5 ms·

I feel your sentiment. I’ve had a love hate relationship with the medical community. It took two plus years for a diagnosis of Celiac’s. Along the way, I me

by poof131 12y ago

I feel your sentiment. I’ve had a love hate relationship with the medical community. It took two plus years for a diagnosis of Celiac’s. Along the way, I met a number of doctors who took the attitude that if they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, it must be in my head. And while these docs made me want to crack skulls, I also came across a number of great doctor’s with empathy, knowledge, and an understanding that their knowledge is not infinite. It’s a tough job, and after that many years in school, it’s tough to be humble. It was my step-brother, a Cardiologist, who recommended against my second endoscopy that led to the diagnosis and the transformation of my health. Like my XO in the Navy said, ‘Only you are responsible for your career.’ It applies to medicine as well, ‘Only you are responsible for your health.’ Especially with anything chronic that may be outside the 99.9% bounds that modern medicine is designed to handle well.

kamaal 12y ago
>>I met a number of doctors who took the attitude that if they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, it must be in my head. I hear you. I went through a very similar phase a few years back here in India. It turns out it was just a simple infection being dragged around by my doctor just to keep the consultation fees coming. It took a little internet research and a change of doctor to get the problem resolved. In another case a wife of a colleague suffered from a serious health issue. Turns out the doctor did everything to delay the actual treatment to keep the expenses high. After a little research and catching the doctor in the act, the doctor yelled at them telling that was how he deals and they can go to a different doctor if they wanted. A new doctor was able to get the situation under control and get the issues resolved pretty quick. We need to understand that at the end of the day its just a business, and they just tend to optimize what works for them.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  Is there a review site for doctors? It would seem to me that such blatant profiteering at the expense (both health and moneywise) of patients ought to be exposed.
  - rubinelli 12y ago
    There are a few, and as you can expect, they open some huge legal cans of worms: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/your-money/why-the-web-lacks-authoritative-reviews-of-doctors.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/your-money/why-the-web-lac... Posting a picture of a cockroach in the bathroom is one thing, essentially accusing a doctor of malpractice is another entirely. Stepping on local Medical Boards' toes doesn't help either.
  - eli 12y ago
    Yes, ZocDoc. Also Yelp to some degree. The reviews, in my experience, are less useful than you might imagine. People have very different ideas of what makes a good doctor and they seem much more likely to write reviews when they're not happy.

by poof131 12y ago

kamaal 12y ago

>>I met a number of doctors who took the attitude that if they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, it must be in my head. I hear you. I went through a very similar phase a few years back here in India. It turns out it was just a simple infection being dragged around by my doctor just to keep the consultation fees coming. It took a little internet research and a change of doctor to get the problem resolved. In another case a wife of a colleague suffered from a serious health issue. Turns out the doctor did everything to delay the actual treatment to keep the expenses high. After a little research and catching the doctor in the act, the doctor yelled at them telling that was how he deals and they can go to a different doctor if they wanted. A new doctor was able to get the situation under control and get the issues resolved pretty quick. We need to understand that at the end of the day its just a business, and they just tend to optimize what works for them.

jacquesm 12y ago
Is there a review site for doctors? It would seem to me that such blatant profiteering at the expense (both health and moneywise) of patients ought to be exposed.
- rubinelli 12y ago
  There are a few, and as you can expect, they open some huge legal cans of worms: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/your-money/why-the-web-lacks-authoritative-reviews-of-doctors.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/your-money/why-the-web-lac... Posting a picture of a cockroach in the bathroom is one thing, essentially accusing a doctor of malpractice is another entirely. Stepping on local Medical Boards' toes doesn't help either.
- eli 12y ago
  Yes, ZocDoc. Also Yelp to some degree. The reviews, in my experience, are less useful than you might imagine. People have very different ideas of what makes a good doctor and they seem much more likely to write reviews when they're not happy.