Doctors are more likely to misdiagnose patients who are jerks

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by Meadbh These experiences took place in several countries.

Most notably the USA, I imagine.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by redduck Thanks a lot, Ed. I just looked up "porphyria." Now I have one more disease to obsess about the next time I'm not feeling well.

It is genetic, by the way. If your ancestors had it, then you can worry. If not, never mind.

[MRG]

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Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy Forgetting about diagnosis by TV commercials, we all need to be educated consumers of health care. Yes, doctors can be wrong. I saw a TV documentary about a woman doctor practicing in a hospital team environment who was having serious health problems that eventually forced her to leave. No one, herself included, could diagnose the problem and her complaints were dismissed. By chance, having read some history and of George III's problems, it was obvious to me that it was porphyria, which it turned out to be. Obscure maladies like tropical and rare diseases get missed. Sometimes you must be your own diagnostician.

Yes my favorite manager(genuine nice guy) came back from South Africa with a bad fever his doc was clueless and never did get a diagnosis. Few years later he got very ill, hospitals and other specialists, nobody had a clue.

Finally another co-w*rker came up with the answer he had malaria! His first doc could have caught it the fever was a big clue but the US trained doc had never seen a case of malaria.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by Fedup ...I know my husband would laugh his head off if I told him maybe there is a connection between alcohol and allergies, but I treated his leg with turmeric and his doctor never did, x-rays and all that. The fact is we own our own bodies, not the doctors.

Agree. There is more to allergies than most people realize, but we are all learning.

It is well known that some people are allergic to sulfites in wine, for example. My sinuses stuff up after drinking red wine.

We are learning what to eat and what not to eat, and mostly eat less of everything.

I welcome information from any source but I am selective in application. I would never use acupuncture but my wife uses magnets (groan) and our daughter goes to a naturopath for her allergies fairly successfully.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by MRG Yes my favorite manager(genuine nice guy) came back from South Africa with a bad fever his doc was clueless and never did get a diagnosis. Few years later he got very ill, hospitals and other specialists, nobody had a clue. Finally another co-w*rker came up with the answer he had malaria! His first doc could have caught it the fever was a big clue but the US trained doc had never seen a case of malaria.

If one works overseas, they should be aware of such things and seek out a knowledgeable sawbones.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by Fedup ...So my kid is also taking turmeric to help with inflammation. The problem has subsided significantly. I know my husband would laugh his head off if I told him maybe there is a connection between alcohol and allergies, but I treated his leg with turmeric and his doctor never did, x-rays and all that....

We take turmeric as well.

For more than one reason, I am sure, my family is all healthier than we have been for many years.

[Amethyst]

Someone I know, liked to brag about "telling off" doctors who dared to counsel her to lose weight (has >300 lbs on what should be a 120-lb frame) instead of just quietly refilling her numerous prescriptions for complications from Type 2 diabetes. That must be incredibly frustrating for doctors, who I'm sure would rather try to fix root causes than just throw chemicals at them.

[MRG]

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Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy If one works overseas, they should be aware of such things and seek out a knowledgeable sawbones.

True he was an infrequent visitor as many Megacorp travelers were. The corporate line was if you're not in a hot zone no worries(other than being robbed). After my first visit I refused to return but only because of personal safety. The malaria risk wasn't apparent until he contracted the disease while in "safe" Capetown.

[Fedup]

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Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy Agree. There is more to allergies than most people realize, but we are all learning. It is well known that some people are allergic to sulfites in wine, for example. My sinuses stuff up after drinking red wine. We are learning what to eat and what not to eat, and mostly eat less of everything. I welcome information from any source but I am selective in application. I would never use acupuncture but my wife uses magnets (groan) and our daughter goes to a naturopath for her allergies fairly successfully.

I didn't grow up with acupuncture. My massage therapist suggested it. I tried an American guy who was trained with Japanese acupuncture, but he was not as skilled as my last acupuncturist. So it depends on the person, she is from China and has a medical degree as well. She has since retired but helped me tremendously with back pain. And acupuncture must have boosted my immune system as a side effect. I rarely got sick in the last 10-12 years, while I was not the same when I was much younger.
As far as turmeric, a friend at work told me her mom was taking it, so I thought I gave my husband some everyday. Sure enough it healed after 3 months and he was able to run everyday. He was not able to do that before, He kept injured his heel when he ran. He is a runner all his life, but when you are young, you don't get these problem, it became a problem when he got older.


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[CountryGal]

Another consideration I haven't seen mentioned here. Most doctors MUST follow the "standard of care". So if you have condition X, they must prescribe treatment Y or test Z to go with it. There isn't much individualization of health care. It may not matter that treatment Y is useless, they will be penalized for not following it.

We need to be informed patients in order to survive and thrive. Sadly the doctors are pretty much under the control of the insurance companies and pharmaceutical industry.

[razztazz]

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There isn't much individualization of health care. It may not matter that treatment Y is useless, they will be penalized for not following it.

And if you refuse because you know better you get flagged as non-compliant, argumentative, recalcitrant and now you're the bad guy

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We need to be informed patients in order to survive and thrive.

This is the hard part. nobody is under any obligation to give you any information and in many cases the incentive is to keep us in the dark.

[CountryGal]

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Originally Posted by razztazz And if you refuse because you know better you get flagged as non-compliant

Such a nice term isn't it? If you don't follow along blindly, its almost like you have 2 heads.

[Winemaker]

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Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy Agree. There is more to allergies than most people realize, but we are all learning. It is well known that some people are allergic to sulfites in wine, for example. My sinuses stuff up after drinking red wine. We are learning what to eat and what not to eat, and mostly eat less of everything. I welcome information from any source but I am selective in application. I would never use acupuncture but my wife uses magnets (groan) and our daughter goes to a naturopath for her allergies fairly successfully.

There are more sulphites in white wine than red. One biggest use of sulphites is as an anti-oxidant to keep the wine from browning. Think freshly cut apple after a few minutes. It is added to wine in relation to ph.

Your stuffy nose is most likely due to histamines, which are very high in red wine. While taking a drug to allow oneself to drink alcohol may be lame/harmful to some, a mild antihistamine will minimize/eliminate these symptoms.

Sulphites in wine are generally <50 parts per million; dried fruits like apricots much, much more.

[psweath]

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Originally Posted by Car-Guy I'm still looking for a doctor who isn't "practicing" anymore. At the rates they charge and the importance of the "service they perform", I want one who's "mastered" the science and isn't practicing it.

And you'll be looking for the rest of your life. Medical science, like Yoga, is never "mastered" - that's why it's called a practice.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by Winemaker ...Your stuffy nose is most likely due to histamines, which are very high in red wine. While taking a drug to allow oneself to drink alcohol may be lame/harmful to some, a mild antihistamine will minimize/eliminate these symptoms. Sulphites in wine are generally <50 parts per million; dried fruits like apricots much, much more.

Hmmm. Didn't know that. Maybe an antihistamine before bed would do the trick.

My family tells me that the more wine they drink, the more their joints hurt. Connection?

[Options]

Failing to think through the type of relationship you want to have with your healthcare providers can have very negative consequences. Imagine having a negative relationship and getting into an accident or being diagnosed with late stage cancer where quality of life issues come into play.

The Aging with Dignity organization is dedicated to "safeguard the human dignity of people as they age or face serious illness". They have published an excellent booklet entitled "Five Wishes" which forces one to consider their wishes for end of life healthcare circumstances.

https://agingwithdignity.org/docs/de...e.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Yes, portions are similar to a Power of Attorney for Healthcare, except Five Wishes goes into more detail. A poor relationship with healthcare providers will psychologically and emotionally (if not physically) exacerbate any poor health condition.

[psweath]

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Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy Hmmm. Didn't know that. Maybe an antihistamine before bed would do the trick. My family tells me that the more wine they drink, the more their joints hurt. Connection?

Are they falling down?

[MRG]

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Originally Posted by Options Failing to think through the type of relationship you want to have with your healthcare providers can have very negative consequences. Imagine having a negative relationship and getting into an accident or being diagnosed with late stage cancer where quality of life issues come into play.

Had that happen with the only doc that ever misdiagnosed me, what a mess! I was in severe pain due to c-spine issues. Even though I told him I'd previously had the same injury it took 6 weeks for doc moron to get me into pain management.:confused:

Should have been a clue when an ER nurse told DW to get me away from this doc "before he killed me"! We had no idea this doc was such an id10t. I learned a valuable lesson a misdiagnosis like this guy had previously done is the last one that particular doc makes on me.

He was the only Dr. I've ever been difficult with but only because he was withholding pain meds. His position was "they're not good for you" really? Oh crap and the 44 magnum I'm planning to use is? I guess he was not a great doc dropped over dead at age 42, heart attack. My thoughts were at least he won't be able to practice on any others that may be his patients.

While I realize how I treat the doc plays into it there are some folks in every profession that should be doing something else.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

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Originally Posted by psweath Are they falling down?

Only later in the evening.