Home from Hospital-Endo for 2 weeks; Bad Docs 2/2.

[calgontakemeaway]

So, my general practioner, who knows nothing about endo, admitted me Tuesday to the hospital. It was my first week after my period after my first Luprin: exremely painful, couldn't walk very far due to pain, excessive bleeding--worse than my periods befor the lap and my Luprin. So I'm in there for three days on fluids which just were not coming out-another consulting dr. said I most be pretty dehydrated if I can't even pee (sorry if TMI)-and every time I tried to eat I threw up. I was having bad pain and I was receiving 1 mg of Dilaudid every 4 hours ( a stronger cousin of Morphine's). But for some reason, Dilaudid didn't do anything for me-didn't touch the pain, when I suggested anything different I was met with a no. Something less probably worked better. So I laid in bed crying in pain most of the time, trying to walk to the bathroom and up and down the halls as he asked. He came in on Day 2 and said he was just in disbelief endo could cause so much pain and cause nausea and vomiting. I was trying to explain while he was listening when he LECTURED me about speaking while he was listening to my heart. I am a 32 year old woman. He also started to lose his temper when I repeated I did not want Luprin or Depo but to try another alternative or to just remove my uterus since it was so severe. He again started to talk loudly that I am miserable, look at me, what kind of life and I leading...well a pretty good one until I met him . Finally yesterday I asked my parents to come visit so they could witness this. He came in and said endo could only be accounting for 50% of my pain at most, some may be IBS or the Itetercyctal thing, and proceeded to say he looked through all the films in the hospital and never found a kidney stone (I am prone to them and not only do I have films, I have had them utililzed.. I have been in the town one month). He proceeded to say a lot of pain resides in my head (I am a hydrocondriac apparently) because endometriosis cannot cause this pain or problems with urination or vomiting or numbness in my hands or all the blood when I went to the bathroon, and send me home with a script of Amblify. And wants to see me in a week. I have decided in my case, I only want women drs or those experienced with endo coming within a hundred miles of me. I already talked to the patient advocate and will file a complaint because he was very rude and if he read up on our deidease, he would have seen endo often is diagnosed as kidney stones, IBS, etc. All I want is a hysto. at the time but I am in nowhere AL so I think I will having problems findiing someone who DOES'T subscribe to Depo or Luprin--the two consults also did. I'm frustrated and worn out and in pain and yes, I am stressed--I have two aging parents I help care for and I do go to a counselor so I know that agitates the situation but I don't know how much longer I can last with these idiot doctors....I literally feel hopeless at this point.

[Karen]

Sounds like an awful experience! Did they look for anything else besides kidney stones while you were in there?

I'm glad you talked to a patient advocate and will be filing a complaint. That's the first step. The next step is getting some serious help! If you're looking for an endo specialist, there are some out there. Are you a member of the endo association? They offer lists of docs in your state if you're a member (I think $40 membership?). They can also provide you with other resourses and assistance in getting good care, as you obviously haven't had good care yet!

Hang in there, push through all this crap, and get yourself some good care. You deserve to have a better life than what they're offering you, but you're going to have to fight for it. Big hugs, hun!

[pretty]

Yes and please let us know how you get on. I love to hear back especially after someone posts something so unbelieveable. Sounds like that doctor is really not helping the situation. I'm sorry it's so difficult to find good competent care it's a common story all across the world. I think the best thing we can do about endo is educate our doctors about it! anyhow, I sure hope you post again so we know how you're doing... good luck, sounds like you'll need it. Try not to lose your temper, then they'll look stupid and be even less helpful lol stupid doctors!

[calgontakemeaway]

The most ironic part is since my lapro I have had a horrible, dry hacking cough that was hurting my chest. After being forced to the doctor after visiting my parents who were convinced I had pnemonia, this doctor wouldn't give me cough medicine in the hospital though he said I did have a bad cough! He said, "There will be no strong cough medicine for you". I didn't ask for cough medicine with coke in, just some Robitussin or something . Anyway, I don't expect much to come of my complaint but at least he will have to take a look at his bedside manners. I am also including some documentation on endo, including how it is often misdiagnosed for kidnet stones, etc, and the pain that it can cause. My main issue is him yelling and lecturing me like a child, then dismissing endo like something that is diagnosed when doctors cannot find anything else wrong. The patient advocate I spoke to agreed with me so I think I will go file a complaint on Wednesday and hopefully if anyone else with female problems ends up with this jerk he will think twice. The other think that just KILLS me is when I say I am reluctant to take the BC due to the side effects and doctors automatically say, "You are aware everything has side effects?" I am on an antidepressant, migraine meds, and kidnet stone meds-yes, I think I am smart enough to know there are side effects. I am so tempted to be a smartbutt one of these times and act completely shocked but that will not solve the problem, so I will continue to hold my tongue. Do you all have advice for dealing with these doctors that just don't realize endo is real and causes pain and affects our lives?

Thanks so much for the kind words, these boards are a blessing.

[pretty]

I really have to work on my approach to doctors. I just have to treat them with compassion becuase they're so stupid. I was so blessed that my surgeon is not just female but very well informed about endo, goes to conferences about it, knows what we know about on this board. But that's just one of the 8 docs I've seen this year, and the ones I saw at my local ER when I first went in with abdominal pain, were not just cruel but condescending, and now 8 months later I just see them as ignorant. Seriously. They are good people and they tried their best but they could have caused great damage just by how ignorant they are. Ever since running into those idiots, I've had about 25% stupid, 75% wonderful supportive doctors. The problem is psychological. When wie approach a 'medical professional' and proceed to show them up about something they should technically know more about than we do, we cause a social imbalance that the doctors resolve by being brusque, judgemental, and downright insulting. On some level we all know intuitively that it's 'wrong' to question authority and it's precisely for the reason that it throws those in authority (doctors) off guard, makes them look stupid, and shakes their confidence. In return they have no choice but get defensive, retreat behind thier facade, and get rid of the puzzling offender as quickly as possible, hopefully with a 3-month prescription for something that might not work, but will at least give them a time-out from us. I truly believe this is the case most of the time, otherwise we wouldn't hear so many tales from un-satisfied, un-healed patients with endo who are better informed than the majority of their physicians. Sad! but seems to be true.... P