Are doctors now lazy and don't care about patients?
Question:
"Here's some Paxil." - Doc
"Hello doctor, I've had serious stomach problems for about 5 years including sharp pains, discomfort, frequent gas, diarrhea and constipation. I eat healthy most of the time and don't eat fast food. I think my stomach problems have resulted from my teenage partying phase where I drank and did drugs. I have quit these bad habits but have continued to have problems." - Berry
"Here's some Imodium AD.” – Doc
I feel these doctors don’t take me seriously and they just hand me a useless prescription without running tests, asking me questions or even giving advice about diet and exercise or what could be causing my problems at such a young age. Are my problems too complicated and they don’t want to deal with them? Do they think I’m lying or imagining it?
Where can I find good healthcare with a caring doctor who will take me seriously and actually try to help? In the meantime, I’ve been self-medicating with Loritabs for over a year because it’s the only thing I’ve found that has eased my pain and made it so I can function and have a normal life.
Answers:
Insurance and pharmaceutical companies are responsible for most of the issues that we see with many doctors. Health insurance companies are limiting the amount of time that a doctor can spend with a patient by making them schedule a certain number of people in a day in order to accept a particular type of insurance. The pharmaceutical companies are giving insurance companies and doctors kickback for writing a prescription for something they make. These two things combined make a doctor visit a nightmare for anyone who doesn't want a pill to solve their issues. I know these things because I am an aromatherapist and herbalist that wants more freedom in treating people so I was going to continue my education as an M.D. (medical doctor) but I don't want to fight with insurance and pharmaceutical companies to be able to help people. After much research I opted to become a D.C. instead, a Doctor of Chiropractic medicine. I had no idea that they can treat things other than bone or joint pain. Not all of them do but those who focus on functional medicine are a great asset. Many insurance companies have chiropractors that accept their insurance and they aren't limited to a time window with their patients. Look for one that uses functional medicine and you will be surprised by what they can do for you. Functional medicine in chiropractic focuses on whole body health and it sounds like you could really use that.
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I think they're just more into money than the health (mentally and physically) of their patients. They're not necessarily lazy, maybe they're burnt out and have opted to prescribe medication instead of really listening and trying out other options. It is really hard to find a good doctor nowadays that will spend the time talking and trying to figure out what have worked and what haven't worked with the patient. So my suggestion is just to try other doctors female as well as males and maybe you'll get lucky with one doctor who will be able to help you through your problems.
I think the problem is that they try to schedule SO Many people into one day that they have to rush to get all the patients in!
I like when my doctor takes the time to talk to me and answer my questions..I HATE when there rushed. It's so rude.
i totally agree with you!! i went to the doctor complaining of pain in my lower abdomen and he told me it was my colon. i since went to another doctor who did a scan and sed that it was not my colon by my ovary! i have an inflamed ovary and falopian tube that has been killing me for months! i have an appointment with the gynae today, hopefully hell get it right!
you just have to get second opinions all the time!
First off, doctors don't incur 8-16+ years of post-high school education just "for the money." Although many will owe 200K+ for that education and have worked long and hard for that degree, it is not feasible to think that they are doing it soley for the money. Granted, some docs have better bedside manner than others, some are better businessmen than others, and let's face it, time is money.
Now to answer the question. Anytime you walk into a doctor's office with a litany of complaints and say that a narcotic medication is your only saving grace, you are going to hit a brick wall with the doc. My guess is that your bloating and constipation is caused by the Lortab. I am not stating that you don't have real, unrelenting pain in your back, but I am telling you that chronic use of narcotic pain medications has a very detrimental affect on the body.
The "new" approach. Go back to the doctor and tell him that your #1 priority is to seek a way to get off of the Lortab. That means you need to be willing to give it up. I would ask for a referral to a pain management doctor who can do epidural injections for your pain, if warranted, or nerve blocks. If that doesn't seem like the route you want to travel, then tell your doc you want to see a spine surgeon (who will probably refer you to the pain management doc if you do not have a problem that can be helped by surgery).
Thirdly, and hate to say it, but chronic narcotic users almost always have the constellation of symptoms you describe in paragraph #1 - fatigue, dizziness, headaches, etc. This could be "rebound" symptoms from the up and down of the narcotics in your system.
Please understand, I am not trying to be unfeeling toward your very real issues. I believe you that you are not feeling well but please believe me when I tell you that you are not going to get anywhere with most doctors when you tell them you are self-medicating with narcotic pain medication. That sends up red flags all over the place that you are a drug seeker. There are ways around this w/out the Lortab, I can promise you that. First, you need to make the decision that you are ready to get off of it, and on with your life. I believe you will find that most doctors will be very willing to sit and talk with you about your constellation of symptoms when you are willing to give up one of the things that is causing some of the problem.
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