Doctors and age

J

justfred

Member
Location
new forest
Hello Everyone.
Do you think doctors really care as we get older?
Four weeks ago I went to my local GP with chest pains and breathing difficulties He said "You have asthma" and gave me two inhalers. Three days later the chest pains were getting no better so I saw another doctor. "You do not have asthma, you have a chest infection" and gave me antibiotics. The chest pains were getting worse so I rang the doctor and explained the symptoms, "Get someone to bring you down after I have finished my surgery". My daughter was with me she said "No, I am ringing 999" She explained the symptoms to the girl on the switchboard who said "I am sending a paramedic out" The paramedic was here within fifteen minutes and took one look at me and said "I think he is having a heart attack, I am getting an ambulance" I did not have to wait long for an ambulance and I was taken straight to the theatre where they inserted two stents in an artery.
When the surgeon came to see me the next morning he said I was lucky to be alive as I had been having heart attacks for some time and there was no sign of asthma whatsoever.
Why was this not spotted by my doctor in the beginning?
 

justfred said:
Hello Everyone.
Do you think doctors really care as we get older?
Four weeks ago I went to my local GP with chest pains and breathing difficulties He said "You have asthma" and gave me two inhalers. Three days later the chest pains were getting no better so I saw another doctor. "You do not have asthma, you have a chest infection" and gave me antibiotics. The chest pains were getting worse so I rang the doctor and explained the symptoms, "Get someone to bring you down after I have finished my surgery". My daughter was with me she said "No, I am ringing 999" She explained the symptoms to the girl on the switchboard who said "I am sending a paramedic out" The paramedic was here within fifteen minutes and took one look at me and said "I think he is having a heart attack, I am getting an ambulance" I did not have to wait long for an ambulance and I was taken straight to the theatre where they inserted two stents in an artery.
When the surgeon came to see me the next morning he said I was lucky to be alive as I had been having heart attacks for some time and there was no sign of asthma whatsoever.
Why was this not spotted by my doctor in the beginning?
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Did you contact a lawyer?
 
chic said:
Did you contact a lawyer?
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Forgive me generalising, but that sounds very 'American'. It is rather more a failing of the system here rather than of the GP. They are probably up to their eyes in work and under pressure to move patients through as quickly as possible. There is also the lack of continuity - not seeing the same doctor every time. There are probably dozens of minor (and more common) complaints that give similar symptoms.

I am not excusing the GPs, and there may be negligence. I am not qualified to say. Main thing is that you're on the mend and hopefully you won't have any further trouble.
 

That’s frightening justfred but I have to agree with you, I don’t think they do care and, as in my case, they are so rushed off their feet these day they are often preoccupied, which doesn’t excuse it of course

Thank goodness your daughter had the sense to dial 999, wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery
 
Yes I do realise that most GPs are stretched to the limit but I still think that the aged get put at the bottom on the priority list.
I can honestly say that I owe my life to my daughter for her quick thinking in getting an ambulance. The paramedics knew by the symptoms that it was a heart attack so why did the doctor not realise this when they were described to him. It,s all in the past now so for the next few weeks I am to 'Do as I am told'.
 
justfred said:
Yes I do realise that most GPs are stretched to the limit but I still think that the aged get put at the bottom on the priority list.
I can honestly say that I owe my life to my daughter for her quick thinking in getting an ambulance. The paramedics knew by the symptoms that it was a heart attack so why did the doctor not realise this when they were described to him. It,s all in the past now so for the next few weeks I am to 'Do as I am told'.
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All doctors are not created equal and to further complicate the matter, some are more or less equal in specific areas. We have to be vigilant in evaluating the health care we need/get and figure out how to best deal with it... that's what your daughter did for you. Unfortunately it is often more difficult for the patient to do a good job of this than an interested observer.
 
When I lived in Hampshire, my GP was a bit dismissive of 'aches & pains'. He used to say that 100 years ago, I wouldn't have lived to my age.
Here in Scotland, the GPs seem to be a bit more pro-active - sometimes I think a bit too much! I get a feeling that once you're over 60 they worry you to death by wanting to test you for everything and treat you whether you're ill or not.
 
My husband is dealing with Mesothelioma, he feels as if he’s nothing but a number any more to the docs, he’s terminal and there’s no hope so they’re all dismissive of him.
 
That is outrageous, Justfred. Chest pains are such a widely recognized symptom that probably most lay people could realize that you, at least, might be having a heart attack. This kind of incompetence should never happen.

Once my husband went for a routine checkup by his cardiologist, who spent the whole time reading a lot of charts and numbers, never really examined him, and told him everything looks good, come back in 3 months. On the way home, he had severe chills and fever, and it turned out he had pneumonia! In their rush to get as many patients through the mill as possible, some doctors have lost sight of the fact that they are supposed to actually examine the patient! (We switched to a different cardiologist.)

Debbie, that is very sad, and there's probably little you can do.
 
As I get older, I am getting more and more skeptical about the services rendered by many GP's. It seems that they are increasingly overwhelmed by their workloads, and have little time to spend with the patient in order to give a correct diagnosis. The few times I've been to a doctor in recent years, it seems that he/she just gets out the laptop, and starts typing in symptoms as we speak....I can do that myself on the internet with sites such as WebMD. The biggest problem I see...as years pass...is the Lack of GP's. 95% of today's med students plan on entering a Specialty...because that is where the Big Money is. The day is soon coming when a person will have to stand in line just to get an appointment with a GP....or most of our GP's will be imported from India, etc.
 
dpwspringer said:
All doctors are not created equal and to further complicate the matter, some are more or less equal in specific areas. We have to be vigilant in evaluating the health care we need/get and figure out how to best deal with it... that's what your daughter did for you. Unfortunately it is often more difficult for the patient to do a good job of this than an interested observer.
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A late friend was a medical doctor. He said during training, they began recognizing that to be a seriously good diagnostician required psychic ability. They would all go into a room with the same medical knowledge and be looking at a patient during rounds when one of them would pop up with a diagnosis that totally astounded the rest of them. He swore the people who could do that were psychic and that there were only two of them in his large class. He said he was an average or better diagnostician, but he freely admitted for him it was a matter of applied knowledge, which was a different kettle of fish.

Doctors who are affiliated with HMOs are subject to being fired if they don't see enough patients in a given period of time. HMOs are run by bean-counters who only care about numbers, not quality of care.

All of that is compounded when they deal with an aging patient because they expect our parts to wear out. They don't know much about how to prevent it or make it any better.
 
In the US, medicine is a business. You have the 10 minute appointment, broken down to 1 min. 15 sec for this, 45 sec for that, etc. Being humane isn't cost effective. And socialized medicine ain't much better. There are just too few Docs, with 12 years of education. And this isn't 1847, when an MD didn't need to be a specialist. And he accepted a bag of apples as payment. We have to computerize medicine. A computer is the only thing that can store everything about your medical history. A computer will upload your symptoms, and access your diagnosis. With your history, and using the latest research; prescribe your treatment. It's not warm and friendly, like a country Doc; but you don't have an infection, either. If we can use computers to run research robots to test Martian soil, we aught to program computers to treat your rash.
 
Just a note to all: Chest pain should always send you to the ER immediately for a diagnosis. Waiting (as my mom did,for her doctor`s office to open) could cost you your life.
 
WOW. Based on no info the doctor should be sued? 999 is obviously a number that is used in countries other than the U S

But as bad as our health care system is supposed to be at 65 a welcome to medicare full physical is available.


Was the local GP his regular doctor and did he have routine check ups? Did Fred ever go to a doctor before this? Seeing another doctor is reasonable for a 2nd opinion. Was this with an appointment or an emergency room?


What tests if any were done?


If this is bad now in a system that probably has single payer. Any best guesses what a single payer system that will cover the U S population of 324,921,372 will do to the demand for quality care?

Maybe good luck for my wife and me but our GP stays on top of our lack of any health problems. After the screening where our results were put into the system he uses, our routine check ups are discussed.
 
I'm thinking that a doctor should automatically seek to "rule out" a heart attack any time a person of advanced age comes in to see him with chest pains. That should be the first thing he looks for. Sounds to me like negligence on his/their part.

My doctor has a great personality and he tends to give me adequate time, but he also tends to be "dismissive" of complaints. He's rather old-school and I find the old-school doctors tend to be a bit dismissive of women's complaints.......complaints that would get men a full workup get women an admonition to lose weight and get more exercise.
 
These are terrible stories and I don't think it is going to get any better. My hubby was taking a medication on a regular basis and he would call in for a new prescription when the old one ran out. It was refilled,no questions asked. When he went back to the doctor for a yearly check up the blood work showed that his kidneys weren't functioning as they should. The doctor said it was because he kept getting refills on the medication and it was harming his kidneys. I thought the idea of having to call in was to keep tabs on how many refills you were getting and not to fill it if the doctor thinks he needs to come in or have blood work. He laid all the blame on my husband. When the drug was first given the doctor never said he needed to be seen in a month or two. Since my hubby was doing ok we assumed all was going well.
 
jujube said:
I'm thinking that a doctor should automatically seek to "rule out" a heart attack any time a person of advanced age comes in to see him with chest pains. That should be the first thing he looks for. Sounds to me like negligence on his/their part.
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Yes, the doctor should have ordered an EKG.

I'm not sure what the other poster meant by "sounds very 'American'" except that, in America, if you go to a clinic, you aren't likely to be seen by a doctor but an MA or PA or, in rare cases, an RN. If you want to be seen by a doctor, you're better off going to an ER. Of course, if a Primary Care Physician, an MD, has already established, then you would be seen by your doctor.

If you're having chest pains, or suspect a heart-attack or stroke, you should always dial 911.
 
I went to see a periodontist concerning gum pain I was having in an area with no teeth, since the molars had been extracted, many years ago. Did he address my concern? Not for one second. He took a brief look and told me I needed a complete deep root planing, which cost $1700 at his office. That procedure deals with your gums in the areas where you have teeth! This guy was simply trying to take my money. Now, I sit here in pain, as the area I was concerned about has what feels like an infection pocket, under its top layer. Tomorrow I go see a dentist who will hopefully not try to sell me Invisalign braces, like another dentist did, a few months ago. I'm not sure this behavior is age related. I think most medical and dental practitioners are now in it mostly for the money. Very sad reality of life, these days.
 
KNight.
No we do not have regular check ups as doctors are 'too busy' Yes I did go to the doctor with chest pains and as I said previously was told it was asthma. The second doctor dismissed the asthma theory and said it was 'just a chest virus'
I was told by the surgeon that I have to thank my daughter for saving my life.
 
Cap'nSacto, I think, and apologies if I'm wrong, that American culture is much more litigious than the British one. Our first reaction would not generally be "have you contacted a lawyer?". It's more, "glad you are OK ?". Once the dust has settled, it's time to consider whether to pursue any form of action against the doctors.

Fred, we do have regular check-ups in Scotland. Albeit, this tends to be a senior nurse who has a checklist compiled by some faceless committee. It's best to just tell them what they want to hear, and then see a doctor if you have any problems. I miss the days, not long ago, when my local health centre was owned by two GPs of 'the old school'. They were very experienced, but most of all, they knew about people and treated them as individuals with individual needs. Now they have retired and you're just a number who is expected to conform to a set of criteria compiled by another faceless committee (and probably backed up by the pharmaceutical industry). Oh, I am a cynic!
 
I am not thinking of taking action against anyone, I am more than happy that things have turned out OK. I am ninety so think myself very lucky to have got over this 'scare'
I remember the days of yesterday when you did not have to make an appointment to see a doctor. You just turned up and waited till it was your turn when he shouted through his consulting room door "Next!"
 
Yes Fred, those were the days. I remember our family doc. from when I was a child. His name was Dr. Rutherford, and his approach was that if you were well enough to get to the surgery, you weren't too bad. My niece is a GP and had become somewhat cynical the last time I saw her. She said that if I was really ill, I would be in hospital. People usually only saw her for a bit of sympathy.
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
Just a note to all: Chest pain should always send you to the ER immediately for a diagnosis. Waiting (as my mom did,for her doctor`s office to open) could cost you your life.
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How true that is! Patients get attached to their docs. I’ve seen patients rolled into the office on a stretcher, some that refuse to see any doc but their own (even if the doc and his family are on a vacation)and the best......a very popular doc in our clinic left to be a hospitalist....his most dedicated patients started going to the ER of the hospital he was working at just to see him instead of a doc in a clinic.
 
justfred said:
I am not thinking of taking action against anyone, I am more than happy that things have turned out OK. I am ninety so think myself very lucky to have got over this 'scare'
I remember the days of yesterday when you did not have to make an appointment to see a doctor. You just turned up and waited till it was your turn when he shouted through his consIulting room door "Next!"
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I so remember this. It was still that way when I was in high school. Doctor's visit was only $15.00. My GP was the same doctor who delivered me! LoL. I had the best health and medical care back then. Now, I don't even bother, but take care of myself, though other family members do still go to doctors.
 
A friend complained to his doctor on several visits that he was having chest pains. He had a devastating stroke some years ago and lost use of his right side. With a lot of therapy, hard work and determination, he walks and rides a tricycle. He even climbs up on his roof to make repairs. He cannot project his voice and can be difficult to understand but when you get used to him, he communicates quite well. Since his stroke, he makes frequent visits to his doctor, mostly because his body doesn't work as well as it did. The other thing is that his wife whose mental health has been deteriorating and she accompanies him into the exam room to flirt with his doctor.

It's no excuse, but those three factors -- his inability to speak well, being a frequent flyer and his nutty wife who interrupts him because she thinks it's a social call -- probably factored into his doctor wanting to get rid of him ASAP rather than taking the time to listen to him.

He passed out at work, was transported to the hospital via ambulance and tests showed he had some major blockage. After stents, he's doing well again.
 

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