Dealing with Bad Doctors!

[jyarmo]

I'm currently very pleased with the doctors I deal with. This wasn't always the case. My first Gastroenterologist was a very nice person, however she wasn't much of a doctor. Each visit was a guessing game in which she would think of a new combination of medication (because the current combination I was on was not working). My G.P was familiar with my gastroenterologist and reccomended that I start seeing the chief Gastroenterologist at a Toronto Hospital. Things have moved along much better under his care and I'm very happy I made the switch!

Have you ever, or do you have poor Doctors? Have you thought about switching? How have you gone about it?

 

[MikesAngel21]

I guess Im okay with my doctors. I love my regular doctor but my GI specialist he can be a jerk for lack of better words. Some visits hes a sweet and gental as can be other visits hes just seems grumpy and reserved and loves to sit there and tell me I need to quit smoking but he doesnt do it in the nice way i get the whole "fatherly" thing with him asking me if Im trying to make my life harder! lol that reminds me of my first visit to him he found out my mom is a smoker to and he reamed her a new one blaming her for the fact that I smoke and telling her she had bad parental skills. lol I though she was going to throw him out the window. So i guess I can say hes very opinionated. but im really not looking to change hes one of the best GI Dr's supposably in the US and I really trust him with it comes to my medications and stuff. and when I have problems he always fits me in very quickly. He even has his nurses make house calls when i start a new medication to see how Im doing. So even though he has a additude problem I trust him as a Dr!

 

[doubledown]

Yeah I do not like doctors who try and guilt me into feeling bad either. Whatever has been done in the past has been done so there is no use lecturing me over it. I just want to deal with it and move on. Of course you can give me suggestions to help in the future, but what do you expect me to do about things I did in the past?

 

[kc0eks]

I have not had any doctors I really cared for. The doctor who disgnosed me, was great..but she is 2+hours away and not practical all the time.

Locally, I have not found any doctors I like. Some are nice, and clueless, and some seem to know what they are doing, and nice n rude.

So I give up on that. I will be my own doc

 

[Ivy]

All the doctors I've met seem to have fake smiles! I swear.

Well, mine seemed to know what he was talking about, but I wouldn't go as far as saying he was warm. He was just there to do his job. I guess I didn't expect much either.

 

[jyarmo]

Funny Ivy, my doctor is like that to a degree (My Gastro). However he's really good at his job, so I don't mind in the least!

 

[Dominiquemcdean]

Ive neva had a problem with my doctor... I have a very very good gastro whom cant do enough for me when im in hossy.. and i have an IBD nurse who helps me out alot.. And i see 2 gp who are very good and always sort me out...

 

[cagfire]

get in first and control the dr!

I feel like such an old fart here sometimes. I've reached the stage where I interview the doctor to make sure they are comfortable dealing with a patient who:

a)knows her disease inside out.
b)may know more than the doctor
c)can be bossy and insist on things
d)can tell a doctor that they won't do certain things and why
e)may not always do what they want, or take any meds and will tell them to their face if they won't rather than just take the script and slink off.

I always ask this critical question: Are you comfortable treating a patient who may disagree with your recommended course of treatment?

I'm not an idiot and I know my disease. I'm also not intimidated by doctors who look down their noses at you. I've pulled up one doctor in hospital who treated me like this and after a dressing down in the room (with me in bed after a resection) he behaved like a reasonable person...lol.

I only go to doctors who are comfortable and willing to listen to the views of the patient.

Lisa

 

[jyarmo]

Lisa, I'm impressed! You are completely entitled to ensure you deal with the best doctors for you. Fortunately for doctors (which is really unfortunate for patients) is that most people aren't as honest about what they need out of a doctor. I'm sure you've surprised a doctor or two (or three or four ) as a result of your "interviewing tactics" but it serves them well and hopefully gets them to reevaluate their role as a doctor. A doctor shouldn't a dictator!

 

[cagfire]

Thanks (takes a modest bow )

I've only been intimidated by one doctor and he gave me a cancer scare which he later denied. I was so far from home, living with friends where my husband worked, I was told I had cysts, tumours and an 'unknown mass' which he couldn't rule out as cancer. He could operate within 4 weeks or I would have to wait for months. 4 weeks in a public hospital is a miracle and I was soooooo scared and so out of my depth and knowledge that I was able to be led into a hysterectomy of the most major kind.

I regret it to this day.

I was shit scared, alone, away from home and no real options. I didn't take my own advice which is why I guess I'm so passionate about it now. This doctor would not listen to what I wanted. I knew I wanted my ovaries left, nope, he didn't do that type of hysto. He only did full hystos. I was bluffed. Never, ever again will I allow myself to be that scared.

So, from bad experiences come strengths. This doctor took away my physical ability to have sex without pain. It's an experience I will always regret and thus I have learnt.

Doctors aren't gods. They don't always know what is best for you and they certainly don't always listen to the patient.

Goodness....what is this group doing to me...so many admissions...lol. I feel like I'm in confession (no, not catholic or religious!) Must be something in the water here...lol.

 

[Tami Lynn]

Lisa,

You sound SO much like me from your posts on this particular thread! I basically share your opinion and views where doctors are concerned!

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten quite as assertive as you... or as bold as to "interview" my doctors (although that doesn't sound like a half bad idea!) At least that way, they know what they're getting into and you know what to expect from them as well (before wasting your time and money).

One other problem I have personally enountered is that I've basically exhuasted my options and my choice of specialists (GI docs) who are local and will see me. The GI doctor I have now has a reputation for being "one of the best" for Crohns, but still... He doesn't seem comfortable admitting when he just doesn't know something (which I find mildly disturbing).

Some doctors act like they think you always want them to do something....anything... even if they're shooting in the dark and don't have all the answers. There are times when nothing can be better than the wrong thing.

I do NOT trust Doctors who think they're right up their with God or give off the air of being superior. It's important to have a doctor who will really listen to you as a patient, and respect you as someone who honestly KNOWS (first hand) some things even better than they do.

Anywhooo...this is one subject I could go on about, but I won't.

Thanks for posting - It was good to hear that I'm not the only "difficult patient" out there! LOL

 

[cagfire]

Tami Lynn,

My husband has severe osteo-arthritis and when we moved to our new home we needed to get a referral to a new surgeon. We went to our new medical clinic and asked for the referral. The doctor was quite rude to us (well me actually) and in the end he wrote a referral and we went to see the new surgeon.

Surprise, surprise, the surgeon showed us the letter from the doctor:

"I don't know why Mrs........ has asked for this referral as they have not allowed me to do any tests etc and blah blah blah."

It was a very nasty letter denigrating me because I had dared to TELL a doctor that we know what my husbands condition was and we only needed to get a new specialist in the region.

The surgeon was really great and told us this was not the first letter of this type from this doctor.

I have a good relationship with this doctor now because he understands that I am an educated patient and he's seen me sick and well and I've been consistently 'difficult'.

I live in a very remote area and like you my choices of doctors and specialists are limited. It's a 6 hour 600km round trip to see my GI. I could see the visiting one but he's a pig.

We are constantly losing doctors in our clinic and our nearest major town is 100 kms away. We are lucky in that we have a very good hospital in our local town 30km away with excellent facilities...the food is good too, especially the sticky date pudding! yummmmmm

It's difficult when you have a limited choice. I guess that's when you have to really think about putting the foot down and letting the medical people you do have know what you want, what you think and what you expect.

It's a tough call. Some doctors are just jackasses.

All doctors should be kept in hospital and given barium meals, IV's, catheters, the works as part of their residency......oh my what a dream.

 

[Jenni]

My GI is a great doctor, shes very thorough and such. buuuut...lol ive had a couple problems like if i dont like a medicine im on i will say soemthign about it and she would take me off of it. an honestly i was just sayin how i felt about the medicine and even if it was helping she wouldb like, well if u dont like it blablabla. well my parents finally had to tell her "look just cuz Jen doesnt like soemthign u still haev to do wat is best for her! dont let her talk u out of it!" and i wasnt trying to, she just hates telling me no i guess. but now my parents told me i have to shut up if i dont liek the medicine unless its like hurting me or something..haha i really wasnt tryin to like make her change wat she was doing- u kno how it is gosh i dont like this medicine because its blablabla but o well! i guess thats why im not the dr!!

 

[Sparrow]

yeah your lucky, Toronto has one of the best doctors around for dealing with CD, I think my aunt also sees him and said he's great. I just wouldnt be able to make the drive all the time otherwise id be checking him out too.
I had a pretty bad doc where I live, so i ended up finding my own although he was semi hesitant to take me on because my other doctor was his colleg or how ever you spell it, but it worked out and the one i have is pretty good..anyhooo ignore my spelling kinda wooozy