I read a lot online and hear from others about the terrible care they get from Doctors. I can’t say I’ve never had these types of experiences either with my own dr or when taking my Grandmother to the Dr on a regular basis. However, I’ve been lucky to not have one YET that created a major worsening of my situation.
I’m sometimes classified as a “bitch”. I stand up for myself and when I don’t feel I’m getting the care I need I will go find someone who will give it to me. However, I’ve been in the situation where I felt so bad that I couldn’t make the call; all I could do was take what I was given. I can recall two such incidents..
1. Migraines – About 5 years ago I was hit with anxiety. I started having anxiety attacks and went to my Dr and he put me on Zoloft. About a month later I was back in the doctors office complaining of chronic migraines. He sent me to a Neurologist/Migraine specialist. Looking back I can see so many things wrong with this situation, but at the time I just wanted the pain to go away and if you’ve ever had migraines you can understand how it would be hard to put 2 and 2 together after dealing with daily migraines for several weeks. The “migraine specialist” did no tests. He simply said I should go on Topomax (a bipolar med which is now being used to treat migraines) and sent me home with samples. While there he asked if I was currently in pain. Yes, I was. And, did I want something for it. Yes. He gave me two injections – one for pain and one for nausea. I’d driven myself – he never asked if I had a driver. I did good to make it home before whatever he gave me completely knocked me out. A few weeks later when I went to get the prescription for the Topomax filled my pharmacy told me to make sure I use a back up method of birth control because the Topomax would interfere with it. At that point I went home and realized that the Dr had not given me any info with the sample medication, however there was a sticky spot on the bottle where the info sheet was originally attached. HRMMMM. I did a little more research at that point and found out that migraines can be a common side effect of Zoloft. I switched Drs, got on a different anxiety med and my migraines went back to normal. I never took Topomax again (but I still deal with some of the long term side effects from it). I did report the neurologist to the AMA.
2. My Gallbladder – there’s not too many people who know me who don’t know this story. About 2.5 years ago I was dealing with constant migraines again (this time due to TMJ). I was taking a LOT of OTC migraine meds (as well as a different prescription med which contained NSAID). About a month or so into all of this I started having extreme pain in my side; it was sharp but rarely lasted long so I didn’t think much of it. Then I started having serious heartburn. I guessed correctly that I probably had an ulcer due to all the NSAIDs I was taking and went to Urgent Care. While there I told them about the pain I’d been having in my side and she referred me to a GI Dr for both issues. Evidently the first thought they both had was gallbladder (but no one really told me). The GI dr sent me for an upper GI to show the ulcer and also sent me for an ultrasound and another test to check the function of my gallbladder. The upper GI showed an ulcer, as expected, but the other tests showed nothing. The pains in my side continued; they continued to the point that I ended up in the ER 3 times over the course of about 5 weeks. Each time I would call my GI dr and he would tell me (again) who my gallbladder tests came back fine and the ER wouldn’t find anything; basically telling me it was pointless to go. He was right. The 4th time this happened, I had a colonoscopy scheduled for the next day and I couldn’t even drink water let alone the crud they make you drink before the test. So I went to the ER again. This time I called my GI Dr and told him he’d best check me in (he’d mentioned checking me in the last time, but didn’t follow through with it). I went to a different hospital this time hoping that maybe it would lend different results. He checked in me but I think it was mainly because I had the colonoscopy schedule the next day at the same hospital and checking me in was the only way it was going to happen that late in the day. After the colonoscopy he came to see me and told me (what we expected) that it showed nothing. It was like he didn’t want to do anything. He was so reliant on the tests that he wouldn’t question them. “All I can do is call in a surgeon and see what he says….” he said in a way that made it clear he was hoping I wouldn’t go there and prove him wrong. I told him to call the surgeon. The surgeon came by pushed on my side and told me he was pretty sure it was my gallbladder but for the sake of insurance we had to run this test again, but he told me what to watch for; telling me that if I felt pain during a certain part of the test that that meant my gallbladder was having issues. Oddly enough, when I’d had this test before they’d told me that pain during it was completely normal…. so I didn’t even mentally log whether or not it hurt. This time I paid attention and sure enough it hurt; but it didn’t really matter. Not 5 minutes after I was delivered back to my hospital room the surgeon called to tell me he’d be taking my gallbladder out the next day; the test showed it was bad.
There’s no telling how long that would have continued had I not pushed to make something happen. And I can’t tell you in how many other ways I’ve had to push to make something happen with doctors. I think we fear getting labeled as a hypochondriac, and I think many doctors are quick to throw those labels out. I’ve left at least 2 doctors in the last 4 years because they seemed to ignore me or my symptoms. I’m very lucky right now to have a Rheumatologist (or rather his NP) that really gets Fibro and not only doesn’t ignore me but goes out of his way to make sure I’m being treated every way possible. I’m also lucky to have found the orthodontist who is treating my TMJ; but I found him because I looked and now drive 2 hours each way on a monthly basis to see him. I also have a great chiropractor who also provides acupuncture therapy (and who was responsible for finally figuring out the source of my headaches 2.5 years ago, when no one else could figure it out).
One of my readers asked me not too long ago about one of my doctors, so I thought I would share the info here as to who my doctors are.
Rheumatology
Dr. Chen (although really Nurse Tim) at Rheumatology Associates
201 Sivley Rd Sw Ste 600
Huntsville, AL 35801
(256) 551-6510
Chiropractor
Ross Clinic (Dr. Ross Jr)
800 Gallatin Street
Huntsville, AL 35801
256 539-9407
Orthodontist/ TMJ Specialist
H. Clifton Simmons
1916 Hayes Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
615-329-1854
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