Pressing charges against medical doctors?

[Genecks]

I tell you that I think it is possibly neurological, which is why I want a brain scan. The best evidence to propose that it is psychological is that it does not seem to occur while I am asleep. Then again, sleep apnea runs in my family. Maybe it is occurring in my sleep. I could setup a webcam.

 

It bothers me that the doctor did not inquire into a variety of aspects of my medical and family history.

[JillSwift]

Come on, we have no reason to think Genecks has not been genuinely ill with something physiological.

Sure we do. Doctors not finding anything wrong.

 

Clearly he feels let down by his doctors. His want to sue is misplaced, but I think comes from a genuine disappointment that his illness has not passed.

No one is saying it's not disappointing, or even frustrating. But this need to place blame and punishment is just shameful.

[Genecks]

Uh? JillSwift, about a generic stethoscope listening and prescription of albuterol was given. That's not quite a spectrum of medical tests.

 

It does, however, fall within typical lines of medical thinking:

 

1. Give a generic diagnosis and prescribe a generic treatment

2. If patient is still having issues, then investigate the issue further: Perhaps prescribe something else or more; conduct more tests if necessary.

 

It falls within the idea that doctors should prescribe medicine before contemplating surgery.

 

Maybe I do need to visit these people more.

 

I see it as a money game, though.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Genecks

[ajb]

Sure we do. Doctors not finding anything wrong.

 

 

No one is saying it's not disappointing, or even frustrating. But this need to place blame and punishment is just shameful.

 

I agree that trying to place blame and punishment is wrong.

 

It is conceivable that something was missed or is near impossible to diagnose. I know a person who was in genuine pain and yet the GP's have not found a diagnosis. Thankfully, in this case the pain has not returned.

[Genecks]

Thanks for your support, ajb.

Thanks for your counterarguments, others.

 

Other than that, I'll probably continue to visit these doctors.

I'll see what I can do about making them do some tests.

I think a brain scan and a bronchoscopy would be two good ways to figure things out.

 

Other than that, I guess if it's a breathing and cardio issue, then my best bet is to hit the treadmill for a while. I suspect that increased cardiovascular strength should eventually even things out.

[SH3RL0CK]

Genecks, with all due respect it seems to me that the desire to sue stems from your frustration that the medical community has been unable to cure your ailment, yes?

 

That said, doctors are human, not gods. In your case, unfortunately, they have so far been apparently stumped. But that does not make them at fault for whatever it is that you have, so I don't see any cause to take legal action. At this point, you are certainly better off trying to work with them than against them.

 

I think all you can do is keep trying different treatments and different doctors until (hopefully) something works. Do other things to improve you health in general (exercise several times a week, eat well, etc.). And unless you know otherwise, assume good faith on the part of the doctors as you discuss this with them as that will be more constructive than getting upset with them. This is because the doctors should be thinking about how best to treat your problem than how to keep from getting sued by you.

 

I wish you good health.

[jackson33]

Which is why I'm leaning toward Münchausen rather than hypochondria atm.[/Quote]

 

ydoaPs; IMO, you hit the nail on the head, early on in the discussion and who ever said "no wonder medical cost are so high", may be more correct than thought. Staying on opinion, their are a good many folks that play this game....

 

Münchausen syndrome (MS) is now a well recognized and demonstrated entity. This syndrome is characterized by patients who seek hospitalization and present factitious but usually well-rehearsed histories and symptoms.

 

Five cases of MS, genuine by their ear-nose-throat-maxillofacial factitious signs, are presented. Two of the cases are related to the uncommon MS by proxy. In this subentity the parents fabricate pathological signs for their children. The psycho-dynamics and the clinical symptoms of our cases are described and the differential diagnoses of malingering, conversion disorders, and hypochondriasis are brought to attention.[/Quote]

 

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121613151/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

 

Genecks; You have displayed the syndrome, in nearly every post you wrote, especially the FEELING of water in your lungs. I'll be sympathetic, in your assessment of a problem and encourage you to seek psychiatric help. If correct, it won't take them two months to figure a way to help out or if your problems are possibly medical.

[mooeypoo]

People, watch your attitude. Personal attacks and name calling are not acceptable under any circumstances. Make your points in a civil matter, or don't make them at all.

[padren]

For the record Genecks, it sounds like they were trying to treat a fairly routine illness, something like a cold, flu, bacterial or viral but not life threatening. You also have to think about more than your case.

 

Have you considered what trends were happening at the time? If a particularly nasty bug is going around and a doctor is treating tons of patients all of which with similar symptoms all of which don't respond to antibiotics, your doctor could have been doing you a favor.

 

It's possible you could have had two conditions at once, explaining why antibiotics helped with one issue but not the rest. Honestly I don't know much but I really don't think you have any justification to sue. You have to keep in mind you only see yourself walk into the office, you don't know what is going around at the time. You also aren't a doctor, and you have to realize it isn't there job to make you better. They are supposed to try to diagnose what's wrong, and if they can provide treatment to do so, while at the same time determine whether your health is seriously compromised enough to warrant emergency treatment.

 

You were sick for a few months - welcome to the club. I've been hit with some pretty nasty bugs and doctors could never give me the plate number of the thing that ran me over. The worst I think I've had was 4 months downtime, I did go to a doctor once or twice but there really is no magical test they can do so I just had to get better.

 

 

Also, unless you get a second opinion that finds something was missed on that x-ray you are pretty much out of luck on malpractice. He apparently found nothing wrong and no danger signs that would warrant emergency treatment. Something was wrong - you were sick after all - but nothing that raised red flags. Honestly I think you should take it in stride. Life is short, doctors aren't perfect, and there's tons of stuff that can kill us that most doctors could be unable to find. We go when we want them to try to help incase we are lucky and have something detectable and treatable, not for a silver bullet.

[Mr Skeptic]

Also, why is this really a problem? Taking deep breaths is considered a good thing, isn't it? This incidentally is probably why a doctor would not be very concerned.

 

The yoga folks and such teach that you should change your breathing to deep breaths. Changing your normal breathing to deep breathing can be therapeutic. Maybe you should instead practice to increase the amount of deep breathing you do?

[ajb]

People, watch your attitude. Personal attacks and name calling are not acceptable under any circumstances. Make your points in a civil matter, or don't make them at all.

 

Thank you mooeypoo. This thread could easily have degenerated further.

[Phi for All]

First off, seeing two doctors, once each, is not a good basis for assuming negligent treatment. The doctors will always start with the least invasive treatments before moving towards batteries of other tests. And you didn't give either doctor a second chance.

 

Secondly, and don't take this the wrong way, but you obviously have a poor opinion of the doctors you've been seeing, and I'm sure you made that clear to them (you said one of the doctors got angry when you dismissed her views and demanded antibiotics). I'm not saying they wrote you off because of your attitude, but I've always found any service provider responds much better to my requests when I'm friendly. I'm just saying.

 

And lastly, you're being very contradictory in attitude towards this illness. It's a money game, but your insurance covers everything?! You're concerned over this illness but you have better things to do with your time than go to the doctors?! It just seems as though you are second-guessing everything, and you're putting your own medical knowledge above that of people who put their skills in practice every day.

 

Btw, I had a friend who used to have anxiety attacks, and he often felt like he needed a deeper breath than he could take normally. He never got these attacks while sleeping, and it always calmed him down to lie down with his head propped up and read a book. He also was very frustrated when doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him physically, and had a very poor opinion of doctors.

 

To conclude, I empathize with the problems you're having. It sucks to not be in control of your health, and it's scary when you don't know what's wrong and feel like you're not being taken seriously. And there's something psychological about breathing problems that is naturally panic-laden, like you're drowning. I think you need to explain all this, in a civil and open manner, with a different doctor, one you might be able to respect. And don't mention that you are thinking of suing your other doctors. Trust me on that one.

[BrainWasher]

You should also consider the liability you have. If you hav not peformed to the best of your knowledge you probably should consider a law suit against youself.

 

You claim to have medical knowledge and your just now considering cardio workout. You were performing a strenght training program only two days a month?!?! Why strenght training? You lost 20 lbs? Sounds like you have a lot more to lose. I'm guessing you are still over your recommended weight.

 

You should seriously consider your faults/ neglect/ and lack of tact with dealing with doctors and the general health staff.

 

If you have an extensive medical background you should know even doctors get sick.

 

You cannot expect a full workup in just a few visits.

 

Consider your medical record and the history of care. How extensive is your medical record on this single issue? You have to build up the case in your medical record.

 

What do you expect from the doctor? You should address this with your doctor. If you expect an MRI on your first complaint, then you are expecting way too much. But if you ask for a good blood panel with addiional tests to test any concerns, than you may be on the right track.

 

Why don't you get your own pulse oximeter, BP Cuff, Sphygmomanometer, ET tubes, Thermometer, EKG, EEG, Foley Cathaters, IV Solutions, Antibiotics, Glucose meter, 10 Parameter Urine Regent Strips, Physical Examination and Respiratory texts, etc??

 

I think for having as much knowledge you claim you have, you are not applying it.

 

Come on... It only costs a few hundred dollars for general vital monitoring equipment.

 

If you want the full workup you might as well provide some valuable data for the doctors to work with.

 

Mexico is only a drive away from most in the US. You want to treat yourself then you should consider working on yourself in another country. The Medical system in the US is designed with the population in mind. Money is everything!!! So is making twenty appointments to build a comprehensive medical record.

 

The medical record is what you should really focus on. How well is your case (signs, symptoms, treatment history, vitals, lab results, etc...) presented in your medical record????????

 

Focus your energy into understanding your problem. Don't expect everyone to fix you. If you can't fix yourself then you are at the hands of the system you are a part of. If you understand the system then you will be able to exploit it as needed. If you find an issue inthe systemthen you need to make sure it is addessed. People that try to steal from/ sue the system will only hurt it.

 

Do you have your medical record? Was arterial blood gasses collected? Did you consider that you have blood buffer issues? Did you consider this may also be nutrition related? There are sooo many possiblities... Consider the need for differential diagnosis and the treatment hstory and data required to perform a good diagnostic.

 

You really set the whole stage on a bad note. You expect soo much, but, you do so little to make things happen.

 

Learn to use TACT.... Make the doctors want to do the tests with a positive reinforcement. If you use negative reinforcement then you can just expect horrible results. SOoooo.... NO... Don't try to sue the doctors. SUE YOURSELF!

Edited November 13, 2009 by BrainWasher

[virgoan]

your best bet would be to see a naturopath. I had been ill for many years, and only when I cleaned up my diet did my symptoms improve. or a homeopath may help. Doctors are not taught about nutrition, yet we eat every day.

hippocrates said (I think) let food be your medicine let medicine be your food.

[iNow]

your best bet would be to see a naturopath. I had been ill for many years, and only when I cleaned up my diet did my symptoms improve. or a homeopath may help.

If you're referring to the homeopathy where they take something and dilute it down 7 trillion times and claim it will heal you, then the process you are suggesting is crap, and fully bunk. At best, homeopathy can cure dehydration.

 

 

Doctors are not taught about nutrition, yet we eat every day.

 

Erm... Dieticians are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietician

[Mokele]

Doctors are not taught about nutrition, yet we eat every day.

 

Yes, they are. All of them. It may not be their primary speciality, but it's certainly one of the many, MANY things covered in medical school.

[swansont]

If you're referring to the homeopathy where they take something and dilute it down 7 trillion times and claim it will heal you, then the process you are suggesting is crap, and fully bunk. At best, homeopathy can cure dehydration.

 

 

Wouldn't the homeopathic cure for dehydration be no water at all?

[insane_alien]

nah, it'd be something that gives the same effects as dehydration diluted to oblivion in water.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Wouldn't the homeopathic cure for dehydration be no water at all?

 

Yes, but it would be very diluted.

[insane_alien]

actually, come to think about it, their cure for water intoxication(an over dose of water) would be diluted water.not entirely sure how you'd dilute water without just adding more though.

[Mr Skeptic]

actually, come to think about it, their cure for water intoxication(an over dose of water) would be diluted water.not entirely sure how you'd dilute water without just adding more though.

 

Dilute it in alcohol, of course.