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Post by angelas on Feb 1, 2007 17:19:30 GMT -5
One question to all of you out there who must feel the utter frustration I do with the lack of support from those who call themself caregivers and doctors...
Does a doctor believe that something is 'common' based on how many women they see in a day with the same health concerns?
Does a doctor assume that because women share 'common' symptoms that the exact same thing is wrong with each of them?
Do doctors not have the experience of research like I know the rest of us do pertaining to the possible sites of pain, the possiblities of where this disease can grow?
Just want to make sure I'm not alone in questioning some doctors abilities, but above all compassion.
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Post by ouchy on Feb 1, 2007 17:26:40 GMT -5
I think a lot of doctors have become jaded. I think a lot prefer to dismiss women w/ similar pain as we experience w/ endo as either having IC (interstitial cystitis) or IBS and just leave it at that, without further investigation. I think it is a lot of times easier for them to throw out these two cliche' diagnoses instead of taking the time to put two-and-two together and give it some serious thought, especially when most have time quotas already set for how much time they are allowed to spend with each patient. ...Just my opinion.
Edited to add: I think that awareness about endometriosis among those in the medical community will be on the rise. In my high school biology class back in the mid-90's, we studied about endometriosis, PCOS, and a wide variety of other diseases and conditions. Everything was again echoed in college in my classes as follows: biology, zoology, health, and human sexuality. I think awareness will definitely be on the rise if the diseases are now being discussed in high school and even freshman-level classes in college. I think it is great! I'll be interested to see what doctors know/with what they are familiar 20 years from now
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Post by akcheryl on Feb 1, 2007 19:37:05 GMT -5
It's really hard to explain how much doctors know...my husband is in medical school and I can't even explain how much he already knows about diseases. What we read on sites like emedicine, etc. is generally "dumbed-down" so the lay person can understand how a disease functions. There are thousands and thousands of diseases out there, and doctors have to know what each bacterium looks like, exactly how it functions, it's pathobiology, treatments, symptoms (which are often all the same!), etc. ...
I know based on what my husband has said that medical students now do learn about endometriosis. For instance, during respiratory lectures, pleural endometriosis (endo of the lungs) was described by the doctor lecturing. He's also had discussions about endo in his endo/repro (endocrine/reproductive systems) class.
I'm sorry if I sound frustrated, but I kind of am. It's frustrating seeing how hard medical students work and all the information doctors have to know, and then to get the impression that most people don't have an understanding or appreciation for that. I know a lot of people who think that nurses know just as much as doctors, and I have a lot of respect for nurses, but the fact is that they don't know nearly what a doctor does.
There are time constraints on how long a doctor is supposed to spend with a patient. However, this is due to the fact that most doctors have to see 60 or 70 patients in one day (whereas a nurse might see only a dozen patients and can therefore spend much more time with each one). Trust me, these time constraints are NOT the doctor's choice, either! (Most issues in the US related to medical school and doctors are regulated by the AMA.)
That being said, there are those doctors out there who lack adequate compassion. And there are good doctors and bad doctors, just like there are good teachers and bad ones, etc.
On a sort of side note, I think it's strange that people so often feel uncomfortable being treated by residents (doctors who recently graduated med school) - while there are obviously many very good older doctors out there with a lot of experience, information/technology/etc. changes so quickly in the medical field that a lot of older doctors who don't keep up on the latest research by reading medical journals or teaching or conducting their own research aren't as up-to-date as doctors who were in med school more recently.
Have you tried going to a hospital associated with a medical school / research hospital?
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Post by ouchy on Feb 1, 2007 19:50:35 GMT -5
To clarify, my post was related to what I feel about a lot of the middle-aged doctors, not the ones fresh out of med school. There are also a LOT more classes that students in med school have to take nowadays, also, and I feel that more of the relevant diseases and conditions are touched on more.
akcheryl's post jogged my memory. Pleural endometriosis was also spoken of in my anatomy/phys class. Guess there is another class to add to the list where it was mentioned and given more exposure.
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Post by angelas on Feb 1, 2007 20:53:06 GMT -5
I agree with you ouchy in the sense that it just seems to be more of the middle aged doctors. I also agree with the comments about the residents akcheryl. I have been seen by a few different residents and they are the ones who have been undoubtedly supportive in meeting my needs and trying to get the answers to the questions I have.
Maybe Canadian schooling is different too?
I however was driving towards the specialist end of medicine. I'm sorry if I came accross as unappreciative of any or all general practitioners. I have been seeing the same circle of specialists (endo specialists) for the past 8 years now, and the frustration I feel is due to the same assumptions. It took 2 years for me to be diagnosed since they did not want to believe a person as young as I was could have such a disease.
I could not even begin to imagine how much a person in the medical field would have to know! I just expect that someone specialized in a certain area (especially one such as endo, which is on the basis of extreme pain) would be a little more inclined to listen and have compassion for what I describe, and try to help rather than dismiss, regardless of a time limit. That is why I brought in a list for him to see... I thought that would save time.
I was just hoping to find some answers/support on what may go through their minds. I wasn't trying to cause any disrespect.
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Post by ouchy on Feb 1, 2007 23:31:16 GMT -5
I agree implicitly with you!
I think it is horrible when an endo specialist refuses to listen! That is kind of how I felt w/ my specialist a few months back when he recommended Lupron or get pregnant. It shocked the he** out of me, bc he had always been so proactive in treating the endo in other ways. His attitude pretty much was just to blow me off and ignore my pain when I told him that I would never go on Lupron.
Anyway, I understand what you are saying and agree with you! :*
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apple
Full Member
Posts: 214
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Post by apple on Feb 2, 2007 10:16:15 GMT -5
Yes I understand your frustration and on my 20 years as an endo suffered I've seen so many doctors (couple of different countries)and I do not have many positive experiences. I put my 100 % trust on them but as I stayed on on another post I started to get major improvements when I took charge of my health, researching, trying different natural approaches, etc. So that would be my advice to you.
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Post by angelas on Feb 2, 2007 13:05:53 GMT -5
At this point in my health I knew I had to get to the doctor since there were so many things that just did not seem right. My refusal to accept Lupron as the be all end all healer other than a hysterectomy also prompted him to almost 'challenge me' by doing an ultrasound. I mentioned in another thread that we found a cyst on my right ovary about the size of an apple that is hemmoraging. If this cyst ruptures it will constitute more of an 'emergency' situation. So the lap I requested in the first place is now manditory its now just a matter of when.
I haven't gone ahead with trying out different natural approaches and such, but the first step I did take in taking charge of my body was to not just accept the wave of his hand and walk out of there with nothing more than a perscription to something I don't want. It totally sucks that I had to argue to make the point valid but I am so glad that I did cause its almost like I prooved my point to him almost to say 'see? thats why I want you listen to me'. Ouchy I am a little more contented in my situation knowing that you've experienced similar treatment in another country than I'm in (I'm assuming you are in another country hehe).
Do either of you have any recommendations on the threads I could look at to really start preparing for 'life after the lap' in terms of natural remedies? I am so unfamiliar with all that?
Thanks!
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Post by ouchy on Feb 2, 2007 13:22:09 GMT -5
I think just read through the entire "Alternative Treatments" forum and also the "Diet Advice" forum. Both have TONS of helpful threads--too many to list!
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Post by angelas on Feb 2, 2007 13:32:47 GMT -5
Thanks so much! No better time than now to start doing more research!
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