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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13
Top 10 Poster
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OP
Top 10 Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13 |
Hi Folks,
Just got back from yet another doc appointment. This one is being pro-active so that's a nice change. I had seen 2 others in his "group" who I didn't like and I demanded I see this one. I am glad I did. I have 2 tests on Tues-Weds next week that should give me an idea of how safe it is for me to get out on the road this year. If I get a green light, then I will start locking in some dates. I looks like we may move the Europe trip back to September and instead do more US traveling starting in late April.
So when you guys aren't happy with your docs, do you have the strength to refuse to see that one and ask for a different one? I'll be honest that it's been hard for me to do that, but I've finally gotten to the point where I have seen the difference between an engaged doctor and a disengaged one and I am going to be WAY more forceful going forward. It's my life after all. If you have had issues with doctors, I strongly suggest asking for someone new the next time.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 590
Top 500 Poster
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Top 500 Poster
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 590 |
I got lucky in that my primary is really cool, and has since become a friend of the family. Love the guy. But doctors are just like any other business (or should be), so if you're not happy, move on to someone else. Competition is good. I've gone through a steady stream of specialists in the last few years, still haven't found one I like.
I need doctor House.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,814
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Top 100 Poster
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,814 |
Yes, Keep plugging until you find the right guy that can help you!!! Don't worry about the feelings of the guy you don't like...you're on the right track...I hope you can get to Europe Brian, you're gonna have a blast...you NEED a vacation
Herbie
Oh and ya, I love that Dr House too Shandy!
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,114
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Top 40 Poster
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,114 |
Brian, This may sound naive or simplistic but when I was learning to play guitar twenty or so years ago, the guy who taught me was twenty years my senior used to say "doctors will kill you if you let them". I have remembered those words ever since. I realize that doctors are not the smartest people in the world and make mistakes. A person must take control of their own health and well being. But don't take the doctor with a grain of salt either, you must be in charge of your health and use health care professionals as needed. In other words don't just rely on someone elses word wether they be a doctor or nurse. It's your life not theirs. I think I just said something that you already know.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 583
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 583 |
Hi Brian, I changed doctors a year ago because the one I had for many years was just too passive. She would roll her eyes at me everytime I walked in the door with a look like "now what are you in here for?" She just didn't take me seriously. Turns out the new doctor diagnosed with me with something totally treatable after checking me out thoroughly. The first Doctor I had would always respond to me with "Lets just put you on an antidepressant and that will take care of your symptoms". Geez! Nobody takes care of you more than you! So go with someone you have a great repoire with. I don't leave any stones unturned. But I am a hypocondriate with my health anyway. I seem to think I have something new everyday. ha! Just take real good care of yourself. I have been told sleep is one of the number one things you need. That is the time your body restores and repairs itself. I don't like to sleep so I have to force myself. You are a night owl just like me. So there's my two cents. Take care! Tammy
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13
Top 10 Poster
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OP
Top 10 Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13 |
Well.. I must have empathically taken your advice last night because for whatever reason I just slept for 10:30 hours which for me is often more than I get in 2 days. = )
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,389
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Top 100 Poster
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,389 |
I completely blew out my voice a few years back, and the first doc I talked to told me I had vocal nodules, and that basically as a singer I was finished! I went to a second doctor who told me it was treatable, and he put me on a cortizone inhaler, and within a few weeks I was good as new! I shudder to think of what would have happened if I had taken the first guy's word as gospel!
bc
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13
Top 10 Poster
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OP
Top 10 Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 19,579 Likes: 13 |
I visited a relative in a hospital recently and the head of the department came to talk to me. I asked some very basic questions (I mean so basic that I already knew the answer) and he couldn't answer them. Then, he told me the exact OPPOSITE answer than the truth. So I challenged him, making him noticeably angry. He went to talk to a nurse because it was clear he was rattled and had no idea what the truth was (but was willing to shoot from the hip and make it all up). Finally, he returned 5 minutes later with the answer I already knew and had told him. This is a doctor who has told me that this is a fatal condition of my relative and that they can't do anything else. It's all very frightening. I've learned that if you want the best info, find a nurse who is willing to talk candidly. They often know far more about what is going on than any of the doctors or specialists. The care we (US CITIZENS) are getting for our money is terrible. It costs the most in the world for care, but I wonder anyone gets any care here at all if not for Malpractice fears.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,114
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 6,114 |
I went to a podiatrist complaining of foot pain. He x-rayed my foot and even showed me that a tiny bone was broken. He made a support to fit in my shoe to help it heal. I still had foot pain and it began to swell. I went to an MD who took a blood test and found out that I had gout.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,608
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,608 |
Hi Brian, YES, I have had to argue with doctors and nurses and switch when I was unhappy with the care I received. More than once. I don't like confrontation, so it wasn't easy for me. I have a hypothyroid condition, which isn't miserable at the moment, but seriously affects quality of life and energy when it's out of whack. I finally found a book ("Living Well With Hypothyroidism") which clued me in to what my test results were REALLY supposed to be, and discussed how to speak to your doctors about the results. It turned out my then-doctor had me on too little replacement hormone to do me enough good. I switched doctors after demanding my lab paperwork and discussing my treatment plan and getting nowhere. With the new doctor, I switched doses, then brands of Rx, and finally started feeling human again. It's a weird disease because the symptoms are all over the place for any individual. You might have some and not others. Now I tell everyone with even a HINT that "my thyroid might be low" to GET THEIR LAB RESULTS in print--make sure your TSH is BELOW 3.0. (high numbers mean you have less thyroid function) These are the new and updated numbers from the Board of Endocrinology or whoever figures these things out. Anyway... there's my mileage. I moved and had to switch dr.'s yet again, but have been lucky to find a proactive one that I like and get along with. Good luck--and YES you are doing the right thing. No one cares about your very own body as much as YOU do. It's the only one you've got!! Linda
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,524
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,524 |
20 months ago my mother had an abdominal aneurysm fixed. The next 6 months were living hell for her because of pneumonia,kidney and urinary tract infections,medication allergies,gastritis & cholitis. Her original doctors wrote her off because of her age and their high incomptence rate at being doctors. They also wanted to stick her in one of those death houses they call nursing homes and I refused. I take care of her at home which is a lot of work but it is worth it. I switched her to a doctor that is a geriatric specialist and it made all of the difference in the world. She is no longer taking two dozen pills a day,her gastritis & cholitis are gone and she is reasonably healthy and happy. She comes to the JPF meetings/showases and open mics with me too. Nursing supervisors & hospital administrator's will also help when you have a complaint. One option that you might want to check out Brian is the Mayo Clinic. Their doctor's work in teams so you are not getting just one opinion but a collective medical evaluation. That was my next step had I not found a competent doctor to deal with my mother's health. They do take most medical issurance programs too. The other thing is to make sure that you have a living will and give some one that you trust power of attorney over medical decisions in case you can't make them on your own. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible about your mecial problems.Knowledge is the best weapon that you can have. Don't mean to sound like a preacher just sharing some hard gained knowledge.
Jerry
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,044 Likes: 16
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Top 40 Poster
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,044 Likes: 16 |
Have any of you tried those natural doctors? I'm about to.They don't push pills like other doctors.I'm sure that doctors must get a kickback from drug companies for the pills they push.Some one told me about a woman who was on 19 pills a day and was about to die,a new doctor took her off of 15 of those pills and a few days later she was fine.Makes you wonder.
Everett
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574
JPF Mentor
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JPF Mentor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 8,574 |
I went through 9 doctors in the past few years before I found the one I've got, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. I don't expect miracles from doctors, but I want someone who'll talk to me and, more importantly, listen to me. I'm one of those guys who watches the needle go in when I get the blood test (if you can do that, you'd be surprised how many times they try to stick it in you before a vein comes up.)
I don't know about natural doctors, give me a good unnatural one. Most people I've met who thought pills were bad would smoke dope like a chimney, having no idea who grew it, handled it, or what might have been in it...some of them snorted stuff that could have been Drano. I tend to believe that a lot of the "natural" movement is rooted in politics and knee jerk distrust of conventional culture. Nothing wrong with natural or homeopathic medicine as part of a balanced regimen. I'm hypotriglycerimic, my doctor prefers that I exercise and watch my diet, but he augments that with a drug to lower my triglycerides.
Mary Baker Eddy shook up the medical community. Now, even the most secular of doctors readily admit that attitude and thought may be the most important tool to healing. Find a doctor you trust. Folks will habitually stay with a doctor, often because of the awe which the title "doctor" confers, often because the doctor was the stranger your parents allowed to stick needles in you. Think positive. Fight. Remember, prayer works. Our prayers here are with you.
All the Best, Mike
You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash It's only music. -niteshift Mike Dunbar Music
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,001
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,001 |
The biggest problem with most medical doctors is that they are trained to suppress symptoms, not find the root of the cause.
Often times you can cure the problem(s) just by finding the cause. Generally treating that cause is very simple, requires very little intervention and with no side effects. Believe me, I want some of the medical profession to stay, like those that set bones, or know how to do amazing surgery - when it's actually needed.
Unfortunately the vast majority of western medicine is only a business - a huge business. They are in business to suppress symptoms. In the process of suppressing those symptoms, they create more problems for which you'll need "treatment". It becomes a great cycle for them to generate a ton of money. Thus it's why those that are in certain areas of the business won't admit there's a way to eradicate some "incurable" things - or they just don't know the truth. They won't make money off you if you can get rid of something such as Cancer, AIDS, Herpes, Warts, HPV, Lyme Disease, etc... Which btw is possible to do without harmful methods.
Jody
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 559
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 559 |
As someone who works with MD's I can tell you they are only people. Many patients look up to them as if they were some kind of diety. People expect them to be able to figure out and fix everything. Many of them get caught up in the illusion of superiority. They go on beliving they are the most important person in their world and everyone should submit to their luster. They can make you wait for an hour and then see you for 5 minutes when you have a half an hours worth of questions. On the other hand there are a lot of very brillant caring regular people who practice medicine. They actually have good manners and treat patients as fellow people. You have to wonder how some of them could go to school until age 30, raise a family and still have time to enjoy the finer things in life.
You could make a comparison to professional musicians. Some of them simply fell in to a good situation and become self absorbed with success and feel no obligation to thier fans. Others are honest hard working artist who connect with their audience and treat their admirees with the respect that the people who support them deserve. The analogy could be applied to many professions. If you don't like the way your barber cuts your hair - go to another one. Think your mechanic doesn't have a clue - find someone else. Just because your doctor is a doctor doesn't mean you shouldn't shop elsewhere if your not satisfied with the service they provide. A confident competent MD will welcome a second opinion. Often a fresh perspective will lead to a different diagnosis. Medicine is a team effort and anyone who tries to deny outside analsys probably is not comfortable with their practice. If you feel that is happening to you it is your responsibilty to demand a different approach. Don't feel intimidated by the system or the elite among it. Complain loud enough that someone will point you to the right people so they don't have to listen to you standing up for yourself.
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"If one man can do it, any man can do it. It is true. But the real question is, if one man did it, are you willing to do what it takes to do it as well?" –Brian Austin Whitney
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