlean) which has no shoulder to pull over on. Then my bladder problems were also blammed on the endo ntil I finally got a GP to send me to an urologies (I had to insist on it - no others would do it). The GI that I went to this past summer thought I had crohn's but then after running his tests, said that nothing was wrong with me. When I approached him about celiac - he ran the bloodwork - but after I had been gluten-free, so he was all snooty when it came back negative like "i told you that you didn't have it ." He is really a jerk and I am not going back to him....and I am just staying gluten-free because I am super sensitive to it (I've been cross-contaminated with gluten and I get sick all over immediately - tell me nothing is wrong!) . My GPat school who tests my thyroid which always comes back wierd - I had to convince that I only do well on the dosage of synthroid that I have been on for 15 years (you would think that after 15 years, I would know). UGHHH, they are so frustrating! ok - i feel better. thanks!

sorry about the typos - i got a little carried away - I just can't stand doctors after what I have been through with them.

Mvaught,

Same jerkfilled attitude was thrown at me by two GI's. Once after my biopsy had come back negative; I had been gluten free for three months. The doc said that it didn't matter, she would have been able to find the damage if there was indeed damage to be found. She gave me no other options for why I had had such celiac disease symptons or why I felt better when I was gluten free.

A good doctor friend got me in to see another doc in the practice who he thought might be better for me. His attitude was cold, though he did agree to do a blood test to see if I had either of the genetic markers for celiac disease. He at least did not see the benefit of going back on gluten for six months to have another biopsy. He was chagrinned to tell me that I have the genetic marker that all Celiacs have, but so does one third of the population and not all of them are Celiacs. He did admit that I could well have Celiac Disease, but stopped gluten befor it damaged my gut.

Here's the attitude that irritated me most of all. He was daggone rude to my son on the phone! My son has mono and was really sick last week when the Doc tried to reach me to tell me the test results. My son told him that I had just left. The doctor growled that he had just called five minutes earlier and no one answered. Bless my boy's heart, he held his tongue, and got out of the bed to write a note for me. The next morning I got a message on the answering machine - the first one mind you. The doc said that he had been trying to reach me all week. He had left a message with someone, my son, probably. I could call him, if I wanted to talk with him. Wow. I had been home the whole week. I don't have caller ID, but I can tell if someone has called and hung up. Had none of those let alone any messages from him. (I have a common last name, but there is an extra letter with no one expects. If you don't read it correctly, you'll not be calling me. I suspect that the doctor was calling another one of his patients. BUT don't take it out on my kid!)

[floridanative]

I'd just like to add that the only doctors I've ever met worth my time are my current dermatologist (from India) who figured out that I was anemic when I went in for annual skin cancer check of all things. He was new to me and asked a lot of questiosn. I'd seen both my pcp and my gyno about my constant fatique and neither bothered to check my iron. And I had to see a neurologist to treat me for postherpetic neuralgia when it took three doctors (and ten days) to tell me I had shingles. By the time I started the meds I was in so much pain I thought I was dying. The neurologist saved my life but when I researched shingles I found that in someone my age who was otherwise healthy presents with shingles, they may have an autoimmune disease. I asked the doc about that and he said we'd only need to look for something like that IF the meds didn't work on my pain. They did so just over two months later I was feeling great...for a month and then came the fatique. Neurologists do not get any training on Celiac so I really can't blame him.

For the other three docs, I decided to write each of them a letter. The first drafts were for me - scathing and very negative content. Then after I felt better just from writing the words, I changed the tone so that maybe the recipeints will actually read the letters and learn something about Celiac and be able to help the next undiagnosed Celiac patient they meet. And one of the letters was a thank you please know I'm not praising him. I explained that Celiac was not very rare blah... blah and also told him when doing an endoscopy for evidence of Celaic, 6 to 8 samples should be taken - not 2 samples as he'd mentioned. But if hadn't uttered the words Celiac Sprue to me I still would not know what was wrong with me so I had to give credit where is was due.

The way I see it (and it's been said above) is that we are all better off eating as healthy as possible with natural foods so we can stay away from the doctors as much as possible. You know the old saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Well my hubby has eaten two apples a day (plus a very healthy diet) for 15+ years and he's the healthiest person I know of any age. The only reason he goes to the doctor is that his dad had prostate cancer so I make him get checked out for that.

Thanks for this topic Nisla! Great idea!