Who is tired of lazy, disinterested, apathetic doctors?

Question

Recently I hurt my knee. I went to one doctor that has a rehab facility, and she recommended rehab: ultrasound, etc. She thought it was a mild meniscus problem.

When it failed to get better, I went to a prestigious hospital here. The doctor's diagnosis was a small lesion on the MCL, and he recommended nothing much in particular, except to stop playing sports for three weeks and walking less.

After it got worse, I went to the same hospital, saw a different doctor who recommended I use one of those ankle to thigh braces for three weeks, and advised me not to even walk outside my apartment, while keeping the brace on 24 hours a day. He thought it was the ACL.

After a week I realized this was not working, so I got an appointment with the previous doctor. I waited three full hours to see him. He was ambivalent, and didn't even bother to look at my knee this time. These doctors act like it is an imposition to answer simple questions.

What's your opinion of doctors?

I am just so tired of doctors who obviously have no interest in spending the time to actually diagnose a person's problem. They usually make some cursory examination that takes about 30 seconds. I have more faith in my massage therapist who cited anatomical reasons what he thought was causing my problem. He spent more time than the doctors who each gave me a different answer.

I think part of the problem is, these doctors don't really have a good enough grasp of anatomy to use the information you give them to properly diagnose. As I said, my massage therapist, who is studying anatomy, had a lot more insightful things to say than these overpaid doctors.

Maybe I should have clarified this: these last two doctors are supposedly the orthopedic specialists. They gave me very different recommendations. Neither one bothered to examine my leg for more than about 30-45 seconds.

When I tell them information that should narrow down the problem, such as my inability to walk down stairs now due to some odd impingement and pain, and the (lesser) pain on the side of my knee when I walk up stairs, they don't even respond. I don't think they understand the implication of these two clues.

Answer 1

I know what you mean. Its like they don't even listen to you. I am having the same problem with my P.T that I see because of my flat feet. So a few months ago I noticed my knee was starting to hurt. I told my P.T because I couldn't walk and he did an ultra sound and didn't even tell me what he thought it was. Meanwhile I don't know whats wrong with it. I'm 13 and very athletic and just want to be a kid, but because of this I can't.

Answer 2

Wait a minute. You trust the anatomy knowlege of a massage therapist over a physician? Someone who MAYBE has had an overview type of class (similar to a high school health class). Has your massage therapist actually disected a human body? Many states do not regulate massage therapists. Even massage schools only PREFER a high school education for someone to be accepted. (Most are 6 month programs at best)

There are some MT's who may be okay, but I would trust a real health professional such as a PT or ATC over them.

If there is such a difference in the diagnosis, then why not a MRI? If your meniscus is torn, then arthroscopic surgery should help the problem. If you tore your ACL then you will have to decide to have it fixed or not. However if your biggest problem is stairs, etc., then your real problem may be kneecap related.

You said you went to a hospital. Was it the ER? Was it an emergency?

Ultrasound is a therapeutic modality, but full rehab is much more than that.

If you think patients get frustrated with physicians, believe it is also reversed. Conflicting histories, failure to comply, "Doctor shopping" (trying to find a doctor who will say what you want to hear), etc all frustrate physicians. Patients who try to circumvent the system interfere with the health care of others. Then the limits created by insurance companies (or lack of) and goverment reductions in Medicare & Medicaid payments. Thus physicians need to see more patients in the day to pay the bills of their practice including office staff salaries.

I've sat in on many physician exams. The doctor goes through everything and then asks if there are any questions. The patient will say no. While walking out of the office the patient will ask "what did the doctor say?"

Answer 3

Please when you are not satified with the results you are getting with a doctor and a hospital go to a different hospital and see an orthopedic. Keep going to a doctor that you are feeling comfortable with. I think it is your ACL in your leg that is torn. What state do you live in? I can give you a good website to look up doctors in your area and another website that will let you see the background of the doctor such as what college they went to.The first on is www.webmd.com and good to the bottom of the page and click on "Find a Physician". The next website is www.Discoveryhealthchannel.com and click on tools and then click o find a doctor and type in the name of the doctor. I hope this leads you to find a great doctor. On webmd.com, they give you info such as where the doctor graduated, where he/she interned,the years they have practiced medicine and so on. Good luck

Answer 4

I think every doctor is different. Most of the sort of diagnosis and treatment you need is done now by orthopedists, sports medicine people, physical therapists, who understand the anatomy better than a general physician. Ask for a referral to a specialist, or make an appointment with one yourself.

Answer 5

Me! My doctor has been going through marriage problems on and off (he has told me this, too, during my appointments). I guess he is explaining why he is dead tired and inattentive half the time. He also touches on me quite a bit (hugs, rubs my thigh or arm). Though he is obviously back with his wife (or ex-wife because I thought they went through with the divorce) because he threw in at my last visit, "My wife takes this, or my wife does that," and was very hands-off and clinical with me, basically wanting me out the door when before he was all sympathetic and compassionate. So, my experiences with this doctor has me down on doctors in general. I'd like to think most doctors are not like this, but it is difficult to have a good opinion of them when he and my gynocologist are the only doctors I've seen in awhile (she is not that great either - sometimes very tired - she has 5 kids - and in a rush).

Answer 6

Doctors are terrible - they get paid exorbitant fees no matter what they do or say and in fact if they don't cure the patient but keep prescribing more and more drugs and tests they make out even better that if they cured the patient. In most jobs you will be fired for not performing well but that is not the case with doctors, They are in cahoots with the drug companies to keep prescribing more and more drugs. What a system!

Answer 7

I agree and add to that list doctors who give you the wrong meds and the pharmacists catches the problem and doctors that pass you off to a series of tests that are useless and a waste of resources and time

Answer 8

well for the most part the doctor may be right, i was in a similar situation and really all it took was for me to wait the full 3 weeks, it might not seem like its working but it prob is
doctors aren't ba,d they can't become doctors if they don't care
and doctors are actually underappreciated, and oversued

Answer 9

i am too. specially when you need a form to be filled out and they give you the run around. my doctor, whom will not be for long, denied me a prescription to get nicotine replacement patches. he told me that he will prescribe them for me once i get down to 5 cigarettes a day. Duh! if i could do that , then i won't be asking for the patches. lazy son of a gun. too lazy to fill out forms.