I Feel Like My Doctor Doesn't Understand

[Nauthiz]

Im sure most of you can agree with me here atleast for my GP. I went to him the other day complaining of headache, and he looked in my nose and ears(no neurological questions or exams). he said one ear looked inflamed(the one that didnt even hurt), and my nose looked inflamed. So he gave me anti biotics. The thing is i don't have a fever or runny nose or really any symptoms of a infection i just have a one sided head ache in the back crown of my head and a mild feeling of ear pain. But the ear that hurts he didnt see any inflammation?? Anyways i took the antibiotics for 4 days(although i missed a couple doses from falling asleep to early)and i feel no different.

So i call him back as he asked me to do if i didnt feel any better in 3 days, and he doesn't even talk to me, they just auto order me new antibiotic brand. I feel kind of ignored i mean what if it has nothing to do with an infection? He didn't even talk to me, its upsetting.

I also looked up the new antibiotic which has alot of side effects including irregular heart beat which i don't want to deal with considering i usually always get bad side effects.

I told him that in the mornings for months i sometimes have brown plegm only in the mornings so i might have a mild infection maybe??? But i don't think it has anything to do with these new headaches.

I think im going to just not going to take these new antibiotics and get a new doctor. Can anyone relate to this? i feel like i'm getting nowhere.

[janiedelite]

You're right to be concerned with the lack of communication. I think it's imperative to have a doctor who is willing to listen to your issues and respond to your questions, especially as your primary care doctor. Ask around to family and friends about their experiences with their doctors, maybe they'll have a recommendation. Good luck!

On another note, I was getting piercing ear pain last year and, just like many other of my issues, the practitioner was puzzled at how my ear canal looked and even brought in the "trainees" and had them take a look (I didn't have any pus or drainage, just lots of inflammation). And, like you, the ear that looked better was actually the painful one. They weren't sure it was a bacterial infection, so they gave me some pain meds and steroid drops to drop in my ear (which I don't think really helped). The pain just went away with time and I never really got any answers. Another medical mystery!

[morgan617]

You can have a chronic sinusitis that doesn't cause runny nose or anything but can cause fatigue, feeling run down, ear and cheek pain, but you'd never think of sinus stuff.

The problem with sinus infections is that they are way undertreated, they require a long (up to a month) course of antibiotics, or they feel better, but just simmer and smoulder in there, making you feel crummy. 4 days is pathetic for any type of infection, let alone sinus. You can request an x ray, or better a CT scan of your sinus to see. Most ear nose and throat docs have CT machines in their offices anymore.

This happened to me about 12 years ago and i never would have thought sinus, but there it was. I was on ceftin for 21 days along with 3 nasal sprays, but it cleared it up and I haven't ever had it again. Also Neti pots are the new thing and I actually think they do help. And trust me, I am so not into non traditional stuff, I was steeped in traditional medicine for over 30 years. Good luck sweetie, morgan