Posted by Ted (205.188.197.163) on December 08, 1999 at 01:47:25:
In Reply to: Doctors posted by Todd on December 07, 1999 at 22:45:46:
Well, my complaints about my doctors are the following (and I've seen about a dozen so not all of these relate to a particular doctor).
*Prescribed meds that should not be taken together.
*Misdiagnosed for over a decade.
*Told to come into his office, 1/2 hour away. I explained that that was impossible because I lived alone, didn't have a car at the time and was relying on the bus system which came 1/2 a mile from my house once an hour and that when I get them it's almost impossible for me to move much. Was told that when these headaches really became painful I'd do it. Oh, the request to come in was just to monitor me for my first Imitrex use.
*Given my first scan, MRI in my case, 15 years after reporting them, which in and of itself and in context of everything now isn't bad since if there was a tumor there we would have figured it out once it took it's course.
* After arriving at a headache clinic 3 hours from home, and after being told that I was going to get a full work-up of medical, psychological, biofeedback training, etc..., a full session, I got there (this was in the days before HMOs were so prevalent) showed them my HMO card and instead of a full work up got a 15 minute interview with a doctor and sent on my merry way.
* After finally pleading on a few seperate occassions to get oxegyn from my doctor he finally gave-in and prescribed it -- at 1l p/m. The pharmacist corrected him and said the least amout should be 4l p/m (Thank God I came to this board and discovered that that was inadequate too and that's why it had iffy results).
And just so it doesn't seem like maybe I'm just frustrated with the headaches and taking it out on doctor's, I've also dealt with one of these dr.s when I had a very aggressive and quickly progressive strep throat. I couldn't call him because I couldn't swallow or speak from extreme swelling. The person who's house I was at had to call him and plead for him to see me -- talking to him, not a receptionist. He was more stubborn in his suggestion of sleeping and drinking fluids (which I obviously could do neither). They hung up the phone and was taken to the ER, where they didn't care as much about whether an HMO patient would be as profitable as a private insurance company patient.
In conclusion, I don't think that the Drs have gotten less talented. Just more greedy mixed in with now being "regulated" by the HMOs.