Doctor Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[StaceyYount]

Ok This is just to share, some of you know I am going through a bit of a hard time finding a new doctor since the traitor (old PCP nice nice doctor) left his practice. So Friday I had an appointment with a new PCP. He was at a clinic that I had gone to before (2 minutes away from house) and one of the nice things is that they do a lot of tests there so you don?t have to make separate trips. So we thought well since we are just trying to find someone.. he is as good as any (HA wrong thought!!!) So while we are waiting I see this scowling doctor walking around and I hear him say God when is this day going to be over. (and in my mind..not him please not him) I will call him SMDoc (scowly mean doc) from now on. So we go in room and wait and wait and wait. Then he walks in SMDoc and says to Jim you are and before Jim finishes he cuts him off oh husband. So then not to go into to much detail but his whole attitude was that I was infringing on his time and he was very very curt and rude and I was so unhappy and all we were talking about was the sinus infection. Then he says do you work..and I said well I have another illness . Jim dropped off a letter kind of summarizing everything for you. There is not letter here...we gave it to girl at front desk Well it is not in your chart....ok it should be?? So then he leaves to order test and check on letter, a nurse comes in and says what does the letter look like and I said a letter my name on top..Dear Dr...Ohhh well who did you give it to...arghhhhhhhhhh! and Jim leaves to go get letter cause they lost it. So then nurse comes in and she says ok we are going to do a Pulmonary function test and you will have to stand. I said I can?t stand... And so she gives me a look, and looks at chart... then says well then you won?t be able to test very well...then after that and blood she says well next is x-ray it is just around corner you can walk and I said no I can?t not unless you want me to faint on you. So she loudly gets wheelchair and then wheels me right outside door and says seee...by now I am almost in tears. So I didn?t say anything but the x-ray room is down the hall so it was not just around corner and I have to be wheeled in and then they want me to stand of x-ray and again I have to say I can?t and tell them that at hospital they use a stool...ooooooh I guess that will work. While I am waiting for x-ray I hear someone very loudly say she didn't;? need that test there is no way I could have exhaled that strongly no way..DID I ASK FOR THE TEST NO! DID IT MAKE ME FEEL HORRIBLE YES. Oh yea and Jim had to tell them not to do the second part cause it makes your heart race and they said well it does that to everybody and he said but do they all have heart condition (he is a bit mad at this point) And they see the wheel chair if I had no legs or something would they say these thing??

So then doctor comes in and says is this the letter and Jim says well it is a copy of one like we did for you I just did not have your letter on my computer...it is addressed to someone else SMDoc says... idiot. So then Smdoc says I have no idea what to do with you. What do you want me to do. At that point I wanted to scream leave! But Jim said well you want some treatment for sinus infection and if you have any thoughts on the POTS...WELL SMDOC says that is is a syndrome there is no cure I have no magic wand or magic pill...ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH So after much more meanness and us just trying to get him to listen and to do something...He?s like well I?ll send you to ENT anything else ...and a little more talking and he flipping very annoyed pages back and forth and finally getting some respect for Jim. One of the greatest things is that you know how they talk down to you like you are so stupid...well Jim just starts talking about things and they say oh you know your anatomy and he says I better I teach it and Microbiology. At least then he gets a little more respect. We finally get treatment for sinus infection, a referral and then some other blood work he said he would order... he finally left and then it was taking 20 minutes to check us out and Jim finally just threw the co-pay and said well come back for anything we need I've got to get her home. Jim said later it might not have been so bad ,we have met many curt doctors but this guy was just mean. And he was...my question is why if these people dislike and distrust patients so much why do they get into the medical field? I mean this was one of the worst and believe I have run into some doozies dealing with this. But still I don?t understand how medicine has become that doctors are gods and we are the poor mortals who must be lying to them and wasting there precious time. One day I am going to go to Medical schools and I am going to lecture and say have some empathy, have a heart and treat each patient as their own person and well it might not help. Mukie always lectures about this in his classes and says have some compassion , people are all ready scared and they don?t feel good.. help them don?t cause them more suffering. Sorry but had to share this with you guys. Obviously he is no longer my doctor and we have decided to go out of Titusville for our next attempt. It should not be this difficult to find a caring compassionate doctor. Stupid traitor why did he leave his practice??But onward and upward and hopefully to a new doctor who has a clue in his or her head. Or at least willing to help!

End of rant bring on the the insurance list hahahahahah!

[dizzygirl]

I'm so sorry that you had ausch a cruddy expereince today.. that doc and his Nurse?? seriously need a couple swift kicks in the butt! with a good pair of pointy toe'd high healed shoes.. the point so you can kick them.. and the heel so you can stomp on there foot!

It makes me feel so mad for you and others who have to go thru this all the time.. I agree.. if they cant be nice and compassionate.. then why the heck are the in the field of medicine?

I notice that you mention titusville florida--my pcp is moving to this area of florida.. though i'm nut sure if she is working in a medical office.. or what i wil find out.. and let you know though.. she is great.. and great doc.. she has treated me for about 3 yrs now...

I will find out wednesday if she is seeing patients.. I want to say that she is working w/ alzheiner patients I think.. but I'm not sure.. I promse to let you know either way..she is going to be missed fromme that is for sure!!

hang in there dear!

[Jenn202]

Oh my goodness what a day you had! I have been there so many times...

I have actually stood up, grabbed my medical info out of a dr's hand and walked out he was so aweful.

The good thing is you had your supportive hubby there,.... I bring mine to all my appts as well b.c it makes you "legit" to some of these Dr's... SO sad a woman has to have a man behind her for validation, but it does work. they can be our advocates when we are not up to the job.......

Anyway, I hope you can find a new PCP soon.

I know how hard a job that one is.... I think I finally found a good one a few months ago after have a string of luney tunes....

Hang in there !!

[Be Still]

I have never heard of such appalling treatment. That was outrageous. A professional who demonstrates such gross lack of self control needs to be in treatment themselves, or perhaps, take a leave of absence.

We need to recognize when people are dysfunctional (professional or not, and especially professional) and find other ways to get our needs met. When you first get that sick feeling at a doctor's office, that is the time to leave, immediately. From the very first twinge of it, because it's only going to get worse (promise!) That sick feeling is your own psyche telling you that you are being mistreated.

It takes great courage to do this. It is a respecting and a valuing of yourself. Such an overwrought doctor has lost sight of you as a precious human being, coming to him in a vulnerable state for his expertise and caregiving.

I have said to a doctor, "I can see that we see things differently and I think it best if I find another doctor to treat me." This is a professional response and gets the job done of getting out of there. (This particular doctor tried to back pedal, but he had said some very outrageous things. I later learned some more of his disgraceful behavior, and was relieved that I had limited my experience of it.) Maybe, if more patients did this, the doctor might begin to wonder why.

We go to a doctor for validation and relief not to be mishandled, offended, and saddened. "First, do no harm."

I am adamant that we must not tolerate this sort of behavior.

I suggest that you ask around for a recommendation. Best wishes on finding a doctor who treats you with respect and value, and desires to help you with your health challenges. (Thank goodness your husband was with you!)

[Ernie]

Hi,

It amazes me to see our stupid doctors can be!

Hope your next doctor is exceptional (on the postive side).

[DSM3KIDZ]

Your doctor sounds like a real**************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should make a complaint. I did that once and the doctor got a review by the board than had to either call me or send a letter of apology. He ended up sending the letter and I'll keep it forever because he actually had to think about the way he treated me and hopefully will remember this with the next patient.

Hang in there I hope you find a doctor soon

Dayna

[AJVDK]

Sorry to hear about all your problems with the newest PCP. I hope you find s good one soon that will listen to you!

[bttrflyamby1981]

I'm so sorry you had to deal with such a mean doctor. I think you should report him too. There is no excuse for such behavior from a doctor.

Good luck in finding a "good" doctor,

Amber

[cmtaylor5]

Hi, Stacey,

So sorry you had such an awful experience. One of my best friends is a doctor. I met him as a patient, and became friends with him in the community later. Knowing him personally now, I have a much different understanding of the practice of medicine (even though I worked in the medical field before my kids were born).

The bottom line for my friend (who by the way happens to be an exceptionally empathetic doc), is that his practice is a BUSINESS. He performs a service and in order to make a decent living, his patients have to be satisfied.

For years, doctors have been treated like "gods", largely because their services are so valuable to us, and because they make so much money. There are other countries where doctors are not held in any more regard than anybody else with a specialized education. In the US, doctors are like royalty. We all need to adjust our attitudes and realize that they are just people. I can't think of any other profession in which you would pay somebody for their services, and have to endure the kind of unprofessional behavior demonstrated by this doctor and his staff. I don't know if this guy was having a collossally bad day or what, and I'm not sure I would file a complaint with the medical board, but I sure would write a letter.

I would address it to the doctor, if he's the practice owner, or group (if it is one) and would very pointedly explain that I found the whole office to be run in a very unprofessional manner- starting with the receptionist who didn't put the letter in your chart, right down to the rude nurse and hostile doctor. Lots of people don't realize it, but it is not so easy to make lots of money in medicine anymore. I see time and time again that people on this board are losing their docs to "moves" and "re-locations". That's because it's hard to keep a practice running and profitable now. Lots of docs end up moving to clinics that are owned by hospitals or doctors that own multiple practices. This guy needs a major reality check. Give him one.

Good Luck,

Carolyn

PS I have found since my diagnosis, that if I call ahead and talk to the doctor's nurse and explain my medical situation, I can usually get a pretty good feel for whether or not the doctor I'm going to see will be willing to treat me, or has any knowledge of my condition. It's been my experience that compassionate docs hire compassionate staff, so it's a good indicator of how I'll be treated at my appointment.

[dianaD]

I totally agree that you should write a letter. Tell all the gory details, especially what you heard him say, when he thought you weren't listening. Things are not going to change for him, unless somebody wakes him up (or if he gets POTS himself which would be SOOOOO gratifying, don't you think?).

I pray your next one is a GOOD one!

[mom4cem]

What a ****!

Anyway you can reach your old nice pcp and see if he can recommend someone?

[Guest Julia59]

I'm so sorry to hear of your misfortune with this nimrod of a Doc.

I am with Carolyn in that this is a service, and in no way should a patient have to tolerate such abusive behaviour by this physician or anyone else on his staff.

I'm sick of seeing this, and sick of the ignorance. Stress is one of the main things we have to avoid, and this Doc caused you so much stress in twenty minutes------ugggg------------I would have been stunned.

The good news is that I actually received a letter today after writing several letters to MUO---(the hospital where Dr. Grubb works) advocating for dysautonomia patients--------discussing the continuous ignorance, and lack of education on this subject. I received a response!

This is a quote from a paragraph in the letter sent to me by the director of customer service.

"The information contained in your letter regarding this debilitating disease is very informative. I understand your concern regarding the future of patients afflicted with this disease. I've shared your information with our medical staff director to create greater awareness of the need for more experience in this area."

This letter was originally sent to the president of MUO---- carbon copies of the Director of Customer Service's response to me were sent to him, and another Physician. I will be thanking her for her response tonight via e-mail.

All we can do is continue to try our best---First by standing up for ourselves, and then by making these physicians understand that they are there to serve us---because we pay them a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$. The problem is that many times we are too sick to deal with such ignorance and abusive behaviour----so they get away with it--------A LOT.

I'm glad your not giving up---believe me, there were times where I wanted to dig a hole and stay there. I just go sit somewhere and feel sorry for myself for a couple hours, and I usually get my batteries charged back up to give it another go.

Hang in there---I wish you better luck with your next PCP encounter.

Julie :0)

[StaceyYount]

Thanks everyone..I think I am still stunned...Thank you for all your support!

What a ****!

Anyway you can reach your old nice pcp and see if he can recommend someone?

The first PCP we tried was his recommendation adn he cancelled 2x and then was not there..office closed on 3rd. So we did try that too but good suggestion thanks.

Well am goin got go to ENT and then try again. Just makes me want to cry.

[corina]

stacey, i'm so sorry that you had to go through all this. it makes me so mad, but sad as well. you know what i mean. keep your chin up and hold on, it's all you can do.

thinking of you,

corina