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ANOTHER PROFESSION
TO COMPLAIN ABOUT |
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A few columns ago I took a pretty good potshot at attorneys.
In the interest of fairness, I am now turning my attention to doctors. My
poison pen is an equal opportunity slanderer.
While attorneys are an easy target, maligned by many, doctors
are not quite as easy to attack. They do a lot of good things, like
healing people and preventing you from dying. Hard to argue with that.
I'll give it a try, though.
Let's start with my right hip replacement, which I had done exactly
one year ago when I was with my company's Kaiser health plan. As far as I
know, all went well with the hip. The nice, young, well-educated female
orthopedist showed me the x-ray a few weeks after the operation and
announced success.
"So what is with this pain that shoots down my right
side?" I asked.
"I have no idea," she responded. "It will probably
go away."
It didn't. Three months later, with the hip fully recovered, I saw
her again and said the pain was still there, especially as I started
exercising again.
She wasn't very interested. I suggested a cortisone shot in the
area that hurt. "Sure," she breezily replied, and returned a few
minutes later and gave me the injection. "Hope that helps."
It didn't. I left Kaiser a month later, and joined Medicare with a
Blue Shield supplement. Now I would get some real attention. I had a
physical with my new doctor, told him about the pain in my leg, and he
suggested I try Voltarin, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory cream. He
said that should help.
It didn't. He then referred me to another orthopedist. This
was last September. It took me a while to get an appointment because he
was very busy, so I made sure I got the first appointment of the day at
8:30. No waiting for me.
At 9:20 he wandered in. No apology. He'd be ridiculously late for
all his patients for the rest of the day, and I don't think it fazed him
in the least. Not a good start.
He examined me and nodded his head. "I'm 100% certain it
is bursitis," he confidently announced. "How about a cortisone
shot? That should take care of it."
It didn't. I went back in November and January, told him it wasn't
any better, and he gave me two more shots, each one costing $135 more than
Medicare provides. He was richer, and I was much, much poorer in many
ways.
The pain was getting worse. I tried physical therapy (again) and
this physical therapist quietly mentioned that the pain might be coming
from my spine, not my bursa sac. She said I should have it checked out.
I went back to the orthopedist in March and took the initiative,
TELLING HIM (what's wrong with that picture?) that it might be my back. He
shrugged and said let's get an x-ray, WHICH HE HAS IN HIS OFFICE!!"
10 minutes later, he showed me the results. "Your back is a
mess," he said without a trace of guilt. "You probably have some
nerve impingement. That's where your problem is coming from. I'll refer
you to our spine specialist."
HOW COULD THEY NOT HAVE BOTHERED TO CHECK??!! Not one, not two, but
three different doctors never suggested we at least check the spine. I was
both fascinated and very irritated by the lack of care. They're all good
doctors---they just didn't take the time to do a thorough investigation.
They were too busy.
My primary care physician scheduled an MRI and sent me the
results in an email. "Uggg" he wrote. "Your back is a mess.
There's definitely nerve impingement. Our spine doctor will probably
recommend a steroid injection to start."
"Uggg" is not a word you want to hear from your doctor.
But at least I finally had a correct diagnosis and I could start working
on a solution, 11 MONTHS AFTER I ASKED FOR HELP!!
So now you know why I've turned my wrath onto doctors. And I'm
going to continue to be upset, right up to the time they cure my pain. And
then I'll treat them like the life-saving benevolent Gods they think they
are, and can quite often be.
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