Doctors

So I just came across a site called DoctorsAreIdiots. Excerpts from the site…. “My wife, Betty Nelson Schuld, died on May 8 at a Portland medical center. Her abdominal cramps started in November 2004. She went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with bowel obstruction and pneumonia. After many doctor’s appointments and visits to the emergency rooms, she went in for a three-hour bowel blockage surgery. Then we were told there was nothing that could be done and she would die in a few hours. We sat in intensive care for six hours and watched her die. “I didn’t find out that she died of intenstinal ischemia until the next day. In her last six months, she was seen by 12 different doctors. None of them came up with the correct diagnosis. She never received a correct diagnosis or … Read more

I went to visit a new internist last Friday. My current internist was a nice guy but he didn’t return phone calls for a while and that frustrated me. So I decided to go see a new internist. I went to see him with the intent of talking about my chest pain with exertion and borderline high blood pressure that I have been experiencing in recent months. Upon arriving their I filled out the necessary paperwork and sat down. Next, I heard some commotion behind the door and heard that some one had passed out.  An old man passed out and was laying on the floor. Eventually, an ambulance was called and came to take him to the ER. I never found out what happened to him. Eventually, I went back and met the doctor. He seemed like a good … Read more

Well on Friday I saw another new neurologist. I wanted to see what his thoughts were and what suggestions he had for my continuous head pounding. This neurologist was unlike other neurologists I have seen. He made me feel very at ease and I felt like I could explain everything to him that had been going on. I talked with him, and he performed some neurological tests for over two hours. In fact, during this time he gave me a glass of water and showed me to the bathroom. I went through all of my symptoms with the doctor and gave him my medical history. He also asked me several questions such as how much caffeine I consume on a regular basis, if I had sensitivity to light, the weather, and also several other questions. After a very thorough examination, … Read more

Today I saw a new neurologist. I wanted to get his opinion and see if he had any ideas. When I arrived I of course gave my medical history and described my symptoms. My blood pressure was really high, like 145/94, which may have been caused by either the Advil or amitrityptline I took last week. The doctor recommended I pursue the high blood pressure with my internist. While, I don’t like my current internist, so I called a schedule an appointment with a new one. On to the exam with the neurologist. He examined me by doing a neurological exam and did a few things on my head that I don’t think I had done before. For example, he pricked a few various areas in my scalp and also banged on the back of my neck by the nerves. … Read more

My recent letter I wrote to help my doctor visits goes smoother has prompted me to look for information on this. Bring an up-to-date cumulative patient profile with you to the interview. You can create one by summarizing your medical history on a page. Include dates of, and reasons for hospitalizations and surgery. You may not end up needing to refer to it, but if questions about your medical history come up, having one will maximize the time you can spend discussing your current medical issue(s). Bring your current medication bottles, which list the name & dose information, including herbal supplements if applicable. Describe your basic reasons for the visit in one or two sentences. Most doctors will start with the interview with something like, “What brings you here today?”. Preparing an answer to this question in advance will facilitate … Read more