The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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TastyReuben said:
I get irritated because it's like these people don't pay attention and don't read a patient's record.

I have three docs I see; regular doc twice a year, ophthalmologist and skin doc once a year. MrsT has probably nine docs she sees all the time (regular doc, endocrine doc, heart doc, immuno doc, etc).

Every time, every single time we go, whether it's the doc or the nurse or someone on staff, it's like it's the first time they're seeing us.

How hard is it to take three minutes, read a record, and fake it for a few minutes. It's so bad at the heart doc, my wife sees them four-six times a year, and every time she comes in, they ask her about her pacemaker.

Pssst...SHE HASN'T GOT A PACEMAKER! Every time. She'll say, "I don't have a pacemaker," and they'll treat her like she's somehow forgotten that she has one. 😠
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I wish I could tell you that I'm shocked, but I'm not. My health started to decline when my ex blindsided me. He purposely moved our family to a new state where I knew NOONE. I had two young kids, a busted knee (tore my meniscus during the move) and my husband wouldn't talk to me. I had NO clue what was going on.

I went to see my PCP about my knee and started tearing up when lead to the exam room. The nurse looks at me and asks "What is wrong with you!?" I told her what I just told you and she said "Oh, shut up! It's not like you are the first woman to get cheated on and left!" I was floored. I have no idea where it came from but I shot right back "I'm not the first woman to give birth but that hurt too!" I never went back there.

Strangely, a couple of weeks before the move my PCP said that I was pre-diabetic and put me on meds. I didn't like the way they made me feel and I wasn't convinced that I needed them. In the past ten years I have been tested repeatedly and no other doctor has ever put me on that medication. I honestly think they just prescribe stuff they own stock in. They get wined and dined by these pharmacy reps. and just spout out whatever and write scripts and clearly, as in both our cases, don't even pay attention to what is going on.

Another time I was in the ER and the nurse tells me the doctor wanted a urine sample to make sure I wasn't pregnant (it wasn't good enough that I told them that I wasn't). I couldn't go so they decided to put in a catheter. Guess what? The nurse starts to clean the area with iodine. All the way across the room I could read the GIANT red letters indicating that I'm allergic to iodine. So, they had to stop worrying about the reason I was there and tend to me going into anaphylactic shock! The nurse was upset and started crying after realizing she almost killed me, but geez. It was in her hands right in her face!

Mostly, I just want you to know that you aren't alone. I was reading an article recently that there is an estimated 100,000 (ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND) deaths attributed to medical mistakes. Given my experiences, it seems like that number is low.

Edited to add: I just looked up the most recent numbers. It's now at 251,000/year.
Your Health Care May Kill You: Medical Errors - PubMed.
 
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rascal said:
SatNavSaysStraightOn
30 days has September April June and November, all the rest has 32 except February has 28 except the leap year.

Russ
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What months have 32 days? Now, I'm lost (not hard to do ;-).

I use the knuckle count to remember.
2880px-Month_-_Knuckles_(en).svg.png
 
mjd said:
Mostly, I just want you to know that you aren't alone. I was reading an article recently that there is an estimated 100,000 (ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND) deaths attributed to medical mistakes. Given my experiences, it seems like that number is low.
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Thanks, I appreciate it. Nothing serious has happened to either of us, not like with you, it's just been annoying things for us.
 
TastyReuben said:
Thanks, I appreciate it. Nothing serious has happened to either of us, not like with you, it's just been annoying things for us.
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I'm glad for that. Just be careful. I tell people all the time "You should care more about your health than your doctor." I can't believe how many people just blindly trust their doctors. I had a nurse commend me for asking her what meds she was giving me in the middle of the night. Heck. I only have to remember MY meds. She has to remember X number of patient's meds. I'm not taking any chances. ;-)
 
mjd said:
I'm glad for that. Just be careful. I tell people all the time "You should care more about your health than your doctor." I can't believe how many people just blindly trust their doctors. I had a nurse commend me for asking her what meds she was giving me in the middle of the night. Heck. I only have to remember MY meds. She has to remember X number of patient's meds. I'm not taking any chances. ;-)
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Maybe it's the country you live in. I trust medical professionals in the UK, why because they have quality training and oversight. Are mistakes made yes but never with me or any of my friends. When I moved here I was given a disc to bring with my complete medical history. Dr Tina studied it and asked me questions, she noted I was allergic to penicillin. She arranged for me privately (because of covid) to have two non malignant melanomas removed. After they were removed the Doctor prescribe me an antibiotic cream to use in case of infection. I started to tell Dr Olga that I was allergic to penicillin, she cut me off and said she read Dr Tina's standard request form which includes warnings re any medication problems. In the UK when I have been admitted, the admissions nurse ask those type of questions. Any warnings are highlighted on your notes that are clipped to your bed.
 
Burt Blank said:
Maybe it's the country you live in. I trust medical professionals in the UK, why because they have quality training and oversight. Are mistakes made yes but never with me or any of my friends. When I moved here I was given a disc to bring with my complete medical history. Dr Tina studied it and asked me questions, she noted I was allergic to penicillin. She arranged for me privately (because of covid) to have two non malignant melanomas removed. After they were removed the Doctor prescribe me an antibiotic cream to use in case of infection. I started to tell Dr Olga that I was allergic to penicillin, she cut me off and said she read Dr Tina's standard request form which includes warnings re any medication problems. In the UK when I have been admitted, the admissions nurse ask those type of questions. Any warnings are highlighted on your notes that are clipped to your bed.
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I don't believe all medical personnel is incompetent. I just don't blindly trust that they've actually read anything in my records. I have had enough bad experiences to know that I should always advocate for myself. I think everyone should. After all, who cares more about your life and health than you do?

I am glad you are okay now.
 
Burt Blank said:
Maybe it's the country you live in. I trust medical professionals in the UK, why because they have quality training and oversight. Are mistakes made yes but never with me or any of my friends. When I moved here I was given a disc to bring with my complete medical history. Dr Tina studied it and asked me questions, she noted I was allergic to penicillin. She arranged for me privately (because of covid) to have two non malignant melanomas removed. After they were removed the Doctor prescribe me an antibiotic cream to use in case of infection. I started to tell Dr Olga that I was allergic to penicillin, she cut me off and said she read Dr Tina's standard request form which includes warnings re any medication problems. In the UK when I have been admitted, the admissions nurse ask those type of questions. Any warnings are highlighted on your notes that are clipped to your bed.
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Sadly I have had problems in the UK. And I can tell you that the post code lottery with health care does exist. Family members have been left permanent disabled because of failed operations, introduced infections (during operation) and worse.

I personally was told to get off my backside and stop play acting when my lower back failed leaving my right leg paralysed and numb. This was to someone they knew usually cycled to the doctors, hospital or other, cycled 1,500km (1,000 mile) a month and had an 80km (50 mile) cycle commute. I was ignored, failed to receive the care I needed and never had the MRI done that would have told them what had occurred. I was simply told I was the wrong age group for back problems (I was 42 at the time). I ended up going privately through Bupa with an emergency appointment (fighting to even get the necessary referral from my doctor). Bupa had the MRI done during my initial consultation and I was immediately scheduled for the next theater day ( not that there was a gap, they were just told it was happening). The surgeon at that point told me quite categorically that they were operating to try to save some use of my leg. I've been lucky, I've recovered roughly 80% of what I lost that day. As it turned out, I had an undiagnosed birth defect that had never previously caused me any back pain. Had my doctor even arranged for am MRI she would have had that and what was wrong diagnosed and saved me a lot of money, pain and heartache, not to say the issues relating to the partial paralysis of my leg and chronic lower back pain.

I can only say that I an exceptionally grateful that when my neck did exactly the same 3 years later, I was no longer in the UK (or more accurately that region is the UK). I needed life saving surgery literally and spent 4 months in rehab after it. Luckily I would have been covered under our private healthcare in the UK, but I'm still happier with the care I have here in Australia.

When I lived in the south of England, it was a totally different matter. We had a rural doctors practice and again I cycled everywhere so was always taken seriously.
Moving north, back to our families was healthcare mistake that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Incidentally, it is the same healthcare region that left my step father permanently disabled.
 
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