When did
doctors lose compassion for people and start thinking of only money, big houses, luxury cars, and vacations?
doctors lose compassion for people and start thinking of only money, big houses, luxury cars, and vacations? I've met two doctors in my life who truly cared for the patient. Sadly, one returned to the military to help familys on a U.S. Army base (they deserve a great doctor, but I actually cried when she left to go out west), and the other retired last September.
Nowadays, if it's not misdiagnosing a patient's problem, doctors refuse to see you if you don't have insurance, or the doctor will see you but treats you like you're dirt.
Give me Dr. Who over today's doctors any time!
A li'l over two weeks ago, my 6 year old came down with yet another virus. He was coughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath, so I took him to the ER at 9:30 that night. When we pulled into the ER parking lot I was relieved to see no other cars, which meant that the ER was quiet and we'd get in and get out quickly.
BWAHAHAHA!!!
We sat for 45 minutes in the waiting room AFTER they quickly took us in and got my son registered for the ER. When we were finally sent back to see the doctor, he took an x-ray of my son's chest and a strep throat swap to check for that too. The nurse told me it would be six minutes for the strep test results and twenty for the x-ray.
Cool. We'd be out of there in 30 minutes tops.
Again: BWAHAHAHA!!!
We waited three freaking hours! Why? I'll tell you why, the damn doctor was in the physician's lounge watching TV! Even the nurse was furious! When the doc finally came in he said my son didn't have anything showing up on the chest xrays, that he didn't have strep, but the coughing was probably a virus aggravated by allergies, he then told me he'd give him a dose of good cough medicine so my boy could sleep undisturbed the rest of the night.
Oh, really? Good cough syrup, huh?
He sent the nurse in with a dose of Benadryl. What the hell?
What is wrong with today's doctors?
A few days later, my grandson became really ill over the weekend, so my dau took him to the ER. Low and behold, she ended up with the same doctor. He did nothing for that baby. Nothing! An hour after she returned home, one of the ER nurses called and asked why my dau didn't take the prescription for the baby with her.
Her reply: "BECAUSE THE DAMN DUMBASS DIDN'T GIVE ME ONE!"
When I left the ER with my son that night, the nurses were so pissed at the doctor that they loaded my boy up with all kinds of cool stickers as a way of apologizing. The head nurse kept telling me how sorry and embarrassed she was, but it wasn't her fault. It was the jackass's fault who was hanging out in the physician's lounge.
No wonder malpractice insurance has gone through the stratosphere!
19 comments:
That's horrible! My old GP in the US was wonderful. He treated me when I didn't have insurance and did a phone consultation when my husband was having a health problem in Korea. I know another doctor and while his bedside manner leaves something to be desired, he is dedicated to his craft. Is there another hospital you can use? Can you file a complaint with the hospital?
Ahhh yes the "good old boys'. I have had my fair share of the ER docs and their "compassion". Ha!!!! Why is when you go to the er you spend an ungodly amount of time in the room before anyone comes to check on you? I worked at a hopsital for 25 plus years ...but it was on the floor. The ER depart had such a bad reputation it reflected on th ewhole hospital. The er docs didn't come and see a pt in a timely manner etc. I can sympathize with you on this...
What we did was complain to our regular physician. My complaint as well as my dau's a coupla days later lit a fire under him, and he contacted the ER dr about his behavior.
Yes, there are three other hospitals in this section of the Ohio Valley, but they're 45 min to an hour drive from us.
Sharon, for the most part, the ER docs at our local hospital are really good, and since the hospital is small, sometimes the wait is terrible, but three hours of waiting when we were the only ones there was infuriating. I know the doc that night was in the lounge because I saw him go in and out of it twice.
You're right about bad ERs reflecting poorly on the entire hospital, tho.
I've had a couple of real winners (wiener) doctors. The first one was when I was hit by a car and my DH took me to the emergency room. After quickly talking to the nurse and her getting me "ready to see the doctor", I'm still "ready" 4 hours later and still no doctor! I asked my DH to help me get ready to leave. As I'm leaving, the doctor comes out and wants to know what he can do for me. I told him......in extraordinarily colorful language!
Another one, associated with the same hospital, decided that I needed surgery on my knee. Had the surgery and turns out his "diagnosis" was incorrect. I didn't have whatever he said I had - I have arthritis in my knee but I got more than I bargained for during that surgery! I got huge first degree burns on my leg, right above my knee, due to hot instruments being put right on my leg during surgery!
I've never been back to that hospital, nor will I ever!
I hate doctors!
I'm glad you complained about the ER doc to your regular physician. Personally, I would go even higher up the ladder and file a formal complaint against that doctor, as his behavior endangers peoples' lives.
When my granddaughter Meagan was 6 months old she began running fevers that topped 105, and she was having seizures several times a day. She was taken to the emergency room in Russellville, ARK and the dr. told my daughter that Meagan had a virus and alternate her between Tylenol and Motrin every two hours. This went on for a month with temps fluctuating between 102 and up to 105. I told my daughter to quit taking the baby to the ER there and take her Children's Hospital in Little Rock. They did and Meagan was immediately admitted where she spent 10 long days and nights being tested for every known disease. They finally thought they'd found the culprit, Kawasaki's Disease. The treatment for this is $50,000.00 per treatment and there are several treatments given over a few months time. Because the treatment is not only expensive, but can cause permanent heart damage, especially to a baby so young, the dr. decided not to start treatment hoping she would kick the virus herself. She finally did but it was the worst time of our lives.
I also live in a very small town, very remote and getting good dr.s here is almost impossible. A couple of years ago, I broke out in a rash that continued to spread over my neck, chest, and face. My skin was literally falling off. I went to the ER here and the dr. told me I had adult onset chicken pox and there was nothing he could do except give me benedryl for itching. This was a Saturday, by Monday I looked like something out of a horror movie, so I went to see the PA (because the only good dr. we had passed away). Julie is our PA and is wonderful, so we see her rather than one of the so-called dr's in this area. Anyway, Julie took one look and said, "That's not chicken pox, who told you it was chicken pox?" I told her it was the ER dr., she pursed her lips and didn't say anything. Then she wrote me two prescriptions and said "it's fungal." Turns out I had just gotten a stray kitten who had the fungus, though not evident on him, he passed it to me. I treated him with the same meds, just reduced amounts, sprayed his fur with anti-fungal spray and a week later, I was back to normal.
Yeah, I have to agree...what happened to the days when dr's were compassionate AND knew wth they were doing?!
What on earth was the doc's excuse for not seeing you, especially when you'd been hit by a car?
Heather, the dr. office where we go has--or had because the one retired--two really good docs. He'll rip that ER doc a new one, lol.
A good article. I'm not going to get started on my medical peeves. We'd be here all day because I've got some REAL horror stories! Maybe I'll use use them in my written horror stories instead.
Rie, I can certainly understand the fear and the shock at the virus and the treatment. My oldest was born early and was an ECMO baby (long, horryfing procedure), but the treatment was so expensive, the hospital forced my then husband to quit his part-time job and have us go on welfare so the gov would pay for the hospital stay and treatment. I was so sick too that I had no idea what was going on. When I found out later what papers I'd signed (nice of 'em to have me do it while sick, eh?) I was horrified and cried my eyes out.
Luckily, my son survived and has grown into a fine young man.
Yes, the medical profession can truly be a horror story, Toni.
Hi Faith, I have to laugh because your rant goes hand in hand with my the blog of a couple months ago, The Prescription Drug Epidemic.
http://midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com/2010/12/prescription-drug-epidemic.html?zx=c5e600e0708b1084
or
http://eroticmusings.blogspot.com/?zx=77754fd61cbc1958
To be honest, I was so ticked I didn't give him a chance to talk to me. IMO, there is NO excuse.
I reported him but I lost track so I don't know if he's practicing or not!
On the flip side, my two oncologists are just fantastic doctors and I recommend them to anyone and everyone
My hubby went to the ER for gout...yes...gout (it's caused from one of the meds he has to take ALL the time)...three doctors had told him he had the worst case they had ever seen. They gave him EIGHT pain pills. EIGHT. Fortunately after about twenty doctors he found one competent doc who got it under control.
He should be stripped of his license, Faith, but you know how I feel about doctors, so don't get me started. (g)
We have been lucky in the ER. Of course, we only go in if DD is having a seizure. They have to take care of her right then. Fortunately, it's been more than a year since her last seizure. (Yay!) (And you know why she isn't having them.) If we hadn't had insurance, though, I don't know what would have happened. Each ER visit for her seizure would have been $6,000 without it.
Hi Dee! Thanks for stopping by!
Nicki, isn't it awful how doctors only want to treat the symptoms instead of the source of the problem? My dad went through a lot of that, then when he finally got deathly ill and landed in the hospital, his doctor realized Dad was trying to tell him something (and it turns out it's heart disease linked to Agent Orange).
Marci, I can't even fathom a 6K ER bill! A simple visit to our ER is like $50 to $75. However, mine will be more because I had a strep test as well as a blood test. AYK, I'm without health insurance, but the ER office did give me some forms for a program that'll help, if not pay all the bill. The cost of doctor visits, hospital stays, treatments and medicine is another rant topic!
The 6k comes from the drugs, and the constant monitoring (she was hooked up to machines) for usually about 8-9 hours. They've stopped running blood tests anymore... at least, I think they have. If they do, I never get to see them.
I hate doctors. I'm heavy, so they tell me every problem I have is caused by my being overweight.
Asthma: you over weight and out of shape. The second doctor I saw said no you have asthma.
A lightly elevated blood pressure. Your over weight. This happened twice. The first time my back was out and later when my blood pressure went back to normal, the doctor admitted it might have been because I was in pain. Well duh!
The second time when I was on the pill. Guess what? The pill raises your blood pressure.
Then my period stopped. Not pregnant, but hey your over weight so I don't have to look any further.
Then I was told, well you just had a baby and went right on the pill for two years, so your body doesn't know what to do yet.
I hate doctors.
Janice~
Janice, it really makes you wonder why doctors spend so many years in med school if they're not going to use what they learn, doesn't it?
I had no idea birth control raises a woman's bp! Wow!
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