Do you trust doctors?

Ilya

Ilya

New Member
Do you trust doctors? And what do you do if you don't trust them? What convinces you of the correctness of the treatment?
Recently, it seems to me that the treatment that I am prescribed is expensive.
 

For me it isn't either/or. Some I trust some I don't. Does this doctor practice medicine like an assembly line having to do so many surgeries in a day to make a profit or does he offer other options first or at least explain why other options won't likely work.
 

Ilya said:
Do you trust doctors? And what do you do if you don't trust them? What convinces you of the correctness of the treatment?
Recently, it seems to me that the treatment that I am prescribed is expensive.
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Yes, I do trust my doctors and if I happen to run across one that leaves me thinking:unsure:they are not a good doctor I don't go to them any more.

The treatments I have had have been effective in curing me of the maladies I have had.
 
Yes and no.

I have a very bad history of being misdiagnosed several times and this p!sses me off to no end. Ever since I was a little kid I had terrible problems in my sleep. My mother would take me to the doctor who would always say there is nothing wrong. Fast forward decades later - doctors are still telling me there is nothing wrong. Then as I approach my 60s the University of Minnesota is experimenting on instruments to detect sleeping problems. To make a long story short it was discovered that I have been suffering from nocturnal seizures all my life. As many as 90 per hour. This means that I suffered as many as one million seizures each of which went untreated for all those years. Each and every one being potentially fatal. It's like being shot or stabbed again and again and again.

After all these years my doctor (who apologized profusely for his misdiagnosis) sent me to a specialist. Naturally, after all this time the medicines he prescribed all failed. It is just too late to treat a problem that went untreated all this time. Now, every time I go to bed it is a potential death sentence.

I've had other medical problems. One time I had an MRI at Region's Hospital in down town St Paul, MN. After the MRI I collapsed. Every medical person I've spoken to said I should have been admitted into the hospital and observed overnight. The hospital refused and sent me off where I could have been run over by a bus. It took me a full day to recover from the horrible condition I was in. A few weeks later they sent me a note saying they could find nothing wrong with me. I screamed at them and said how can any of you deny that I collapsed in front of at least 8 people. Funny how their agent said it would be unethical for them to report that I had collapsed. When I applied for Social Security disability the judge told me had I presented any evidence of my condition and its consequences he would have approved of my SSD application. Not having any "proof" I lost my case.


Thus, you can see why I am so distrustful of doctors, hospitals, and other medical people.

Having said all that, I (like you) have no alternative but to go to a doctor if I need prescription medicine.

Well, as they say in Brooklyn, life suxx and then you die.

But what the hell else am I to do?
 
I only see a doctor when it's absolutely necessary. And I don't believe frequent "Checkups" are necessary.
I learned how badly a dentist can screw you up a couple of years ago when he did an incomplete root canal that led to Sepsis & cost me 3 days in ICU & 5 more days in a regular hospital room. It could have been much worse.
 
It sounds like your GP (general practitioner) thought he knew all the answers instead of sending you to a specialist who could have helped. Maybe it's time to change doctors.
 
oldiebutgoody said:
Yes and no.

I have a very bad history of being misdiagnosed several times and this p!sses me off to no end. Ever since I was a little kid I had terrible problems in my sleep. My mother would take me to the doctor who would always say there is nothing wrong. Fast forward decades later - doctors are still telling me there is nothing wrong. Then as I approach my 60s the University of Minnesota is experimenting on instruments to detect sleeping problems. To make a long story short it was discovered that I have been suffering from nocturnal seizures all my life. As many as 90 per hour. This means that I suffered as many as one million seizures each of which went untreated for all those years. Each and every one being potentially fatal. It's like being shot or stabbed again and again and again.

After all these years my doctor (who apologized profusely for his misdiagnosis) sent me to a specialist. Naturally, after all this time the medicines he prescribed all failed. It is just too late to treat a problem that went untreated all this time. Now, every time I go to bed it is a potential death sentence.

I've had other medical problems. One time I had an MRI at Region's Hospital in down town St Paul, MN. After the MRI I collapsed. Every medical person I've spoken to said I should have been admitted into the hospital and observed overnight. The hospital refused and sent me off where I could have been run over by a bus. It took me a full day to recover from the horrible condition I was in. A few weeks later they sent me a note saying they could find nothing wrong with me. I screamed at them and said how can any of you deny that I collapsed in front of at least 8 people. Funny how their agent said it would be unethical for them to report that I had collapsed. When I applied for Social Security disability the judge told me had I presented any evidence of my condition and its consequences he would have approved of my SSD application. Not having any "proof" I lost my case.


Thus, you can see why I am so distrustful of doctors, hospitals, and other medical people.

Having said all that, I (like you) have no alternative but to go to a doctor if I need prescription medicine.

Well, as they say in Brooklyn, life suxx and then you die.

But what the hell else am I to do?
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I understand you. How do you now overcome the barrier of distrust in clinics? How to distinguish a good clinic/doctor from an incompetent one?
 
win231 said:
I only see a doctor when it's absolutely necessary. And I don't believe frequent "Checkups" are necessary.
I learned how badly a dentist can screw you up a couple of years ago when he did an incomplete root canal that led to Sepsis & cost me 3 days in ICU & 5 more days in a regular hospital room. It could have been much worse.
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I think that frequent checks are useless, because in any case, something will be found in the analyses and they will frighten you. It is simply possible that these will be frivolous pathologies, the treatment of which the doctor will insist on in order to earn money.
 
win231 said:
I only see a doctor when it's absolutely necessary. And I don't believe frequent "Checkups" are necessary.
I learned how badly a dentist can screw you up a couple of years ago when he did an incomplete root canal that led to Sepsis & cost me 3 days in ICU & 5 more days in a regular hospital room. It could have been much worse.
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Win, was your root canal done by a regular dentist or a specialist?
 
In general I'd say most doctors I've come across strike me as competent.

I'm at odds with my current cardiologist as he wants me to take a certain med, and I don't wish to. I'm on my 3rd one in almost 6 years I've had a cardiac history. Where I live cardiologists come to the local hospital twice a month, my first one retired, second one moved and now I've got the latest one. I've had a lab test verifiable problem with one medication and some other side effects that are associated with it. The associated side effects weren't known to me previously to symptoms. There are other medications in this family group that they can try, but I don't feel like I want to do that, especially since there are some people who can't take this group of medications. However, in the field it's standard treatment protocol.

I'm perfectly happy to subject myself to experimenting with lifestyle changes and so far my personal results have been good. This is my personal choice, one I accept responsibility for, nor am I an antimed advocate. Everyone's situation is specific.

Having said that, as of late dentists on the other hand... Where we live we have a "Northern Exposure" provider situation. The dentists tuition was reimbursed to work here. Not saying they're are not competent--exactly, but inexperienced certainly. When talking to you about a specific tooth they use their numbering system, which is fine if it's just the one tooth and they told you what the number was in the first place--which they didn't. A small, but telling example.
 
oldiebutgoody said:
Yes and no.

I have a very bad history of being misdiagnosed several times and this p!sses me off to no end. Ever since I was a little kid I had terrible problems in my sleep. My mother would take me to the doctor who would always say there is nothing wrong. Fast forward decades later - doctors are still telling me there is nothing wrong. Then as I approach my 60s the University of Minnesota is experimenting on instruments to detect sleeping problems. To make a long story short it was discovered that I have been suffering from nocturnal seizures all my life. As many as 90 per hour. This means that I suffered as many as one million seizures each of which went untreated for all those years. Each and every one being potentially fatal. It's like being shot or stabbed again and again and again.

After all these years my doctor (who apologized profusely for his misdiagnosis) sent me to a specialist. Naturally, after all this time the medicines he prescribed all failed. It is just too late to treat a problem that went untreated all this time. Now, every time I go to bed it is a potential death sentence.

I've had other medical problems. One time I had an MRI at Region's Hospital in down town St Paul, MN. After the MRI I collapsed. Every medical person I've spoken to said I should have been admitted into the hospital and observed overnight. The hospital refused and sent me off where I could have been run over by a bus. It took me a full day to recover from the horrible condition I was in. A few weeks later they sent me a note saying they could find nothing wrong with me. I screamed at them and said how can any of you deny that I collapsed in front of at least 8 people. Funny how their agent said it would be unethical for them to report that I had collapsed. When I applied for Social Security disability the judge told me had I presented any evidence of my condition and its consequences he would have approved of my SSD application. Not having any "proof" I lost my case.


Thus, you can see why I am so distrustful of doctors, hospitals, and other medical people.

Having said all that, I (like you) have no alternative but to go to a doctor if I need prescription medicine.

Well, as they say in Brooklyn, life suxx and then you die.

But what the hell else am I to do?
Click to expand...
I too have been mistreated by doctors. Their obsession with exploratory surgery killed my husband, and my daughter, she had a problem with her digestive system causing her a lot of pain. They saw mental illness on her chart and didn't take her seriously. When her symptoms flared again she took her own life. Still, I have respect for my present doc, so not all are bad.
 
I don't trust any of them.

Capt Lightning said:
Graham Chapman of Monty Python fame was a qualified doctor. As he put it, "Never trust a doctor - they're only ex-medical students". My favourite quote however is " Doctors are people who prescribe medicines about which they know very little, to human beings about whom they know even less".
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"Doctors are people who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing." -- Voltaire -- French writer, historian, and philosopher 1694-1778
 
chic said:
It depends on the situation. I've had great doctors and I've had terrible doctors. I guess this is why now believe in educating myself as much as possible about my condition or their treatment or what they want to do to me and why.
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My experience in resent years hasn't been good .... I too believe in educating myself with all the information available.

I recall that in years past that when I went to a doctor that they would listen, and treat accordingly.

With Advantage Plans in retirement, the doctors assigned with those plans seem to have their own agenda. And they are very much into pushing any drugs they can.
I have changed plans twice, with the same results .. wasted time/ money, and no answers to any real questions about health concerns.
 
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jujube said:
Because I haven't graduated from medical school......I have no choice but to trust doctors. That's not to say I don't question the heck out of them at times, though.

I can do a lot of research on my own, but I'm not qualified to diagnose myself.
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That's where I am

I have the skewed thought slant that they push whatever they've learned at the last seminar.
Mainly in the drug area.

One told me they recommended a drug for controlling my cholesterol.

'But, doc, my cholesterol is good, you said so.'

'Yes Gary, but your age is a factor'

??????????
 
Not really. I feel like a product when I got to the doctor. Essentially that's what we are. My first cataract surgery went well but I was fully awake for the second one (to my knowledge anyway) They stuck me 4 times to get the IV in and even then I don't think it was in properly because they said my right hand nails turned blue and I remember a lot more (and I think the whole thing) than my first surgery. I don't think that sedating medication went totally in my vein and some went in my tissue.

I have an appointment coming up for carpal tunnel in August. Sometimes I wake up at night and my hand feels like it's on fire. I really don't have much hope for this appointment and I don't want surgery really.
 
Judycat said:
I too have been mistreated by doctors. Their obsession with exploratory surgery killed my husband, and my daughter, she had a problem with her digestive system causing her a lot of pain. They saw mental illness on her chart and didn't take her seriously. When her symptoms flared again she took her own life. Still, I have respect for my present doc, so not all are bad.
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I believe you. It's terrible how much they don't listen to the patient. Or see the patient as a whole person.

This is terrible loss. I'm so sorry.
 
I h
oldiebutgoody said:
Yes and no.

I have a very bad history of being misdiagnosed several times and this p!sses me off to no end. Ever since I was a little kid I had terrible problems in my sleep. My mother would take me to the doctor who would always say there is nothing wrong. Fast forward decades later - doctors are still telling me there is nothing wrong. Then as I approach my 60s the University of Minnesota is experimenting on instruments to detect sleeping problems. To make a long story short it was discovered that I have been suffering from nocturnal seizures all my life. As many as 90 per hour. This means that I suffered as many as one million seizures each of which went untreated for all those years. Each and every one being potentially fatal. It's like being shot or stabbed again and again and again.

After all these years my doctor (who apologized profusely for his misdiagnosis) sent me to a specialist. Naturally, after all this time the medicines he prescribed all failed. It is just too late to treat a problem that went untreated all this time. Now, every time I go to bed it is a potential death sentence.

I've had other medical problems. One time I had an MRI at Region's Hospital in down town St Paul, MN. After the MRI I collapsed. Every medical person I've spoken to said I should have been admitted into the hospital and observed overnight. The hospital refused and sent me off where I could have been run over by a bus. It took me a full day to recover from the horrible condition I was in. A few weeks later they sent me a note saying they could find nothing wrong with me. I screamed at them and said how can any of you deny that I collapsed in front of at least 8 people. Funny how their agent said it would be unethical for them to report that I had collapsed. When I applied for Social Security disability the judge told me had I presented any evidence of my condition and its consequences he would have approved of my SSD application. Not having any "proof" I lost my case.


Thus, you can see why I am so distrustful of doctors, hospitals, and other medical people.

Having said all that, I (like you) have no alternative but to go to a doctor if I need prescription medicine.

Well, as they say in Brooklyn, life suxx and then you die.

But what the hell else am I to do?
Click to expand...
I have so many horror stories about medical care, but it is what it is. Doctors are people, they make mistakes. As for going to sleep not knowing if you will wake up, well, join the club. I have a bomb in my neck/head. An aneurysm on my right carotid artery which could literally explode at any moment. Death would occur in seconds.
 
win231 said:
I only see a doctor when it's absolutely necessary. And I don't believe frequent "Checkups" are necessary.
I learned how badly a dentist can screw you up a couple of years ago when he did an incomplete root canal that led to Sepsis & cost me 3 days in ICU & 5 more days in a regular hospital room. It could have been much worse.
Click to expand...
But if you’d send the dentist more often and got the cavity fixed before you needed a root canal then you could have avoided the entire issues. I don’t blame my dentist that, I didn’t see because of Covid, for my decision and subsequent loss of two teeth.
 

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