We Need To Start A Thread On Stupid Stuff Doctors Say!

[IrishHeart]

That dr must be getting some kind of kickback because he tried to get him on Viagra, cholesterol meds AND diabetes meds.

Think Big Pharma controls the health care profession?

I was never this jaded in my thinking until the last few years when I received the worst medical "care" possible. No help; just a shoebox full of drugs. You can't believe the stuff I was given just to pacify me.

Doctors push meds --to "symptom-treat" before they even try to think of a CAUSE for the symptoms.

Instead of having someone change their eating habits, for example, they prescribe Lipitor, GERD medicines and blood pressure meds. How about suggesting they step away from the table and get some exercise, doc??? Because that might mean less people in their waiting rooms!!

Xanax and anti-depressants are given out like M and Ms.

ARRGH....And sadly, it will never change.

[Ninja]

My brother was very colicky as a baby, so much so that my mother decided to take him to the doctor. The doctor's advice? Don't bring him on your good carpets.

[IrishHeart]

So, after I posted my cynical thoughts about the medical profession this AM, I went to the dentist and the Newsweek magazine just fell open to THIS article (honest) and I laughed and thought, O M G! they have to see this.

Here is one tidbit:

"The average time a patient has to present his concerns before

being interrupted by the doctor?

23 seconds."

oh, there more....

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/04/15/why-your-doctor-has-no-time-to-see-you.html

[Ninja]

So, after I posted my cynical thoughts about the medical profession this AM, I went to the dentist and the Newsweek magazine just fell open to THIS article (honest) and I laughed and thought, O M G! they have to see this.

Here is one tidbit:

"The average time a patient has to present his concerns before

being interrupted by the doctor?

23 seconds."

oh, there more....

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/04/15/why-your-doctor-has-no-time-to-see-you.html

And that's BEFORE they walk in and ask, "So how are you?"

[squirmingitch]

The last time I read the amt. of time you had to voice your symptoms to your doc it said just under a full minute. So ever after that I made sure I was talking fast. Know what happened? Doc offered me anxiety meds & anti depressants. You can't win for losing.

[IrishHeart]

That's because we are not REALLY sick, honey---we're just anxious and depressed and......wait for it......menopausal.....

[Bubba's Mom]

Think Big Pharma controls the health care profession?

I was never this jaded in my thinking until the last few years when I received the worst medical "care" possible. No help; just a shoebox full of drugs. You can't believe the stuff I was given just to pacify me.

Doctors push meds --to "symptom-treat" before they even try to think of a CAUSE for the symptoms.

Instead of having someone change their eating habits, for example, they prescribe Lipitor, GERD medicines and blood pressure meds. How about suggesting they step away from the table and get some exercise, doc??? Because that might mean less people in their waiting rooms!!

Xanax and anti-depressants are given out like M and Ms.

ARRGH....And sadly, it will never change.

I have to say..my exerience with Dr.s has not been good. They don't listen and insist on putting people on anti-depressants, no matter what their ailment is.

When I kept complaining about my many various symptoms from unDXed Celiac..they kept offering me more med to numb me down!

It really is like they get a kick back for some of those meds?

[PattyBoots]

Which is why I have a list of questions I have to "interview" a doctor I've been told is good before I even get into his "practice". Top of the list is, "Can you listen to a question I have without using that time to think about what you're going to say next?"

[teddylab]

I haven't been officially diagnosed, as my doctor believes only in celiac disease, not gluten intolerance. I can't get a proper test for either because he believes I am to large to have celiac.

His first solution - I am pregnant.

I think I would know if I was.

Even though I insisted I WASN'T, he still sent me for a pregnancy test.

The result was of course - negative!

Second solution - it's your blood pressure.

I am an 18 year old girl and have had normal blood pressure all my life.

He suggested blood pressure tablets, even though my blood pressure is perfectly fine when I get it taken at chemists and at home.

Third Solution (His current one)

Take some paracetamol.

It's all in my head, nothing to do with my stomach.

[pricklypear1971]

I have to say..my exerience with Dr.s has not been good. They don't listen and insist on putting people on anti-depressants, no matter what their ailment is.

When I kept complaining about my many various symptoms from unDXed Celiac..they kept offering me more med to numb me down!

It really is like they get a kick back for some of those meds?

Yes they do, of a sort. Get kickbacks.

Drug reps romance them, take them out to very expensive dinners....our son's ped's wife was in a Mom's group with me and she'd let some of it slip.

They get them into these coupon things where the doc gives you a coupon with his promo code on it and the first rx is very reduced in price but of course the following aren't...and they track the promo code through the pharmacy. I don't remember exactly what the doc got for that one but I remember wanting to vomit when I figured out why he was pushing.

They don't even have to coupon it - I believe the manufacturers track sales through the pharmacies.

Ooooh yeah, pharma "buys" docs left and right.

[Bubba's Mom]

I haven't been officially diagnosed, as my doctor believes only in celiac disease, not gluten intolerance. I can't get a proper test for either because he believes I am to large to have celiac.

His first solution - I am pregnant.

I think I would know if I was.

Even though I insisted I WASN'T, he still sent me for a pregnancy test.

The result was of course - negative!

Second solution - it's your blood pressure.

I am an 18 year old girl and have had normal blood pressure all my life.

He suggested blood pressure tablets, even though my blood pressure is perfectly fine when I get it taken at chemists and at home.

Third Solution (His current one)

Take some paracetamol.

It's all in my head, nothing to do with my stomach.

Shocking! Is there a different Dr. you can see? If it were me...I wouldn't want to see this clueless Dr. for anything!

[IrishHeart]

He suggested blood pressure tablets, even though my blood pressure is perfectly fine when I get it taken at chemists and at home.

Since you have used the term "chemists" for pharmacy, are you in the UK or Ireland perhaps??

Guess the US docs are not alone....

[Ninja]

(His current one)

Take some paracetamol.

It's all in my head, nothing to do with my stomach.

I think our doctors have gone too far with the gut–head connection...

[Stubborn red head]

After reading all this it really makes me remember this case:

Anna Brown had visited several hospitals complaining of pain in her legs. When she was ignored at St. Mary

[IrishHeart]

That story is whacked.

Total insanity. A disgrace.

That poor woman.

Hope the family sued the hospital--although it would not be much comfort to them.

[teddylab]

Since you have used the term "chemists" for pharmacy, are you in the UK or Ireland perhaps??

Guess the US docs are not alone....

Australia

[Stubborn red head]

So this happened 10 years ago, I was in CLEVELAND CLINIC. I had a team of doctors, I don't remember maybe 6-8 doctors all in my rooms standing over me, looking at my charts, and examining me. One of them looked at my mother and asked a very simple question. "Can she Feed herself" I was sitting there drawing pictures, of my family and trying to ignore them because I was tired of being a lab rat, when I heard this question, my head snapped up to my mom just waiting on what she would do. My mother's face got all red and she looked at them, and said very simply "Ask Her yourself." They looked at each other and was like she can talk.

I dont know what they was smoken that day, but I had been on a 24 hour video surveillance since I got there. I could hook and unhook myself from the machines, they couldn't keep me in the bed. The nurses threatened to tie me to the bed. All they had to do was read my chart, to know that I was a fully functioning 16 year old.

I remember one of them turning to me and asked what I was drawing, I told them, they asked my several questions, had me to all of these coordination tests and left more confused then when they came in the room.

[Stubborn red head]

Teddylab: I am 250 lbs at 5'8'' and as far as I can tell I am intolerant, possible celiac. I have yet to be able to get to see a doctor about it. My mother is Celiac and was 210lb at 5'2''. There are two different kinds of celiacs ones that cant gain any weight from eating Gluten and there are those that their body stores the gluten because it cant do anything else with it.

[frieze]

My DH goes to the dr for a bad cough. He had had it for a couple weeks and it was not going away.

Dr examines him, talks to him and leaves the room. Dh calls me on the cell and says "Viagra isn't for coughs, is it??". I told him to grab his cough Rx and get out of there!

That dr must be getting some kind of kickback because he tried to get him on Viagra, cholesterol meds AND diabetes meds. He does not have high cholesterol. He does not have diabetes. He doesn't need the other stuff either. At least he got his cough medicine.

originally, Viagra was used for pulmonary hypertension. Which can cause a cough.

But i am thinking this more in the same line as giving a woman AD.....

[squirmingitch]

This might be more appropriately termed Stupid stuff doctors do & stupider stuff pharmacies do.

This is a long, complicated story which I'm going to try & make as short & sweet as possible.

The players:

doc 1, doc2, NP (nurse practioner)

Mu hubs is hypothyroid & takes levothyroxine. We moved & had to find a new doc. We took him to a doc's office to get a new script for the levo. He was seen by the NP who wrote the script for a year's worth of levo. The script was signed by doc 1.

Doc 1, doc 2 & NP are apparently all co-owners of the practice. We take hubs script to CVS & get 90 day supply. When that runs out we get another fill for 90 days. This leaves 2 fills for 90 days each remaining. At some point after the 2nd fill; the parties involved have a falling out & the practice is closed. 1 day it's open, the next day it's closed. The phone is disconnected. There is no note on the door saying what happened or where any of the docs can be found or contacted. Time comes for the 3rd fill. I call in the refill & tell them we'll p/u on X day. X day comes & I go in to p/u. It's not ready. ????? 4 days have gone by -- why is it not ready? They look around & check the computer. They say we can't have the refill & someone called me to let me know. NOPE, they didn't --- I have voice mail & no one called. They say they can't do it b/c doc 2 called them & said doc 1 has a separate practice & tells CVS not to fill any more of doc 1's scripts from the old practice. CVS can't tell me how to contact doc 1 who signed the script. Also they won't or can't tell me where to reach doc 2 or the NP.

Later that day I call CVS & question again why they refuse to do the refills. This time they say it's a legal matter & won't expostulate. I make some phone calls around town & from that & the computer manage to track down doc 1 who signed the script. 4 calls back & forth to his office net me --- "Your hubs can drive 65 mi. to the new office & doc 1 will see him (of course paying AGAIN) & doc 1will write a new script". The person on the phone recommends I have the script transferred to another pharmacy for the remaining refills. And says the doc says the reason CVS won't fill the remaining is b/c they are mad at doc 1 as his patients are getting their scripts from him filled everywhere except CVS. ????????

I decide to see if another pharmacy will do it. That is a "hometown" pharmacy. The pharmacist tells me what happened with the whole thing. He says that when the falling out happened that doc 1 came after hours to the practice & cleaned everything out of the practice including all partners & employees personal possessions along with all patient records & everything; leaving an empty office. But the pharmacist says it's ridiculous for CVS not to refill the script --- the doc who wrote it is still licensed & there is no problem. so he calls CVS to get the script transferred to him. Much to his surprise CVS refuses to transfer the script to him & says, "they are no allowed to talk about it at all". By this time I am LIVID! I ask for whoever regulates pharmacies in the state b/c I'm going to call on CVS. He gives me the agency but also tells me there is a law stating that any pharmacy can refuse to fill any script at any time for any reason. And the law was put there b/c "sometimes you just get that bad feeling about a script". I will say that he is totally sympathetic to the situation & thinks CVS is acting badly.

Now, I don't know where doc 2 is but NP has a new practice & the pharmacist tells me where & the # but also says that NP won't be able to do anything about the script b/c he can't access the patient records b/c doc 1 has them in his possession & refuses to give them up.

So it all boils down to this:

A couple of docs are acting like spoiled little 5 yr. olds throwing temper tantrums & being greedy on top of it & the patients are suffering & paying the price. Furthermore CVS is acting like another 5 yr. old in refusing to fill the remaining refills on valid scripts & furthermore refusing to co-operate with other pharmacies.

Who loses?

WE DO!

[Bubba's Mom]

Absolutly shocking! I'd demand to get the medical records. If doc 1 doesn't turn them over..report him.

I'd also be looking to turn CVS in for not allowing an RX to be transferred. They might not want to fill it..but surely they can't refuse to transfer to another pharmacy?

One more reason to get copies of all medical tests, etc.

[squirmingitch]

I am getting the records from doc 1. Just to put him to the trouble of doing it.

Let's just say that "I have taken care of the problem".

But the fact remains that it happened in the first place & there are lots of patients out there getting caught in this crossfire & I'm sure many of them don't know how to fix it.

[IrishHeart]

But the fact remains that it happened in the first place & there are lots of patients out there getting caught in this crossfire & I'm sure many of them don't know how to fix it.

Just a ridiculous story, honey--sorry it happened.

?? and people wonder why stories abound on the news of "average nice people" who can't take it anymore and snap and go all postal.......??.

[Bubba's Mom]

I am getting the records from doc 1. Just to put him to the trouble of doing it.

Let's just say that "I have taken care of the problem".

But the fact remains that it happened in the first place & there are lots of patients out there getting caught in this crossfire & I'm sure many of them don't know how to fix it.

I'm so glad you've gotten some resolution.

At the first of the year we changed insurance and they make us get our RXs through their mail order business.

We had to get new RXs written rather than transfer the ones we had in place, so I had to scramble to get those and get the meds in hand for my hubby who travels for his job. One of them didn't come, and there was no mention of it, so I called them. They said our insurance wouldn't allow the RX! I made several calls. I was mad that the insurance company could deny a prescribed RX..but they could AND the mail order company didn't say why it wasn't filled. I was thinking they had a supply problem and it would be coming! The med had a warning to not stop taking it abruptly. I was really panicked, and scared for him. I ended up finding a generic at Walmart and have to buy it out of pocket.

[squirmingitch]

I'm so glad you've gotten some resolution.

At the first of the year we changed insurance and they make us get our RXs through their mail order business.

We had to get new RXs written rather than transfer the ones we had in place, so I had to scramble to get those and get the meds in hand for my hubby who travels for his job. One of them didn't come, and there was no mention of it, so I called them. They said our insurance wouldn't allow the RX! I made several calls. I was mad that the insurance company could deny a prescribed RX..but they could AND the mail order company didn't say why it wasn't filled. I was thinking they had a supply problem and it would be coming! The med had a warning to not stop taking it abruptly. I was really panicked, and scared for him. I ended up finding a generic at Walmart and have to buy it out of pocket.

WTF??????