Talking Back To Your Doctor

[Bobbieo]

In an out of town hospital, I was scheduled to have two hip replacement surgeries done one week apart. After the first one, I knew something was very wrong. Everyone would say “How is your hip”? My answer, “My hip is fine, but my foot and leg are killing me.”

I knew I had lost a great deal of blood and it turned out there was severe sciatic nerve damage done during the surgery. On Sunday night, I decided I was NOT going to have the second surgery. Oh boy!!1 I became an immediate pariah but I stuck to my guns.

Turns out that decision probably saved my life. I found out years later that you Do Not take aspirin for two weeks prior to surgery as they are blood thinners. I never knew that and no one bothered to tell me. Prior to my first hip surgery I was dosing up on aspirin for pain up to the day before the operation. I was raised on aspirin for everything that was wrong with me. Also, no one bothered to ask me if I had been using aspirin when I got to the hospital.

I have been told and believe that if I had gone through with the second surgery, as planned, I would have bled to death!!!. Moral of this story – Don’t be afraid to disagree with your doctor – he or she is not God!. When I’m under a doctor’s care or in the hospital I want to know everything that is being done or given to me and why.

I had a nurse tell me “I wish there were more patients like you. Maybe we wouldn’t have so many deaths around here.”

[Exultant Democracy]

1. I hope people read this n/t

[donco6]

2. You have to take your health into your hands.

I'm not down on doctors, but no one can care for your health more than you.

I went through cancer a few years back and had a great doctor. I would read up on articles about my condition and relay info to him. He was very open about hearing it - chimed in when he agreed and when he didn't. But you're absolutely right - you have to stay in charge of your own treatment.

[zanne]

42. It's a sad fact.

You have to be a real pain in the ass sometimes. When I was 38, I started having chest pains. I went to my doctor, who told me it was "just anxiety" and prescribed some sedatives. The chest pain continued, but I couldn't get a referral from my doctor to see a cardiologist. Finally, I went to a cardiologist's office and told the receptionist that I wasn't leaving until I was seen. A few hours later, the cardiologist saw me. One week after that, I had bypass surgery. (Six bypasses). If I hadn't been a pain in the butt, I'd be dead now. The way I look at it, there are lots of doctors out there but you only have one body.

[niallmac]

3. ...also kind of wierd to do both hips at the same time.

wouldn't you want to know that the first hip replacement is ok before sailing into the second one?

[tatertop]

8. seems unusual

[KitchenWitch]

22. Actually, it is fairly common practice to do both at the same time

at least here in Minnesota (if both need to be done). Part of the reason is that the pain is really intense (I know, I have had one hip done twice), and that if someone does the first one, the memory of the pain may deter them from doing the second.

[niallmac]

34. Yup! Yer right. Just read a few posters and articles about it.

Guess this is why no one lets me perform hip surgery.:)

[KitchenWitch]

52. It is easier to rehab from bilateral hip replacements

than it is from one at a time. The same goes for bilateral knees.

[w8liftinglady]

4. I LOVE when my patients stand up to their doctors

so often,they will have a litany of complaints,and then remain silent when the doctor makes rounds....not wanting to "bother" him/her.So often,I just can't communicate their needs as well as they can themselves.Keep speaking up...not every healthcare worker is a rocket scientist,conscientious,or even gives a damn.

[napi21]

5. You're absolutely right! Of course you'll pi** off a lot of people

in the process, but it sure could save your life!

I really believe most errors or mistakes made in the medical community are NOT intentional! Most happen because of understaffing and over work, but the fact remains that if something doesn't feel right, or if it looks odd, QUESTION IT! Pi**ed off as they may be, they'll get over it!

[schrodingers_cat]

47. I hear you!!

I've just been properly diagnosed after 6 MONTHS of pushing, and quiet dislike from a doctor who felt like I was just spinning her wheels when I would speak of the excruciating pain. Instead of figuring out that I needed to be seen by a different specialist, she would low-priority my visits and make them months apart. She was treating me as histrionic. I got all the way to the surgeon for a very risky surgery, only for him to figure my condition out and direct me properly. And he only stopped perceiving me as histrionic when I told him that I had worked in construction and as a commercial fisherman, errr.. fisherwoman, and that perhaps I knew the difference between aches and excruciating pain. I'm truly disgusted by the quiet sexism that doctors sometimes have in assuming that women can't take pain. Aren't we the ones that birth the babies? ARghhhh!!!
:grr:
<rant off>

[Triana]

53. doctors don't take women's complaints as seriously in general...

..they're more often assumed to be hallucinating, imagining it, histrionic, whatever. You gotta ride their asses to get them to listen and if they don't -- GET ANOTHER DOCTOR and another opinion - 3 or 4 if you have to. Male doctors can be extremely sexist. They're trained that way. I don't know about female docs because I haven't been to that many of them.

[Mythsaje]

6. I got a real chuckle out of a nurse

when I once commented that we, as educated laymen, know more than doctors did even thirty years ago.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. large doses of aspirin work as blood thinners...

wow, I didn't know that. Thanks.

[bananas]

9. small doses too. nt

[0007]

40. Even a small baby aspirin

[schrodingers_cat]

48. This is also true for any NSAID,

such as ibuprofen and naproxen

[w8liftinglady]

11. related note-large doses of tylenol can kill your liver

i have had three patients die with liver failure because of unintentional tylenol overdoses...taking vicodin and tylenol together,too frequently.be careful.

[madokie]

16. I'm suspossed to take loritab for times a day for the pain but I worry

about the tylenol in them and sometimes don't take it as prescribed. they tried me on morphine but it lowered my quality of life to the point I didn't want to continue on it.

[w8liftinglady]

17. just don't double up on tylenol and lortab-some people don't realize

that lortab has 500mg of tylenol.Norco has less,but you still have to be careful.

[madokie]

18. I don't take tylenol except in the loritabs. I do take an aspirin each day

as doctors orders, as well as plavix. and I'm really worried about that combination because a new study shows it may be dangerous. When I talk to my doctor next I will ask about it. google plavix and aspirin sometime and see what I'm talking about.

[Rosemary2205]

24. Aspirin plus plavix is very common

I've taken the 2 together for years. Supposedly they each work in a slightly different way and complement each other. As the OP says, if you are concerned TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! :)

[madokie]

37. This is what worries me though

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=health&id=3988278

[Rosemary2205]

46. Each situation is unique

I have one large clog and a history of blood clots - so both together are likely right for me.

I encourage you to print the article and discuss with your doctor. While they do try to keep up with new findings - they are human, they have to sleep sometime - meaning they may miss a new finding that might pertain to you.

Example - 4 years ago I had a hysterectomy at a young age. The treatment of the moment was start hormone right away to protect against cancer and heart attacks. Within days I felt it was the wrong thing to do because of the way I felt and I called the doctor then stopped. 2 years later science backed me up.

What I'm saying is listen to the hunches but talk to the doc.

[KyuzoGator]

10. I've had more than one doctor tell me my fibromyalgia is psychological.

And yeah, I tell them off when they say my chronic pains are all a figment of my imagination.

[w8liftinglady]

12. same with my aunt-arrogant pricks

[pecwae]

27. Don't you just love that?

It's all in our head; here take Prozac. Why won't they believe it's PAIN? I've even been told to 'have milk and cookies' for insomnia. And it always comes from a male physician to me, the insignificant and ignorant female who's just having 'vapors.':grr:

[UTUSN]

13. "Are YOU a doctor???!!!!" That's what one a-hole said to me.

I said, "No, but I am not going to pay the high price for the pills you are 'prescribing'. I'm going somewhere else, to another doctor, and am going to participate in my care plan." He lost a health insurance gold card.

[raccoon]

43. Good for you! Arrogant pricks like that are so disgusting. nt

[Lars39]

14. Not just aspirin, either.

Quite a few of the vitamins and over-the-counter meds and alternatives can thin blood, too.
If you are going to have surgery, it is best to have an interview in person if you can with the anesthesiologist and to bring a written list of everything you're on currently and what you've taken 'incidentally', too.

I've been known to take that list with me to pre-op if I haven't talked to, or met with the anesthesiologist. I also include all my allergies on that list.

[madokie]

15. I have PAD and was scheduled for bypass surgery last july 19

but when I talked to the doctor who was going to do the surgery he told me that a good chance the bypass would not take and it would be amputation then. I opted out of it and it pissed my primary care doctor off but he later said I made the right choice. today I still have my foot and it is looking better all the time. the smaller vessels have increased in size to supply my foot with the blood needed to stay alive. the Doctors tell me I will probably loose my foot somewhere down the road though anyway.

[alittlelark]

19. Sounds like your nurse needs to be in a witness protection program.

.....But I doubt you patients are 'worth it'.:(

[OneBlueSky]

20. I decided long ago that my doctors work for ME . . .

and that they'll listen to me, answer my questions, and honor the decisions that I make about my healthcare . . .

if they don't, I simply find another doctor . . .

[DarkTirade]

21. My brother said something recently that seems true from what I've seen...

there are two kinds of doctors. Those who think that the MD on their nametag stands for 'God', and those who actually try to help people.
Thankfully I managed to find one of the latter when I needed some minor surgery recently. What a previous doctor tried to charge me 150 bucks for NOT fixing, this doctor fixed for a grand total of my $20 copay, plus about 35 for an antibiotic and a painkiller prescription for before and after the surgery. He'd rather help people get better and get a small amount of money from the insurance company instead of trying to squeeze large amounts of money out of poor patients who have none and then hanging them out to dry, like my last doc tried to do.

[sendero]

32. Exactly..

... and the ones who are older tend to be the ones who think they are "god".

I couldn't agree more with the OP, your health care is in your hands and you need to

1) do research and consider carefully any surgery, all have risk

2) do your own research on every prescription drug prescribed, many doctors are not very careful - they think you came in to get a pill and they want to give you one.

3) if a doctor takes offense at your questions or desire to be involved in the decision-making, get another doctor

My wife has some serious health problems, and we've dealt with a couple serious mistakes just in the last couple years. Her kidney doctor recently prescribed her some Levaquin for a urinary tract infection (after amoxycillin failed to vanquish it). Only problem, he forgot to adjust the dosage down to compensate for her kidney disease. She started getting insomnia and other symptoms and after getting on the net for 10 minutes she was panicked. This drug is supposed to be a "last resort" drug, people have DIED on this stuff and many more have had permanent tendon damage.

We're in the process of finding a new nephrologist, we both really like her doctor but this is the second time he's made a potentially life-threatening mistake.

That study that claimed that 90,000 people die in hospitals every year due to medical mistakes? Probably a very lowball number :(

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. Were it not for my husband I would be dead a little over a year now.

MrG was the one who noted my heart rate was nearing 160. He was the one who was washing my face trying to cool my skin down. He heard my breath rattling. The doctors? They were going to turn off the monitors so my roommate could "rest easier"...

What MrG pointed out to them saved my life. I had picked up a Staph infection in the OR of the hospital. The hospital knew they had a staph infection and yet failed to administer antiobiotics pre op. If MrG had gone home because they "had it covered...no reason for you to stay" I wouldn't be here.

[Rosemary2205]

25. IMHO - anyone getting surgery

even minor surgery in a hospital should ask about the infection rate. There are some resistent strains of staph out now that are incredibly deadly. One is (I think) referred to as MSRA. I cannot begin to tell you all how many times in the last month I've heard of, or talked to family members of someone who's surgery went great but the MSRA infection is killing them.

Before surgery, demand from the hospital to know what strains of post op infection they have seen in the last 6 months and at what rate. If they tell you none - it's a lie - run like hell. If they refuse to say - run like hell. Better to PO the surgeon than to risk your life.

Just MHO.

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. Right now I am working on trying to get legislation passed to force

hospitals in MI to post their infection rates. Currently the only state required to do so is PA. It's wrong.

[ShortnFiery]

28. And God Bless the skilled & humble Nurses who give US the best advice.

I've been told by Nurses some of the most vital information for the care of myself and my loved ones. We should all make an effort to befriend them when a loved one is hospitalized. The good ones will tell you critical information, especially if they know the attending Doctor is too busy and/or too egotistical to take the time to enlighten you.

I love professionalism of most Nurses and Physician's Assistants. I don't know exactly why, but I've learned far more about promoting health and wellness from them. Short of surgery, I would prefer to have one of them in my corner before most GP physicians I've encountered in the past.

[REP]

38. The Nurses I Had Barely Spoke English

When I was in for a kidney biopsy, my nephrologist told me to tell the nurse if I had any unusual bleeding. When I did, I called the nurse and explained, and she said, "Your doctor did not prescribe for you to have that." Uh, what? I finally just got up, walked down and told him myself. Yes, I had the procedure without sedation, but that's another story...

I'm sure there's some great nurses out there, and I'm sure that one was probably very skilled ... except for knowing what the hell anyone was telling her. The other patient in the room had the same communication problem.

[JNelson6563]

41. Amen!!

After two c-sections and a hysterectomy, I can attest to the fact that it is the nurses that make the big difference! I had some real gems and I will never forget their kind and gentle caring!

Heroes! Nothin' but repsect from this former patient!

Julie

[w8liftinglady]

50. As a nurse,bless you both for saying that...

We really DO want our patients to be comfortable,informed,and for their conditions to improve.It is a matter of job,and soul,satisfaction for us.90 out of 100 times,your nurse wants what's best.People forget that we are all college grads with a lot of advanced science studies,and are better at seeing the big picture than the specialists,who only see their little corner of the medical world,and have a hard time thinking globally.Thanks again for saying those nice things,and for noticing.

[Moosepoop]

29. My oldest daughter had an appendectomy

when she was a teenager. She had been sick for a day before it became apparent that she wasn't just suffering from the flu, at which point I took her to the emergency room. The E.R. doctor had her admitted into the hospital, and said that he wasn't sure exactly what the problem was, but that it was "definitely surgical." Our regular MD was called in, and he in turn called in a surgeon. They suspected her appendix, but the pain -- though severe -- wasn't localized enough to be sure at that point. They knew they'd be doing surgery, just not sure exactly what type of surgery. While they waited for her condition to "present itself" as a bad appendix, they had an IV inserted and were giving her pain medication through it.

The next day, when the surgeon came around to check on her, he mentioned that she was also receiving antibiotics through the IV. This was necessary in her case because she doesn't have a spleen, and is more susceptible to infection. Between the suspected bad appendix itself, and the anticipated surgery, he wanted her as protected from infection as possible. But later, when I mentioned the antibiotics in the IV to the nurses, they said there weren't any, just pain meds. I argued, saying the surgeon told me about the antibiotics. They checked her chart -- no order for antibiotics, none being administered. I insisted that they find out what the heck was going on.

As it turned out, the surgeon, as the ranking physician in the case, had instructed the MD to order up the antibiotics. The MD forgot to do it.
The antibiotics were quickly added to the IV, but there was already massive infection in her abdomen. That evening they performed the appendectomy, and they had to scrub and swab inside her entire abdominal cavity to remove the infectious stuff. She was in bad shape, and had a harder than normal recovery due to all that. Had the lack of antibiotics not been discovered when it was, the situation could have been much worse.

I didn't and don't bear a grudge against our MD, he's a wonderful doctor and I wouldn't trade him for anyone. It was a serious oversight, but he is human, and did take responsibility for his error. Plus, the surgeon apparently beat him up (figuratively speaking) worse than I probably would have.

The point is to ALWAYS QUESTION if you think something is wrong. Even if you don't have reason to think so, question everything anyway. Any doctor worth having will not mind when you do.

[emmajane67]

39. Had something similar.

I had been sick for 2 days before being admitted to hospital with apendicitis. They then left me lying round all day untill I got really, really ill.
2 weeks in hospital a bought of abdominal cists and infections later I was still so sick that a nurse had to come to my house and give me IV antibiotics everyday for weeks after I even got out of hospital.
GRRRR

[LostinVA]

30. I have two nurses in my family

Thus, I am not one to think doctors are gods... I've heard too many stories. I question. My current doctor is great with it, but I've had some get really pissy and ask me if I've been to med school. No, but it's my LIFE, so we discuss~!

[REP]

31. I've Had To Restrain an ER Resident From Giving Me The Wrong Drugs

I'm a kidney patient. A resident should know what it means when a patient says, "I'm nephrotic" and it's all over the patient's chart, along with the name of the kidney disease. There's a common class of drugs, and one dug in that class in particular, that should never be given to that kind of patient. So what did Dr Dipshit do? Try to inject with a whole lot of it.

I never went to the ER for the hell of it - not even when I was passing a kidney stone. I only went when I thought there was a pretty damn good reason - symptoms of DVT, intestinal obstruction, that sort of thing. I have since decided that I'd rather wait until regular office hours or just die at home, where at least I'll be more comfortable. Well, I did go after my surgery last year, but only because my Loved One made me and went with me, ready to go into full FreakOut Mode™ at the slightest provocation.

[Rosemary2205]

33. RE: Freak out mode --

When my Dad had his kidney removed last year his surgeon decided the nurses should come by every 4 hrs and give him a pain shot instead of putting him on a drip. Morning after surgery and I go to visit him and find him in sheer agony and quite frankly terror- tears running down his face like a little kid. He has thrown up from the pain. It's 10 am and he says he has called for the nurse every 30 minutes since 4am and no one will answer. Turns out the last pain meds or care of any kind he had was at 11pm. I have no idea what actually happened but it turns out they had moved all the other patients to other rooms to the other nurses station and forgot Dad - he was ringing an unmanned nurses station.

Well, needless to say, I did a whole new version of "freak out mode".

From that point on, anyone I love has surgery someone in the family has to spend at least the first night there and if the staff doesn't like it they can kiss my grits.

[REP]

36. That's Why I Went To The ER -

No pain meds given after kidney surgery. I had some Vicodin, but that's what I take almost every day - really didn't cut it after having nine pounds of equipment in the lower pole of kidney for over an hour! (Okay, maybe not nine pounds - just two scopes, a camera, basket, laser and positioners and a couple other things.) So I know about the screaming and barfing from pain.

After my tubal ligation, I had to stay overnight, but I have the world's best GYN and she had me on a morphine drip. Good times!

[Vinca]

35. As an uninsured person, I've made it a point to acquire enough

medical knowledge to be dangerous. Only kidding, but you have to stay on top of things and involved. I usually manage to diagnose my problem, go to the doctor and tell him what I think it is and why - if I can't treat it myself - and save a fortune in tests and schmoozing time. Now, if I could only learn orthopedic surgery I could fix a sports injury that's been causing me lots of pain lately.

[jayfish]

44. I Was Scheduled To Have Surgery...

in April (which I postponed to July). And was warned several times not to take aspirin before the procedure, but only 48-hours before. Thanks for the heads-up on the two-week rule.

Jay

[Maiden England]

45. I suppose when they asked what medications you were on

as part of their admitting work up, you didn't bother to mention aspirin then. I'm sorry they used the generic catch all phrase "medications", instead of specifically asking for every known medication to science.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you stood up for yourself and advocated for your own care, but don't expect Drs and nurses to be God. (Even if we sometimes think we are). We are still not psychic.
EVERYONE gets asked what medications they are taking. Its as automatic as asking name and date of birth. Its prominently displayed on every admitting notepad I've ever seen. The problem is a lot of patients don't realize that just because you can buy something over the counter, it can still interact or have effects which are very important.
Its much easier to blame the doctor for their lack of God-like vision, it seems these days than to take personal responsibility for your actions.
You say you were never told about aspirin or its actions. I ask you this. Did you ever read the back of the packet? Because if you did, you probably would have told someone about it, or not taken the aspirin in the first place.

[gkhouston]

49. they don't always get it right, though.

Last time I went to the hospital I took a written list of my meds, with dosages & times, and also took the medications. I told them I had my prescriptions and that I'd give them to myself at the usual times and they were fine with that. The second day, a nurse brought me one of the medications I take on a daily basis -- at the wrong time -- and it was the wrong dose. :crazy:

[Kansas Wyatt]

51. The Medical Industry STOPPED being about Health Care

Years ago, when it decided to be a BUSINESS. That being said, if you have health problems, then you are only an opportunity to be exploited for profit by the medical industry and pharmaceuticals.

Doctors do not get a pass on doing what is right or correct, and those who have an arrogant tone about being solely privy to superior knowledge that people cannot understand, are only interested in fulfilling the financial care in their part of the medical industry racket.

[SPKrazy]

54. Doctors Work For You!

Treat them like an employee

[benEzra]

55. ABSOLUTELY.

Our 7 y.o. son is a cardiac kid with lots of other medical issues (22q11.2 genetic deletion, aka DiGeorge Syndrome) and we've had to say a firm "No" to doctors on several occasions. It is common for a specialist to get wrapped around the axle on something that pertains to his/her specialty and forget that our son isn't JUST an endocrinology case or an immunology case or a cardiac case, but he's ALL of the above, and what they are proposing puts him at risk in other areas. We've probably saved our son's life on at least one occasion by bringing up something in another area that a doctor wasn't thinking about.

The doctor is NOT an authority figure in the doctor/patient relationship; she/he is a CONSULTANT and should remember that, as should the patient.