STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

shopgirl82 · Chanel

Dr's Appointment From Hell....UPDATE

rosie_the_riveter · Gucci

RE: Dr's Appointment From Hell....

Elle · Hermes

Bah! I hate rude doctors with no social skills whatsoever!

Basically what it comes down to is that you deserve a doctor who you feel comfortable with and who will be your partner in keeping you healthy. THAT is what they are there for. IT IS YOUR RIGHT to decline or disagree with any test, medication, procedure, or diagnosis that you damn well please. They may have studied medicine for who knows how many years, but you are the only one who lives in your own body. If you know that you do not in fact have high blood pressure, regardless of what their freaking reading was, then you are under no obligation to make a BP appointment, or to believe them or doubt yourself in the slightest. Doctors are sooooo wrong all the time! If something they say does not make sense to you for any reason, hash it out! Or ignore them, whichever you feel like doing at the moment !

Doctors who think they can do or say whatever they want because they are Gods freaking gift to their patients BURNS ME UP . People are informed now more than ever about their own health concerns, and health care providers need to step it up, peeps!

He's probably a good fit for your SO if he likes him - but if he's generally healthy, then their exchange probably never goes any farther than "How have you been feeling? Good? No complaints? Great! See you in a year or so!".

I could ... just ... squirt him in the eye with a syringe full of saline! Or, something ...

Kelly · Hermes

Aww that sucks! I think good doctors are one of the most important things to find - if you don't feel comfortable and trust someone, how are you supposed to open up about personal health issues? I can't believe he made you feel so uncomfortable. I don't think I've ever had such an awful doctor's visit. I hope you find someone you like and trust soon!

rosie_the_riveter wrote:

When he came back he asked me when my birthday was and proceeded to tell my husband that it would probably be a good idea for him to sign me up for Weight Watchers. I walked out and never went back to him.

That is infuriating! I can't believe he said all of that in front of your husband, but to tell your husband that he should sign you up? As if you're two years old? That's awful.

jacL · Coach

I am sorry you had such a bad appointment and I hope you got your drink!

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

I hate that - when you're having a conversation but nothign seems to be getting THROUGH! And it's soooo disorienting when it's with a healthcare professional, too. Very frustrating. So sorry sweetie!

e_doli · Dooney & Bourke

uggg .. that sucks. it seems like it's really hard to find a GP if you have any medical background. my boyfriend is a neuromuscular therapist and has dated doctors, as well as worked in a physician's office and he has the worst time seeing doctors. most never want to hear anything he has to say about his condition or their diagnosis, and i have seen some become seemingly offended that he has an opinion (and actually knows what he is talking about).

i have my own horror story: a few years ago ... i had just gotten back from a 2 week vacation in costa rica -- not a lot of sleep, lots of partying and drinking. i was not feeling great decided to stay home from classes. i think i had a quiz or paper due in one, so i needed to get a dr.'s note to be excused. so i went to the local walk in, and basically told the nurse practitioner that i saw that i felt a little tired, etc and needed an note for my professor. she took my blood pressure and it was high -- i told her i just got back from party/vacation , i just got my period, plus i felt like i could have been getting sick (knowing all these things contribute to bp), but she called in the dr. (it was like 137/85 -- not great but not alarming) so the dr. comes in, and takes my bp again, then proceeds to tell me that i cannot leave the office without being on bp meds. i asked her to explain to me why i needed the meds, what they were, how they worked, and what the side effects were. she responded by telling me that my bp is out of control, that i could have a stroke at any second if i left w/o meds, and that if i were to leave and disregard her advice she would take no responsibility. she refused to give my any information about the drugs that she wanted to prescribe, other than that they were called "beta-blockers". so i told her that i will not take any medication without thoroughly researching it myself and knowing what it is and what the side effects are, and i left. by the time i got to the parking lot, i was crying hysterically and sure that i was about to die ...

my bf calmed my down, and i made an apt with my GP. (i hadn't seen him in the first place b/c he's an hour from where i as living and didn't take my school insurance) when i saw him, he pretty much laughed at the other dr., and said that no one makes a bp diagnosis like that based on one reading, that there were significant factors contributing to my bp at the time, but that we should monitor it. 2 weeks later it was back to normal.

it's so frustrating ... i could go on and on with horror stories from my BF's surgery at cedar's in L.A. ...

could your gyn maybe recommend a GP for you? it's so hard to find someone you can be on the same page with and that doesn't treat you like an idiot when you clearly know what you are talking about.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

That totally sucks!! Well, if you want to try a new GP PM me. I have a terrific GP that I would highly recommend. I have been seeing her for almost 6 years.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i think i was being a bit dramatic right after the appt.

hahaha. ladies, it gets even worse....i'm walking down the street yesterday and i see him walking his dog! he lives two blocks away from me! it was one of those things where i could totally have crossed the street and look like an idiot avoiding him, or i could have said hi. well, he stopped so i HAD to talk to him. yet it wasn't just a "hi, how are you?"

so he tells me that he kept on thinking about our appointment after i left because he was sorry that i got so upset in the office (about the work stuff) and i told him that it wasn't his fault (i wanted to blame it on girly things, but i didn't). then he asked if my arm was all black and blue because he heard they had a hard time drawing blood, i said yes, but that's fine. then he said that if i want to come in for the bp reading i can, but if i don't feel it's necessary he trusts my decision and he realizes that with my schedule it might be more of a headache than it's worth to come in just for that (he made some joke about it raising my bp). he asked about the medicine he prescribed me and i told him that it has been making me really sleepy and that since my insurance would only cover $10 of it, i'm thinking that my sinuses don't bother me $60 a month. . he said i should stop taking it then and that he wanted to try that first, but he really thinks that i need sinus surgery (it's amazing how not being on the clock let's them be more candid, nicer, and more detailed).

anyways, yeah. can you believe that? he definitely redeemed himself and he even apologized for the check up (he did look a bit stressed that day). i think next time i go in we'll both be more relaxed, and if it starts to get stressful, i'll just ask him to go for a walk and discuss my health.

rosie- i can't believe your doctor said that! i want to write a letter to him telling him how unprofessional that is! seriously.

jacl- i did get my drink, but since they took blood it went right to me. hahaha

edoli/farrah- i actually took edoli's advice and when my obgyn called me, i asked her for a recommendation. i'm pretty sure i will give this doctor another chance since he decided to be more human to me, but if i need a rec., i'll definitely ask you farrah!

-- Edited by shopgirl82 at 14:32, 2006-11-17