Has anyone here had a bad experience with a doctor, what did you do about it? What's your story?

After a slew of bad and just plain weird experiences (my own and others') I decided from then on not to go to a doctor without having some knowledge of my own damn body. Now whenever I go to the gynaecologist I know what I'm talking about, and I can sense relief on his part also (that he doesn't have to explain what an ovary is). He told me specific stories about how little many of his patients actually know about the ways their bodies works.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Answers

Excuse my questionable grammar...

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I have so many bad Dr. and psychologists stories, there is not room for them all. I have to say that there are a lot of good ones there too, but you really have to shop around. And, after teaching Med. students and working for them, you learn they are far, far, far from God. Some of the *stupidist* actions were in my Med. student labs (as one example, an alcoholic who would roll out his sleeping bag after lab since lectures are all transcribed. I don't deal with anyone who doesn't treat me with respect and listen to what I have to say. Or, just doesn't seem to have a clue. I go to Scripps, "the Mayo Clinic of the West Coast", and there are just as many incompetents here. Maybe mismanaged care has something to do with it. What do they call the lowest ranked person in a Med. school class? Doctor.

As far a psychologists go, the same applies. Generally, you get what you pay for and experience in this field makes a world of difference in the quality of care. For anyone in long-term psychotherapy, a great book is "If You Meet the Budda on the Road-Kill Him." It is about how therapy is really about self-discovery and not someone telling you what is right.

I know fruitbat is a Dr. I don't mean to insult you, I am sure you are good. Anyone as down-to-earth as you are would be great with patients. These examples just reflect a tiny part of my personal experience.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

The worst experience I had with a doctor was when she left a message on my voicemail saying that I had pre-cancerous cells and...no other information. So when I called her back and finally got to talk to her, she told me that I was completely overreacting and that she was a very busy woman. When I tried to explain that I simply wanted more information and was not accusing her of anything, she remained defensive and then switched to overtly hostile mode. Needless to say, that was my last chat with her.

My new doctor is terrific, and I couldn't ask for better care. She is very patient, kind, and she has a great sense of humor. And I wouldn't have met her unless things had soured with my old doctor, so I try to look back on the crappy experience as just a necessary step in finding my new wonderful doctor.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I got a degree in psychology, but I wasn't so interested in helping people so I didn't go to grad school. I think having a genuine desire to help others makes a big difference. Some people must get into medicine for scientific reasons and end up working in health care for the public even though that may not be where they really wanted to end up. As for me, I haven't had any bad experiences yet (knock on wood).

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I had a (old, male) dr. who put me on birth control pills when I was 18. I gained 30 lbs in 3 months, and went back to see him about changing my prescription and finding out what could be done about my weight. "That's not from birth control pills. You just have to quit putting so much food in your face!" he told me.

Have I mentioned the years of psychological trauma about my weight and eating habits as a result?

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

That'd have to have been when my daughter was born. There were some minor complications with her birth, but she was basically OK. I checked out after 48 hours and we were told to come back and get her in the morning. Well, they wouldn't let us take her home. Suddenly it was important that she get all these antibiotics and have her spinal fluid checked regularly for another five days. I was completely stunned. No one had said ANYTHING about this to me during the whole time I was there. And I'm working on about five hours of sleep in three days, my husband not much more.

The doctor was, "Well, if it were my baby, I'd want to make sure she didn't die." Honest to god, those were her words. Thank god, the nurses in the children's ward were fabulous, and THEY reassured me there was no real possibility of anything being wrong.

I don't take any crap from doctors anymore, not after that. The ones that will explain things to me, fine, great. The ones that just treat me like an object and order me around, they can expect a whole lot of trouble.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Hey Vicki and everyone, don't worry about me getting my panties in a wad over this discussion...I find it valuable to hear how we are perceived, because poor communication bewteen the doctors and patients is a huge danger in this (and any) field that A) can be complicated and B) has its own special terminology. I always wince when I hear things being explained to patients in technical terms, which don't convey much information if you don't know the definition of these terms! And we need to be *constantly* reminding ourselves of what the patient is actually hearing when we're talking to them. I am always amazed at how a poorly worded phrase from a doctor can resonate in a person's ears for years, and I think we (the medical profession) need to be reminded of that often.

It has been a boon to me to come from a family of smart folks, none of whom is in medicine--it gives me a lot of practice explaining various things in clear terms to people who are plenty smart but just haven't read any medical books.

Some doctors just aren't very good at explaining what's going on to their patients, and others give up explaining and just give you scary ultimatums ("Do this or your baby may die!"), which I think may be the attitude that creeps onto a doctor after working many years at public hospitals taking care of pretty unsophisticated patients who often do frankly make pretty poor health decisions.

There are some people who get into medical school, as Vicki has alluded to, who may be "smart" in the test-taking sense but lack the interpersonal skills one wants their doctor to have, and it's always suprising to see, but there are specializations within medicine that suit these people and they are steered in these directions. Also you may be happy to hear that medical school applications have been decreasing in recent years as the smart-but-uncaring, looking-for-a-buck types are deciding to go into IT instead. Or law school, heh.

I'm not going to touch the issue of psychiatrists; I had mixed feelings about my psychiatry experience in school and it was just not a field for which I felt suited.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

When I graduated from graduate school, I was expected to enter my field with a command of my discipline. I've always thought it was humorous that doctors and lawyers get to "practice." And who they practice on...is you. I always remember that when one of those two professions gives me an opinion. Doctors have lab tests, but, unfortunately, lawyers only have sink-or-swim courtrooms. Doctors often disagree among themselves. I went to a GP after seeing a surgeon about a problem and and when I told the GP that the other doctor had said I needed surgery, the GP laughed and gave me a DUH look. "Of course" he chuckled, "that's what surgeons do...but let's try this instead. If it doesn't work...THEN they can operate." Well, it worked. I've never forgotten that. Paul W seems to have his head screwed on right, but I'm going to be honest and tell you that EVERY graduate psych student I went to school with was certifiable. Without exception. I mean, some of them were so fuckin' rummy you could just look at 'em and go "Oh yeah, he'll be playing handball with his own doo-doo in some quiet room one day." Having said all that, people in any profession are only as good as the passion they bring to their calling. Even lawyers. And that makes all the difference. I've had doctors save my life - literally - on two occassions and for that I'm eternally grateful.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I watched one of those TV magazine programmes the other day- 20/20 or 60 Minutes that scared the crap out of me. There were cases where people went into hospital for one operation and came to with a completely different surgery- getting the wrong leg amputated and such. There was a woman who suggested that writing one's forehead, THE RIGHT KNEE or NO! on the wrong knee or whatever was a foolproof way of getting the surgeon to perform the right operation. Scary shit. Imean if that happens there, just imagine the horror stories in other less "organised" countries...

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Thanks Bubba! Yeah, I got my undergrad degree and Just Said No to grad school. People were freaking out because I had the best GPA of the current crop of Psych. majors. But I didn't want to help people and listen to their problems all day, so clinical work was out, and I didn't want to spend half my life begging for grant money so I could spend the other half of my life helping corporations figure out how to sell products more effectively (which is all the Learning and Memory research work you can get, and I was into Sensation and Perception). So I decided to figure something else out. All my friends were normal, though, I don't know how all the loonies ended up in your neck of the woods. :-)

-- Anonymous, November 23, 2000

I've had loads of bad doctor stories. I have a reoccuring problem with vertigo that lasts for days and when I was getting tests done the person conducting the test put a hole in my ear drum. She was very upset and remorseful but the doctor in charge was very cold about the whole thing.

That's not the worst example. I had some serious problems with a specialist I was going to over a year ago. He was supposed to be the best in the city which meant there was nowhere else to go. It got so ridiculous that I stopped going and have been seeing a naturopath instead. I've had more results with the naturopath; she's much more compassionate and speaks to me as an intellegent human being and she's not flakey at all. I still have to see MDs obviously but even though doctor's visits are paid for by OHIP here in Canada I now pay an alternative medicine practicioner to get the service I should have got in the first place. Man, it's hard to find a good doctor.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

I've had pretty good luck with doctors. But I don't go to one unless I'm absolutely dying. I just hate going to the doctor in general. But I did end up marrying one.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

My mother-in-law (who is a nurse, BTW) has been hospitalized since Wednesday when she had a mini-stroke. She's OK, no harm done (as far as anyone can tell) but they want to know why this happened, so she's getting lots of tests. We've been to visit her every day and she seems to be getting great care from terrific people. I've been very pleased.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

theres only 1 docter in my town and you go to him fro every thing if you no what i mean\!!!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

I think I don't like going to the doctor because my mother used to drag me to one every time I sneezed.

Once when I was in high school, I faked having a sore throat because I didn't want to go to school. My mom was pissed and threatened me with the doctor. I still kept faking and went. Turns out I had strep.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000