On the topic of doctors

[Guest guest]

Speaking for myself personally..when I was much younger I thought that

medicine was an exact science and that doctors had the giant book of

answers. After going to work in the medical field and being in a hospital

many long hours and typing up medical reports while spending hours with the

doctors discussing different things.. I learned that was a giant

misconception. Medicine is by far a very refined science, but there are

still unanswerable questions.. those people that always throw doctors for a

loop and that sometimes it is a big guess. A patient presents with symptoms

A, B and C so we rule out D, E, and F. If this doesn't work we look closer

at blood work and rule out G,H and I. When all of this fails we put them on

medicine to control the symptoms and hope that something shows up !!

Fortunately in most cases, the cause is discovered while ruling out D, E and

F.. and the treatment ensues. I think that it's easy to expect all doctors

to have all the answers. I found that it's best to research my problems and

go to the doctor loaded with ideas.. not telling them what to do but

questioning them to make sure that this might not be something we need to

check or that that symptom might not be this condition. I've always had a

doctor that I could do this with. I don't present it in that " This is what

I have now fix me " , but more on the line of " I am concerned that it could be

??? " . I've never had a doctor act upset that I have knowledge.. I guess it

happens, but like someone else said most doctors really do care about their

patients. The few that don't give medicine a bad name.. and it's a shame.

Unfortunately there is no test that they can give med students to weed out

the ones that are in it for the money or prestige. I think if you took the

hours they work, the on call time, the expense for malpractice insurance and

all of the office upkeep, they probably make very little per hour !!!

Just my 2 cents. I love my pcp and my surgeon as well as my plastic

surgeon. BUT I am very very picky about choosing a doctor and I think

communication is extremely important.

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[Guest guest]

I look at doctors like I look at auto mechanics. You have your good

ones...those that have a gift or have been very well trained; and

then you have the shade tree mechanic...learned enough to get by, but

doesn't have any original ideas. That is why you have to get

involved with your own health care. Would you go to the first

mechanic in the phone book just because he is listed as a mechanic?

Would you take your car to a shade tree mechanic that has no tools?

I don't put docs on a pedestal. They are human and make human

mistakes. And like all of us, there are good and bad ones. I told

this to my PCP one day...I don't think he really appreciated it,

LOL! And one of the reasons I stick with him is that he was a

Pharmacist before he became a doc. More knowledge...better care.

Just my $.02

Reba

> Speaking for myself personally..when I was much younger I thought

that

> medicine was an exact science and that doctors had the giant book

of

> answers. After going to work in the medical field and being in a

hospital

> many long hours and typing up medical reports while spending hours

with the

> doctors discussing different things.. I learned that was a giant

> misconception. Medicine is by far a very refined science, but

there are

> still unanswerable questions.. those people that always throw

doctors for a

> loop and that sometimes it is a big guess.