At Wit's End- Fired By My Neurologist

[mkoven]

So I'm still in the middle of a bad migraine, complete with neurological symptoms of numbness and clumsiness on one side.

I talked to the neurologist's office, and since my reaction to fioricet, in addition to all my other allergies/adverse reactions, they aren't interested in seeing me/helping me come up with a plan. So there is no plan, and I'm left with nothing, and told not to come in.

So what the !@#$ am I supposed to do when I get a migraine, if the doctor refuses to work with me? And the problem is that he is the headache specialist in town, and this is not a big town with many options.

I feel abandoned.

[preacherswife]

How awful!!! I'm so sorry!

[Tessa]

I am so sorry

Do you know why you have the migraine? Sometimes it is related with a stomach issue... Even though, can you try going to another doctor? Maybe your GP can suggest something... I wish I could give you the best solution.

Hope you feel better soon,

Take care,

Tessa

[mkoven]

thanks, you guys. I'm not sure what to do. I need someone who will work with me and not just run in the opposite direction because of my problems with medications.

I feel like I've been dumped and left no recourse. He is the headache specialist at the main clinic in this not-very-large town.

So am I just supposed to writhe in pain not sleep, and call in sick when I get a migraine, because the neurologist in my one-horse-town won't work with me???

[dsdmom]

Was the neurologist actually consulted or was this his/her office staff telling you not to come in? If you did not speak to the neurologist directly, could you send him an email and explain the situation? Of course if the neurologist was involved in the decision then this might not do any good. Either way, I am really sorry that you are going through this.

[mkoven]

He was consulted and the nurse said she was just conveying his message. Of course, it would be better to hear from him. But this hospital has a policy about doctors not calling patients directly. And I've been told there are no appointments available till DEcember and he doesn't want me to come in.

[Mrs. Burschman]

I'm sorry! That certainly doesn't seem very compassionate.

Amy

[pearsjon]

i went through the same thing for different reasons(leg swelling and paralysis) from a nuerologist.

i just kept going to different types of docs and even fired a few myself. so don't give up. and see any doc that will see you. doesn't matter what type. just keep going. it took me 9yrs but i finally got a dx.

[Rachel]

I'm so sorry. That is awful to have a doctor dump you when you have no one else to go to.

Is there a nearby town that you could go to? Even if you have to drive an hour or more, perhaps the doctor could sometimes correspond with a local pcp? That way you wouldn't always have to travel.

I'm sorry. I wish I had something to offer. That's a tight spot. I pray you can find a doctor and helpful treatment.

Hugs,

Rachel

[doctorguest]

Your neurologist is pathetic, if you ask me. You don't abandon the patient just because you ran out of ideas - you refer the patient to someone who is more knowledgeable than you, be it in another town or another state. Sorry, harsh words for your doctor, but this is unacceptable. I would suggest calling the doctor's office and expressing "the outrage", after which asking for a referral to someone who does know how to help and is willing to work with you.

[morgan617]

Geez, documentation of an allergic reaction and he fires you. Trust me, he's not worth the effort it takes to get upset.

I live in a relatively small city too, and not one neuro will see me, although I have a documented neuro muscular disease. I really don't ever like to clump docs together, but it just seems to me, neuros are the very first specialty to blow you off, when you are complex. Maybe it's just me, but I worked with a nurse that worked in a neuro office and she agreed.

I guess most people think only neuros can work with migraine sufferers, but my hubby and son both have horrid cluster migraines, and have never seen a neuro. They both are able to take prophylactic meds in very low doses, which help quite a bit. I have a zillion reactions like you (my doctor says he feels like he's playing russian roulette every time he tries a new drug with me) so they are fortunate I guess.

But that is no reason to dump you, without even a recommendation for who you could see. If you have a primary, how does he feel about this? I find if I send info with my son, his primary is always willing to work with the info. Maybe you can try that. I am sorry this is happening, but it has become so commonplace, I begin to wonder. After the email I got from a soldier in the middle east this morning, discussing health care there for civilians, I feel gulity complaining, but really, there is no excuse for this kind of treatment. Good luck...morgan

[mkoven]

Thanks, you guys, for being so supportive. Not sure what the next step is that I'll take. I first have to get over being mad and upset, and then come up with a constructive plan.

I feel like doctors don't want to work with me because I'm complicated-- with all my allergies, reactions, eds, pots, etc. An allergist I saw in chicago actually said that. She added that the fact that I'm an academic doesn't help, as I ask a lot of questions. Not in a grilling or overbearing way, I don't think. I'd really like to feel that I can just talk to the doctor about my options, even if they are finite and not perfect. Even if I'm not an easy fix, don't give up on me! I don't have the option of giving up, but they do...(that allergist was ultimately helpful, btw. just not for headaches.)

[doctorguest]

Morgan, I don't think it's fair to isolate the neurologists as "the ones to blow you off". This may have been your experience because you may have predominantly neurological issues, but trust me when I say that some other specialists or primary care physicians may have the same attitude when it comes to a complicated patient that they either honestly don't know what to do about or have no time or interest to deal with. Neurologists are just like the rest of the specialists - no worse and no better at this type of attitude.

As for the headache specialists, these are the neurologists who either have additional training in headache or have special interest in treating headaches. Any doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe medications for headache - it is really not that complicated. However, there are difficult patients with headache or rare forms of headache that need to be referred to a headache specialist for additional expertise. It's just like with diabetes - any primary physician should/could treat it, but complicated cases should be handled by an endocrinologist.

[dsdmom]

Just to echo what doctorguest said, it was my primary care doctor that basically told me she doesn't want to treat me. I assume because I have had so much happen to me in the last year and am a complicated case. I don't think I'm a bad patient, maybe just more demanding of her time because I have had a lot of problems! It is VERY frustrating, particularly when they are supposed to be HELPING you... You WILL find someone - it just stinks that you have to keep looking.

[MightyMouse]

Michele, Doctorguest is correct on this one--that's just pathetic--and I'm going to be harsher than the Doc on this one: your doctor has a basic "duty of care" as part of his/her licensing--and he just violated that by failing to treat you and/or prefer to for treatment in the middle of a crisis. Your right, as a patient, is to have adequate control of pain. Ticks me off!!!

Okay, I'm being sarcastic here: but "the ones who blow you off" are equally distributed among all specialties of medicine. The trick is to find a "keeper" doctor.

Nina

[DSM3KIDZ]

I feel so bad for you, I suffer from migraines and it's brutal and than not having a doctor helping you must make amtters alot worse. What reaction did you have to Fiorcet? That helps me some times, sometimes not. I am also a complicated case, antisezier meds make me sick, triptains give me rebounds and pain meds don't work well at least not vicodin so I'm still searching for my cure. PM me we can discuss the things you have tried and maybe I'll be able to recommend some things you haven't.

Hang in there I know this *****!!!!!!!

Dayna

[P SUDIK]

Please keep us posted,meanwhile I hope you feel better soon.All the extra frustration and aggravation is not helping ,this guy's really a "gem" Take good care,HUGS Pat

[lthomas521]

Have you tried magnesium glycinate (chelated magnesium)? A friend of mine with migraines was told by her doctor to try it. I tried it and didn't have a migraine for several months. I'd ask the pharmacist before trying it, though, to avoid interactions with other medications.

[runningshoe]

When I was 24 I and struggling with Interstitial Cystitis my urologist told me there wasn't anything he could do for me! I was crushed. I eventually was able to see that what he did was totally irresponsible. There is always something they can do for you, refer you to someone else, suggest diet changes, offer support, offer hope, be human! Hang in there. You must believe that you will find relief. Don't let anyone take away your hope!

[morgan617]

Apologize for the way that came out, maybe not the first specialty, but I will not back down from them being up there on the list. I have been blown off by just about every kind of specialist. So it's not just from personal experience, or because I feel I've been the only one burned by a neuro...or 30 years of working with every kind of doctor. My internist who, as a peer, should be treated with respect, has been blown off by several "specialists" Thank God, he has the self esteem to say, I don't know, but let's keep trying.

The gist of my post was, sometimes we don't need every kind of specialist to deal with every different thing. Sometimes we can have better luck dealing with someone who knows a bit about a lot of things, than one who deals with one particular thing and can't cope with anything else added on to make it more complex.

More importantly, it's more than pathetic that most of us have had to deal with any doctor of any kind, that places his/her fragile ego above the best interests of a patient. This is hard enough to deal with. That "first do no harm" seems to have been flushed down some toilet bowl somewhere from the time I became a nurse, to now.

There are bad apples in every profession, but all of us sure seem to find the worst in the barrel quite a lot before we find a good one, if we ever do. It's a crap shoot, no matter the specialty I guess, but I still believe some are worse than others. morgan

[pastordari]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I was right where you are just a few months ago. My doctor "fired" me as well. She didn't want to deal with me any longer. She told me I took too much time and she had tried everything she knew. She gave me a few false reasons like I was doctor hopping and self-medicating . . .not so. I am on way too many meds to mess with anything!

Nevertheless, you are right it does feel like you have been abandoned. I am still looking for the right doctor and it is difficult. I do go to the Autonomic Disorders and MVP Center in Birmingham (6 hr drive for me) and they are great. I don't know where you live, but I find the drive worth it for the assistance they give, the reassurance that I'm not crazy and my symptoms are real, and they are hopeful. I think that helps more than anything else.

I am also in a small town - 6000 - and the options are very limited. We have no specialists, only GP's. It is frustrating.

Also, you can report the doc to the State Medical Board if you desire. Nothinig may come of it other than having record of a complaint, but it feels like you've at least done something.

Hang in there,

Dari

[ajw4790]

Hi~

Sorry you have had such bad luck! Not that it will help you any, but unfortunately I think that this happens more than it should. I as well was thoughly ignored, told not to return, and that they could not help, me by my neurologist. They also managed to lose part of my medical records! They didn't catch anything, I have since seen a combo of five neurologists that have found multiple diagnoses and helped me out a lot. And believe me they are a lot more skilled in their profession.

I was also told by a rheumatologist not to return... I have also since then been told by multiple drs. that they were out of line and that it is likely that I have RA, but because of this dr. I am not getting any help in that area of my health.

So, best advice from my experience find a good/great health system near by with a lot of well educated doctors, and if you can find the right doctor they then can often refer you out to other great specialists.

Good Luck!!!