Guest guest Posted July 11, 1999 Report Share Posted July 11, 1999 , Regarding stokes, I don't think we are giving doctors a 'bum rap' at all! As someone who has been there and had to spend over 5 months in a therapy hospital because of a stroke, I feel *very* strongly the neuro should have told me. Instead, I did not find out until the therapy hospital released me. If the neuro did tell me, it may not have changed anything but it would have saved a tremendous amount of frustration. I agree the neuro is a busy person and your family doctor also has a role to play. The neuro can't explain everything but a stroke is a pretty major event. Is 15 minutes of a neuro's time worth 5 months of mine?? I asked many times why I was having all these problems (eg, standing up, blurred vision, couldn't talk, etc) but all the neuro said was that 'I would get better'. This is actually pathetic! I have thought of why doctors are allowed to do thing sort of thing many times since my stroke in 1986. My feeling is that doctors are not accountable to anyone. They are surely not accountable to you or me. Are they accountable to the hospital, themselves or their peers?? When everything is rosy, there is no problem. But when a complication like a stroke occur, you have the right to an explanation right from the neuro (regardless of how busy they are - isn't it amazing that prior to your operation the neuro has all kinds of time for explanations BEFORE your surgery but get 'busy' AFTER your surgery??). The neuro is not to blame for the stroke but they need to tell you it happened. All they need to say is " this is what happened... and this is what we are going to do... " That is not asking for a lot and I don't think this is the role of the family doctor to play (perhaps months after the fact). I am not trying to bash neurosurgeons because I have had some very good ones. They do a good job on the whole but things like not informing you (or at least your family) of a major complication like a stroke is an area that is clearly lacking. And yes, the blame is squarely on the neuro. > > >I keep thinking about this recent brouhaha that doctors don't tell you you >had a stroke. I think that we are giving the doctors a bit of a bum rap that >is undeserved. > >First, ask yourself a question did I go through proper channels? >The neuro-surgeon is a busy specialist, many do not have the time to give >patients lessons in anatomy, surgery, and all the involved disciplines of >medicine. > >That role belongs to the family physician. > >In fact, going back to my family Dr. ,on the next day that I was released >from the hospital after my third surgery, probably saved my life. >After she examined me, she said: " go back to the hospital, go to emergency, >tell them your physician said to start Heparin I.V. drip and tell them to >page the radiologist on duty to come in and do a Venogram " .(she was not even >associated with that hospital) > >And she was right. When they did the Venogram, I was re-admitted. > >Her comment, on my later follow-up visit was " Blackie is a better >diagnostician that some of those interns " . (my hearing ear dog Blackie was >licking my leg which had surgery-induced thrombosis and hurt like hell) > > V. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 1999 Report Share Posted July 11, 1999 And just as an aside, I have no family doctor who would explain things to me; there is some guy I have seen twice in the last ten years, but he knows me not at all and I probably wouldn't be seeing him after surgery. You are fortunate to have a good family doctor. Marie A. Fusca wrote: > From: ffusca@... ( A. Fusca) > > , > > Regarding stokes, I don't think we are giving doctors a 'bum rap' at all! As > someone who has been there and had to spend over 5 months in a therapy > hospital because of a stroke, I feel *very* strongly the neuro should have > told me. Instead, I did not find out until the therapy hospital released me. > If the neuro did tell me, it may not have changed anything but it would have > saved a tremendous amount of frustration. > > I agree the neuro is a busy person and your family doctor also has a role to > play. The neuro can't explain everything but a stroke is a pretty major > event. Is 15 minutes of a neuro's time worth 5 months of mine?? I asked many > times why I was having all these problems (eg, standing up, blurred vision, > couldn't talk, etc) but all the neuro said was that 'I would get better'. > This is actually pathetic! > > I have thought of why doctors are allowed to do thing sort of thing many > times since my stroke in 1986. My feeling is that doctors are not > accountable to anyone. They are surely not accountable to you or me. Are > they accountable to the hospital, themselves or their peers?? > > When everything is rosy, there is no problem. But when a complication like a > stroke occur, you have the right to an explanation right from the neuro > (regardless of how busy they are - isn't it amazing that prior to your > operation the neuro has all kinds of time for explanations BEFORE your > surgery but get 'busy' AFTER your surgery??). The neuro is not to blame for > the stroke but they need to tell you it happened. All they need to say is > " this is what happened... and this is what we are going to do... " That is > not asking for a lot and I don't think this is the role of the family doctor > to play (perhaps months after the fact). > > I am not trying to bash neurosurgeons because I have had some very good > ones. They do a good job on the whole but things like not informing you (or > at least your family) of a major complication like a stroke is an area that > is clearly lacking. And yes, the blame is squarely on the neuro. > > > > > > > > >I keep thinking about this recent brouhaha that doctors don't tell you you > >had a stroke. I think that we are giving the doctors a bit of a bum rap that > >is undeserved. > > > >First, ask yourself a question did I go through proper channels? > >The neuro-surgeon is a busy specialist, many do not have the time to give > >patients lessons in anatomy, surgery, and all the involved disciplines of > >medicine. > > > >That role belongs to the family physician. > > > >In fact, going back to my family Dr. ,on the next day that I was released > >from the hospital after my third surgery, probably saved my life. > >After she examined me, she said: " go back to the hospital, go to emergency, > >tell them your physician said to start Heparin I.V. drip and tell them to > >page the radiologist on duty to come in and do a Venogram " .(she was not even > >associated with that hospital) > > > >And she was right. When they did the Venogram, I was re-admitted. > > > >Her comment, on my later follow-up visit was " Blackie is a better > >diagnostician that some of those interns " . (my hearing ear dog Blackie was > >licking my leg which had surgery-induced thrombosis and hurt like hell) > > > > V. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 1999 Report Share Posted July 12, 1999 Hi Marie, It may be a good idea for you to get familiar with your family doctor. Mine is a great guy who I've been seeing for almost 15 years. Sometimes I do not see him for a few years at a time but he knows my situation reasonable well. A good family doctor could be of enormous help to you. For example, your family doctor would be in a good position to dispute the claims made by that neuro about the need for your driving re-test. You may be in a different situation that me and V. in Canada. Our health care system is publicly funded through taxes so there is essentially no cost to us to seek out a good family doctor who we trust and who trusts us in return. Actually, I should not say there is 'no cost' for this because taxes in Canada are about twice those in the US. And you thought was sucking up your tax dollars while was... well, I'm getting off topic here so I better close. > > >And just as an aside, I have no family doctor who would explain things to me; >there is some guy I have seen twice in the last ten years, but he knows me not at >all and I probably wouldn't be seeing him after surgery. You are fortunate to >have a good family doctor. Marie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 1999 Report Share Posted July 12, 1999 Guess you're right; I always prided myself on being quite healthy, other than this little NF2 stuff, and never needing a family doc! But it is getting harder and harder to get close to a specialist! Marie A. Fusca wrote: > From: ffusca@... ( A. Fusca) > > Hi Marie, > > It may be a good idea for you to get familiar with your family doctor. Mine > is a great guy who I've been seeing for almost 15 years. Sometimes I do not > see him for a few years at a time but he knows my situation reasonable well. > A good family doctor could be of enormous help to you. For example, your > family doctor would be in a good position to dispute the claims made by that > neuro about the need for your driving re-test. > > You may be in a different situation that me and V. in Canada. Our > health care system is publicly funded through taxes so there is essentially > no cost to us to seek out a good family doctor who we trust and who trusts > us in return. > > Actually, I should not say there is 'no cost' for this because taxes in > Canada are about twice those in the US. And you thought was sucking up > your tax dollars while was... well, I'm getting off topic here so I > better close. > > > > > > > > >And just as an aside, I have no family doctor who would explain things to me; > >there is some guy I have seen twice in the last ten years, but he knows me > not at > >all and I probably wouldn't be seeing him after surgery. You are fortunate to > >have a good family doctor. Marie > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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