Doctor visits
Replies
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Good. Your doctor is doing his or her job.2
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It's a doctor's job to advise you if you're overweight/obese, and of the related health risks.
It's wrong if they ignore other symptoms and blame everything on the weight. And especially if the issue is not caused by or made more severe due to weight. However...
After I lost 90 lbs, I got dramatically fewer colds and respiratory illnesses in general. So in this case, your doctor may have had a good point bringing up your weight as a potential factor.
My two cents.1 -
Everything has become protocol driven with the conversion to the electronic health record. I was just at my PCP- I had put off some screenings for a few years and hadn't even been in to see him. We talked about this kind of thing- computerized charting makes quality auditing much easier, but it also looks at medical care differently. For example, he has to be able to show that with a female clientele of x% that x of them have their recommended mammograms. If his patients are not having them done for whatever reason- then they are not meeting their requirements which could impact their ratings. If a certain percentage of the patients are overweight, he needs to be able to show that he has advised his patient on weight loss, complications of obesity, etc. Now, his asking means he can check the box- which is how it is measured not on the quality of your conversation- or even whether you are actually working on your weight management. Quite honestly, since he brought it up then it would have been a good time to talk about the plan you have been working on and your success to date. It should be in your medical record as it does impact your health.
While there is an abundance of information at the provider's fingertips with the technology, it has caused some hiccups in care. Because much of documentation is a check box now- a provider can't even really refer to his past notes where he may have hand written more specifics about your personal ongoing care which may have sparked a memory about your last visit. Now your chart looks pretty identical to the last person's he saw. With the constant flow of patients seen in the office every day, many are fortunate to feel they have a provider who even remembers them. Doesn't mean the provider is bad, but it has changed the way care is delivered today, and it will continue to evolve over time.3 -
gearhead426hemi wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »The only time I go to the doctor is if there is a bone sticking out of the skin. If you go in to the doctor for every sniffle and cough you will always be sick. The body is designed to heal itself so proper rest and diet is all you need for the majority of the problems out there.
I went for a health assessment for my work to get more $$ put into a health flex account. I haven't been to the doctor in over 10 years. First thing he asks is when was my last visit. I told him about 10 years and he about dropped his pen. I told him if I haven't been hurt or sick why would I go see a doctor? He told me they recommend seeing a doctor twice a year. I asked him do you take your car to the mechanic when its running good? He didn't like that comment at all. Now there are plenty of reasons that some people need to see a doctor and should see a doctor when they have serious health problems but overmedicating your body does more harm than good. When you have to take pills to counteract the side effects of the pills that are giving you side effects worse than the initial problem you went to the doctor for whats the point.
Um, yes? It's called regular servicing...
You don't need a mechanic/doctor for regular servicing. You only go to the mechanic when something breaks or fails. As long as you are staying active and eating healthy there is no reason to see a doctor.
Cancer screening is proven to lead to early detection, leading to earlier treatments and better patient outcomes.
In the US, breast exams/mammograms, Pap smears and prostate exams are done on a regular basis regardless of lack of symptoms. At age 50, colonoscopies are done regardless of symptoms.
Gastric cancer is so prevalent in Japan that they screen people w/ EGD in addition to screening colon cancer w/ colonoscopies.
Children see pediatricians when healthy. They have check ups for normal growth and development. They get vaccinations. These are called "well visits."
So yes, people should see doctors for regular health maintenance and screenings, not just when something is wrong.4 -
suzannesimmons3 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »The only time I go to the doctor is if there is a bone sticking out of the skin. If you go in to the doctor for every sniffle and cough you will always be sick. The body is designed to heal itself so proper rest and diet is all you need for the majority of the problems out there.
I went for a health assessment for my work to get more $$ put into a health flex account. I haven't been to the doctor in over 10 years. First thing he asks is when was my last visit. I told him about 10 years and he about dropped his pen. I told him if I haven't been hurt or sick why would I go see a doctor? He told me they recommend seeing a doctor twice a year. I asked him do you take your car to the mechanic when its running good? He didn't like that comment at all. Now there are plenty of reasons that some people need to see a doctor and should see a doctor when they have serious health problems but overmedicating your body does more harm than good. When you have to take pills to counteract the side effects of the pills that are giving you side effects worse than the initial problem you went to the doctor for whats the point.
Um, yes? It's called regular servicing...
You don't need a mechanic/doctor for regular servicing. You only go to the mechanic when something breaks or fails.
If I waited until something broke or failed on my car before getting it fixed, it would cost me a fortune... regular servicing keeps it ticking along. I actually don't go to the doctor unless I need to, I don't just go for check-ups, but the mechanic analogy is just bizarre.
Well I like to try to relate things that the average person can relate to. I have used the car analogy for many many years and you are the only one thinks its bizarre.
Nope I do too
Nope, she is not the only one.
Do you know why high BP is called the silent killer? It is because most of the time it doesn't give you any symptoms until you have kidney or cardio problems, or god for bit you drop on the floor with a TIA or a hemorrhagic stroke.
I hope that you check your BP regularly to avoid problems in the future and bless you for being sooo healthy that you didn't need to see a doctor in 10 years. Just don't criticize or judge people that need and want to see a physician more often.0 -
suzannesimmons3 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »gearhead426hemi wrote: »The only time I go to the doctor is if there is a bone sticking out of the skin. If you go in to the doctor for every sniffle and cough you will always be sick. The body is designed to heal itself so proper rest and diet is all you need for the majority of the problems out there.
I went for a health assessment for my work to get more $$ put into a health flex account. I haven't been to the doctor in over 10 years. First thing he asks is when was my last visit. I told him about 10 years and he about dropped his pen. I told him if I haven't been hurt or sick why would I go see a doctor? He told me they recommend seeing a doctor twice a year. I asked him do you take your car to the mechanic when its running good? He didn't like that comment at all. Now there are plenty of reasons that some people need to see a doctor and should see a doctor when they have serious health problems but overmedicating your body does more harm than good. When you have to take pills to counteract the side effects of the pills that are giving you side effects worse than the initial problem you went to the doctor for whats the point.
Um, yes? It's called regular servicing...
You don't need a mechanic/doctor for regular servicing. You only go to the mechanic when something breaks or fails.
If I waited until something broke or failed on my car before getting it fixed, it would cost me a fortune... regular servicing keeps it ticking along. I actually don't go to the doctor unless I need to, I don't just go for check-ups, but the mechanic analogy is just bizarre.
Well I like to try to relate things that the average person can relate to. I have used the car analogy for many many years and you are the only one thinks its bizarre.
Nope I do too
Nope, she is not the only one.
Do you know why high BP is called the silent killer? It is because most of the time it doesn't give you any symptoms until you have kidney or cardio problems, or god for bit you drop on the floor with a TIA or a hemorrhagic stroke.
I hope that you check your BP regularly to avoid problems in the future and bless you for being sooo healthy that you didn't need to see a doctor in 10 years. Just don't criticize or judge people that need and want to see a physician more often.
Now that you mention it, without popping into the doctor because he felt a little bit off for a period of time, my husband wouldn't have known his pancreas was failing and he was developing essentially type 1 diabetes until it was far, far too late.2 -
@Alatariel75
My husband and I are both under Medicare due to our ages, and more than 4 years ago during a wellness visit which includes and electrocardiogram, the doctor doing the screening talked to both of us because the ECG showed that my husband was on Afib.
He immediately called our PCP and we went straight to his office.My husband was put on blood thinners since Afib is known to cause strokes, and then referred to a cardiologist. So we are very grateful for those wellness and screening visits, the findings and treatment saved his life.
Glad that your husband's problem was also found before things went too far.1 -
I got cancer when I was 30. It could have been caught earlier, but my GP, who I was regularly seeing for other issues, dismissed all my complaints about my symptoms. Needless to say, he ran no tests. But my point would be....if I was going in for a yearly physical with blood work, a cancer like mine could be detected before symptoms start to show up.2
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Yeah, I get it. The funny part about this whole conversation is that I've only started seeing a regular GP over the last couple of years, and it really HAS been a kick in the pants to pull my health together. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels were trending high all throughout 2016, and then I had a scary liver enzymes reading (I drink a lot). It was that appointment during the first week of January that kicked off this whole wacky health journey. I've seen her maybe three times since then for follow-up readings and to adjust medication, and FINALLY was told to f-off for a year after my appointment last month, when all my tests came back in the normal range. So yeah, I'm certainly in favor of finding a good doctor to support your overall health. I just don't want to hear about my fat *kitten* when I'm getting a flu shot.
Haha, one thing I learned on my journey to good health is that if you have extra fat you also need a proverbial thick skin. It is definitely annoying to be constantly reminded that you're fat. It's also annoying when people give you unsolicited advice that's half wrong or half applicable. Even when you lose the weight the compliments are sometimes a little backhanded and it's all messed up. I can only say that it will never get better, but the subject might change to how you drive or what you wear instead of what size you are! That part was reward enough for me.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »I had a dentist who made me do a cardio stress test before he would extract my wisdom teeth. I was about 50 lbs. overweight at the time, but that seemed ridiculous to me.
Probably wanted to make sure you didn't have a cardiac issue that could be severely life threateningly messed up by a dental abscess.
... for example many cases of infective endocarditis are related to dental abscesses.
Many other cardiac conditions are linked to peridontal disease.
Not standard work up but certainly necessary if clinically indicated of for anaesthetic work up. Sounds like a good dentist.
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Now there are plenty of reasons that some people need to see a doctor and should see a doctor when they have serious health problems but overmedicating your body does more harm than good. When you have to take pills to counteract the side effects of the pills that are giving you side effects worse than the initial problem you went to the doctor for whats the point. [/quote]
Looks like most people have a short attention span and were only reading part of my comment. I said you SHOULD see a doctor for symptoms other than the common cold. My father in law was blacking out so he went to the doctor and they found a baseball size tumor in his brain. So obviously blacking out isn't a sniffle and you should go to the doctor. Ten years ago the last time I went to the doctor I started having stabbing pains in my side so I went to the doctor and they found 2 hernias. I have lost both of my grandfathers two aunts and one uncle to cancer. All of them were showing symptoms that caused alarm so they went to the doctor. After hundreds of thousands of dollars in chemo and doctor visits the end result for all of them was the same. Now obviously this isn't true in every case so everyone will have to make that judgment call on a personal level. Talking to my grandfather before he passed away he said if he could go back he would never have gone to the doctor. He wasn't feeling well but he could still get around and do the things he loved with my grandma. They still traveled and went for walks. As soon as he started the chemo treatment it immobilized him and made him essentially bed ridden. So from my personal experiences I see no point in going to the doctor unless I absolutely have to because the end result will be the same. I would rather feel sick and function and go out doing what I love with who I love than making a doctor or a hospital rich when to them I am nothing more than a patient number.
As far as the vast amount of people who don't maintain their own cars well that's a discussion for a mechanic forum and not a health forum so I wont elaborate on that.
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Gearhead - my 93 year old father had lung cancer surgery when in his 70s. He survived and got married again (for the 5th time) afterwards. My mother and sister had breast cancer surgery. Both survived and did well for many years. My brother had prostate cancer. That was 15 years ago and he's still doing well. Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence.3
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dfnewcombe wrote: »Everything has become protocol driven with the conversion to the electronic health record. I was just at my PCP- I had put off some screenings for a few years and hadn't even been in to see him. We talked about this kind of thing- computerized charting makes quality auditing much easier, but it also looks at medical care differently. For example, he has to be able to show that with a female clientele of x% that x of them have their recommended mammograms. If his patients are not having them done for whatever reason- then they are not meeting their requirements which could impact their ratings. If a certain percentage of the patients are overweight, he needs to be able to show that he has advised his patient on weight loss, complications of obesity, etc. Now, his asking means he can check the box- which is how it is measured not on the quality of your conversation- or even whether you are actually working on your weight management. Quite honestly, since he brought it up then it would have been a good time to talk about the plan you have been working on and your success to date. It should be in your medical record as it does impact your health.
While there is an abundance of information at the provider's fingertips with the technology, it has caused some hiccups in care. Because much of documentation is a check box now- a provider can't even really refer to his past notes where he may have hand written more specifics about your personal ongoing care which may have sparked a memory about your last visit. Now your chart looks pretty identical to the last person's he saw. With the constant flow of patients seen in the office every day, many are fortunate to feel they have a provider who even remembers them. Doesn't mean the provider is bad, but it has changed the way care is delivered today, and it will continue to evolve over time.
This is all very true. It also puts a lot of care in the hands of software developers. One wrong line of code and care can be compromised. It's an exciting and scary time for medicine.0 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »Gearhead - my 93 year old father had lung cancer surgery when in his 70s. He survived and got married again (for the 5th time) afterwards. My mother and sister had breast cancer surgery. Both survived and did well for many years. My brother had prostate cancer. That was 15 years ago and he's still doing well. Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence.
I have multiple family members that have survived cancer as well. My grandmother survived throat cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer she was a trooper and lived until 93. My aunt survived breast cancer and my mother has survived throat cancer. My aunt who had breast cancer had the most aggressive kind and went through surgery and chemo. The insurance company said she had met the maximum amount and they would no longer pay for her chemo therapy. So her husband had to sell 3/4 of his family farm which had been in his family for 6 generations to pay for doctor visits. After hundreds of thousands of dollars and losing their farm the doctors still found cancer and gave her months to live. She quit the chemo and changed her diet and lifestyle and quit going to the doctor. That was over 5 years ago. She only visits once a year to check for the cancer and has no evidence of it returning. Now there is no way to be 100% certain that changing her lifestyle and diet cured what she had but she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on chemo and the doctors gave her months to live but then she quit going to the doctor and quit taking all their drugs and has no sign of it coming back. So just from my personal experience I don't see the point.
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