To all regarding doctors

[Guest guest]

Most of us know how difficult it is to find a doctor that treats us the way we deserve. When we find a doctor we keep him/her for life, if possible. But while we look for the one our health is at stake and sometimes even our life. For all members I have this advice. Do not take crap.

I've had my share of doctors who deserved to have their license taken away. When I came to the US many years ago I went to see a primary doctor who absolutely assured me he could handle my lupus. It took me about a year to figure him out and to put a stop to it, but when I did I was so sick I had no strength left to do something about him being a doctor and I still regret it. He changed my prednisone dose from 60 to 20 mg overnight, then two days later he would tell me to go to 60 again. When I started retaining fluids big time, he gave me potassium, in the meantime my potassium was so high already from not peeing, my heart was going into failure. It's a long story.......

When a year a half ago I was told by my nephrologist I needed to be admitted into the hospital immediately because my kidneys were failing, I was real scared, especially since this was my first experience with chemo. I was admitted into the nephrology department where I was met by my doctor. He told me I would be transferred to the oncology ward as soon as a bed was available, but still today and that I should be administered with a high steroid IV. He also told me to make sure this was what I was getting because not all doctors realized such a dose was normal. I didn't get to the oncology division until about 7pm and patiently waited for my medication. At about 10pm I started asking the nurses whether my medication will be given to me shortly and they kept telling me they didn't know anything. I knew my doctors left the orders, so I just waited patiently some more. About 11:30 I asked to see the doctor on duty. I kept asking the nurse about him and she kept telling me he was told I wanted to see him. By 2am I finally had had enough, got out of bed and went to the nurses' station. There was the whole bunch of them: doctors and nurses. I loudly asked the nurse I spoke with before to please show me the doctor on duty. He was busy on the phone, but I said I would wait and waited there in the corridor for about 15 minutes. He finally come over and asked if he could help me. I was real calm, but made sure I spoke in a strong voice so that others could hear what was being said. I asked him about my medication, he said he will get to me when he can. He had a nasty look on his face and was trying to show me "who's the boss". I indicated I was very patient and have been waiting for hours already, but he just kept on insisting I didn't know anything about the meds and so on. So I told him that he could not patronize and intimidate me. I told him I wasn't a child and this after all was a hospital where people are supposed to be getting care, I was getting none. I also indicated it was inappropriate for me a sick, exhausted patient to be asking for a doctor for two and a half hours and then to have to walk out of my bed to finally speak with him. I said, this after all was a hospital and that I expected to be given better care. The nurses and other doctors were all openly staring at us with smirks on their faces. I suppose this doctor treated all patients this way. I was the one who walked away from him and although I was shaking inside I was showing him I was calm .

I got my IV within 5 minutes.

Please do not be afraid to demand better care. Some doctors are immune, but some of them we can teach.

Mojo