When you KNOW it's time for a new Dr.

[sllowe]

Wanna have some fun?  Ok, When do you KNOW for certain it's time to get a new Dr.?

I knew (was reminded) it was time for me to get a new Dr. when I described a patch of skin, on my leg that has been hurting for no apparent reason when my anything touches it and my Dr. said "it sounds peripheral (sp?)" he continued..."people dont' realize it, but you should be able to put at least your hand in between the beltline of your pants and your body."  Said it could cause "nerve" damage.  

I replied, uh, my pants? I wear nothing tight everything is baggy and no belts.  He didn't say much after that. Of course I didn't reveal what I knew about it.  He just asked what was going on and I described a few things.

It's classic parathesias folks - it's alloydynia right? Am I wrong? What Doc Q wrote up in the health pages.  

This is just a healthy reminder that I need to move on.

Who else? When do YOU know it's time for a new Dr.? Please share!
(((hugs)))
shell

[Rena705]

I had a Neurologist (Dr. M) that I had been seeing yearly for many years.  I saw her in Oct. 2006 and was treated with IV Steroids.  In Feb. 2007 I had relapse of symptoms and needed to see her but was told she was booked up for 3 days.  I proceeded to see a Neurologist (Dr. W) who agreed to see me on a emergent basis (IV Steroids again) and I continued to see him after he stated that "he would treat me as long as he was the only Neurologist I saw about my problem".  After about a year, HE SUGGESTED I GET A SECOND OPINION!  I attempted to go back to see the initial Neurologist (Dr. M) and was told that unless she received a letter of apology from my gp I would not be able to see Dr. M.  My gp complied and I saw her but only to hear that my "MS is in-active and therefore you don't need the disease modifying drugs" after looking at me for 5 minutes!

SO...I was told by Dr. W. that he would treat me as long as I only saw him and then when he couldn't figure out what the problem was and asked me to get a second opinion, Dr. M had her panties in a knot and wouldn't see me without a letter of apology because I  had seen Dr. W.  WHAT A TOTAL CROCK!!!  

Needless to say, I haven't been back to see either of them and I think I have finally found a Neurologist that seems to care about ME...not about who I am seeing and if I am seeing the "enemy"!  This all took from October 2006 to February 2008 and I am never going to allow myself to be a victim of this sort of B.S. again!

[CareBayer]

You know its time to move on from your doctor when his nurse gives you a half an hour lecture on anxiety and the health problems associated with it. Then proceeds to feel inspired and empowered to right a poem about you in your face with things you have consistantly told her and the doctor you were not experiencing before the onset of your problems and they are insisting you are. She even gave me a copy and I made copies and handed them out to my co-workers whom I in return gave them the same lecture on anxiety, lol.

You know its tiime to move on from your doctor when your doctor (neurologist) tells you "Pathology is black and white" (all my neuro exams came up normal with the exception of the EMG on my right foot was abnormal). I proceed to tell him "my pathology is not black and white, its grey and off white."

I canceled my last appt and when asked why I gave the secretary (who was very nice to me) a ear full.

[suziesmomyy08]

I have been to my neurologist 3 times, and figured it was time to get a new doctor when after the first visit seemed to go so well, ordering tests and all (even though he was rude) the 2nd and 3rd visits came around and hes busy trying to put off some back surgery that I am having that is obvious that I need, that I have been dealing with since 2005.  He says, 'I just want to make sure you don't have any kind of deficiencies that could be causing your pain in your back.' HELLO???  Didn't you read the report from the place that I had the CT scan after the discogram done? (yes he did, right in front of me, and I gave him copies of my MRI's and its obvious WHY I have the pain, so I just need to correct it even though I am not even going to the neuro for this)

Basically after 3 visits and all he wants to do is focus on my back surgery, I went to my orthopedic doctor (the one for my back surgery) and explained the situation, and he was very unhappy because we have been concerned about MS, or CFS, or maybe fibromyalgia, but this neuro didn't even pay attention to my symptoms, so my ortho said we'll refer you to someone else.  Unfortunatley I couldn't get an appt with them until June 2nd, but I called today and asked some questions about the practice, and they got me in a whole month sooner!!!  With an MS specialist!!!  So I am hoping that this person can either rule out MS or help me figure out if it is MS so we can do something about it.  I am 25 and have a 5 month old daughter and my symptoms are limiting my mobility and time with my family.  So it was definatley time for a new doctor, and I think today was a sign that things are looking up.  At least I hope.  :)

Helen

[PastorDan]

I don't think anything I can recall can compare with some of these stories.  My first alleged neurologist talked about the radiologist's comments as though he had looked at the images and decided the radiologist was all wet.  It was easy to see that he had either not looked at the images at all, or had briefly skimmed through them, without paying a lot of attention to anything smaller than a dollar bill.  He clinched it, though, when he tried to talk about the cisterna magna, which the radiologist had mentioned, and despite my knowledge to the contrary (thank you, MedHelp and Wikipedia) insisted that it held blood rather than CSF.

I will say this: I am on my 5th neuro, but #2, an MS specialist and researcher with credentials coming out of his ears, sent me to #3 (a young general neuro), who sent me to #4 (neuro-ophthalmologist) and #5 (neuro-psychologist).  So if you count the one I fired as a learning experience, I guess i'm not as bad off as one might think.  My suspicion is that all these underlings will eventually send me back to the guy who makes the big bucks, once they test the Dickens out of me.  Maybe I am their learning experience.  Maybe I have both Lyme disease and migraine; who knows?  More tests....

Trying to get the neuro-psych thing set up this week, since I'm off anyway, but I'm not holding my breath.

[jed9999]

I was reminded it was past time for a new neuro when my neuro of at least 15 years told me not being able to walk well or far (after having had diagnosis 36 yrs) was TERTIARY symptom. I still don't know what she meant or might have been implying, but I didn't see ANY need to go back. Jane

[Nancy T]

When you get LECTURED instead of LISTENED TO. (Internists.)

When they make up their mind before you've opened your mouth. (Internists/rheumatologists again. Don't like 'em.)

When they focus on certain convenient details while ignoring the big picture, then accuse YOU of focusing too much on details.

When they pick and choose stuff to put in their report in order to paint the picture that's most convenient for them, and who cares about the consequences when doctors down the line read misleading or outright false reports.

When they interpret every question (other than "how many times a day did you say to take this pill?") as a sign of an "anxious patient." (That stinking internist "Doctor" S. again!! But she wasn't a real doctor, I'm convinced. As a "doctor," she was a bigger fake than Dr. Jan Itor on "Scrubs.")

Nancy