Yet another rant about physicians!

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Replies

  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    tomteboda wrote: »
    This is actually really personal to me because my mom has endured amazing amounts of terrible care as a handicapped individual, and finding physicians for her has always been very difficult because her medical conditions are very unusual. This bad care has compounded a bad situation over many years and led to her being in much worse health today than she would've been.

    For example, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, but because her parents were farmers, they decided not to treat her diabetes because he while family would lose health and life insurance. She tried to get treated as an adult but it took nearly 20 years to convince a doctor that she had diabetes that needed insulin as doctor after doctor at clinic after clinic insisted she had to be type 2 and gave her pills that did nothing. So here she is at 61 with diabetic neuropathy in her feet and hands and legs and arms, unable to stand because of charcot fractures, suffering with 20% kidney function and a heart that's enlarged to 4 times its normal size, and nearly blind from diabetic retinopathy; all conditions that can be prevented with good blood sugar management, something that she was actively blocked from getting first by her parents (and their stupid doctor who approved starving her as an alternative to insulin treatment) and then by multiple physicians in three states and over 9 different health care systems.

    We moved several times, and pursued health care in different places, and each doctor would ignore her medical records and start over with their own assumptions. She had to go through testing for Lupus at every single physician, doctors in the same clinics wouldn't even acknowledging each other's diagnosis. They even wrote hypochondriac in her chart after she developed Cushings Disease rather than recognizing this new medical problem.

    Honestly, most people have no clue how hard getting good medical care can be if anything unusual is going on at all. "complain or do something about it" is such an ignorant comment.


    Thanks, you articulated much better than I could why "move" isn't necessarily a good or viable option since with edge/corner cases can be made much worse with a new doctor than with a poor doctor.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    tomteboda wrote: »
    This is actually really personal to me because my mom has endured amazing amounts of terrible care as a handicapped individual, and finding physicians for her has always been very difficult because her medical conditions are very unusual. This bad care has compounded a bad situation over many years and led to her being in much worse health today than she would've been.

    For example, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, but because her parents were farmers, they decided not to treat her diabetes because he while family would lose health and life insurance. She tried to get treated as an adult but it took nearly 20 years to convince a doctor that she had diabetes that needed insulin as doctor after doctor at clinic after clinic insisted she had to be type 2 and gave her pills that did nothing. So here she is at 61 with diabetic neuropathy in her feet and hands and legs and arms, unable to stand because of charcot fractures, suffering with 20% kidney function and a heart that's enlarged to 4 times its normal size, and nearly blind from diabetic retinopathy; all conditions that can be prevented with good blood sugar management, something that she was actively blocked from getting first by her parents (and their stupid doctor who approved starving her as an alternative to insulin treatment) and then by multiple physicians in three states and over 9 different health care systems.

    We moved several times, and pursued health care in different places, and each doctor would ignore her medical records and start over with their own assumptions. She had to go through testing for Lupus at every single physician, doctors in the same clinics wouldn't even acknowledging each other's diagnosis. They even wrote hypochondriac in her chart after she developed Cushings Disease rather than recognizing this new medical problem.

    Honestly, most people have no clue how hard getting good medical care can be if anything unusual is going on at all. "complain or do something about it" is such an ignorant comment.

    Oh it can definitely be hard, but that is not a reason not to try. I have a young family member who was born with rare medical conditions. So rare he's been written up in medical journals more than once and some elements of his disease are still not diagnosed. We have talked with congressional representatives, our governor, news agencies, etc. We have petitioned CMS/DHHR on numerous occasions. We have been to court over medical care. We live in a very rural area on a farm. We did what we needed to do. We did not take "this is all we can do" for an answer.

    Of course, this doesn't seem to be anything the OP needs to do unless there is much more to the story than was provided.
  • kwaasen
    kwaasen Posts: 11 Member
    What is an APRN/ACNP? Asks the Norwegian..

  • lexington88
    lexington88 Posts: 29 Member
    kwaasen wrote: »
    What is an APRN/ACNP? Asks the Norwegian..

    Something Something Registered Nurse, Something Something Nurse Practitioner? Guesses the Brit...
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    kwaasen wrote: »
    What is an APRN/ACNP? Asks the Norwegian..

    A Nurse with Certifications/authorities to do minor surgeries and prescribe medications like a Doctor.

    Paid better than a nurse, but not as good as a doctor.
    More experience than an entry level doctor and less cost for the clinic/hospital. In my experience often better than a traditional GP because they've got a little more experience/maturity.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    tomteboda wrote: »

    For example, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, but because her parents were farmers, they decided not to treat her diabetes because he while family would lose health and life insurance. She tried to get treated as an adult but it took nearly 20 years to convince a doctor that she had diabetes that needed insulin as doctor after doctor at clinic after clinic insisted she had to be type 2 and gave her pills that did nothing. So here she is at 61 with diabetic neuropathy in her feet and hands and legs and arms, unable to stand because of charcot fractures, suffering with 20% kidney function and a heart that's enlarged to 4 times its normal size, and nearly blind from diabetic retinopathy; all conditions that can be prevented with good blood sugar management, something that she was actively blocked from getting first by her parents (and their stupid doctor who approved starving her as an alternative to insulin treatment) and then by multiple physicians in three states and over 9 different health care systems.

    Have papers been written on her? Because type 1 means that there is *no* insulin production. She would not have survived 20 years. People who were diagnosed before insulin was discovered in its pharmacological form did not survive without starvation -- and even then, they didn't survive for anything approaching 20 years.

    I'd believe it that she was type 2 at a young age, but I do not believe for one minute that she was type 1.
  • me0231
    me0231 Posts: 218 Member
    I've got my own mini rant. Went for a physical a couple of days ago and told my doctor that I lost some weight and she didn't even acknowledge it. Not how much did you lose, not how did you lose it, no well done keep going, just absolutely nothing. And that is after her telling me each year that I should lose weight.

    At the end she goes 'well you're just above a normal BMI and you really should lose some weight. But you're working on that right? Maybe try low carb' *sigh* Maybe losing 13% of my body weight means it's working just fine?! Oh well, I will just keep going anyways. No matter what she or anyone else says.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    My GP just looked shocked when he looked back at several years worth of my weight at physical time. I had to explain bulk/cut to him. He was floored that I manipulated my weight up and down without many issues. But he was also happy that I was just choosing smaller portions of a healthy balanced diet and wasn't following fad ones. He asked me if I was doing "cleanses" or "juice fasts" and when I said no he said "good, because those are some foolish things to be doing".

    Now my sports Dr understood completely. He previously played football during college for a Div 1 school prior to medical school. So he got the whole off-season/competitive-season weight fluctuations.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    collectingblues wrote: »
    tomteboda wrote: »

    For example, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, but because her parents were farmers, they decided not to treat her diabetes because he while family would lose health and life insurance. She tried to get treated as an adult but it took nearly 20 years to convince a doctor that she had diabetes that needed insulin as doctor after doctor at clinic after clinic insisted she had to be type 2 and gave her pills that did nothing. So here she is at 61 with diabetic neuropathy in her feet and hands and legs and arms, unable to stand because of charcot fractures, suffering with 20% kidney function and a heart that's enlarged to 4 times its normal size, and nearly blind from diabetic retinopathy; all conditions that can be prevented with good blood sugar management, something that she was actively blocked from getting first by her parents (and their stupid doctor who approved starving her as an alternative to insulin treatment) and then by multiple physicians in three states and over 9 different health care systems.

    Have papers been written on her? Because type 1 means that there is *no* insulin production. She would not have survived 20 years. People who were diagnosed before insulin was discovered in its pharmacological form did not survive without starvation -- and even then, they didn't survive for anything approaching 20 years.

    I'd believe it that she was type 2 at a young age, but I do not believe for one minute that she was type 1.

    Yes, there are papers published on her case through the Mayo Clinic. And she survived exactly as you suggested. Starvation. Her mother made her pee daily to test for spilling sugar, and wasn't allowed to eat more than 2 hard boiled eggs, plain, any day that she had high sugars. I cannot overstate exactly how miserable her childhood was. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 2. Her mom took DES when she was pregnant.

    Did I mention, I believe I did, that all those pills type 2 diabetics take did nothing. Insulin, on the other hand, does. She's now been on insulin since she was 34, so for almost 30 years. You are, of course, not alone in your skepticism. It has been shared by a great many arrogant doctors who refused to believe the evidence in the charts or in her reactions to their incorrect handling of her diabetes.

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