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I once saw a new Dr. I was grilled by the receptionist on the phone that they were only taking new patients who were planning to visit regularly(whatever that means $$).
I told the Dr. about my list of symptoms (I had researched), my family history of Thyroid problems etc...she more or less chuckled and told me I was "just depressed", but we ran blood work to see for sure (I had zero doubts). Of course it turned out I was correct all along and started medication to alleviate. I fired her as my doctor after that and found someone better. They also turned out to be the type to hold you hostage and not refill my prescription unless I came in for regular office visits (despite the fact this is a medication I'm on for the rest of my life, with minor dosage adjustments every few years). Sad.
No doctor is going to take your health as seriously as yourself or your family. It's fair to be skeptical of patient "googling", but some may see it as a threat to their cash flow. Yet, they have no problem never seeing you and letting you see a Nurse practitioner, even though you are paying a premium to see a "doctor". Doctors are not superhuman. You may have the doctor that just slid by their exams, crammed to pass and forgot most of what they learned. Same for any other profession (mechanic, financial, construction, whatever..) I think most doctors are good and have good intentions, but there are bad ones too.
You hit the trifecta. It is important to find the 'best Dr for you'. It's like wondering who you should ask to marry you --- you'll know,
I once saw a new Dr. I was grilled by the receptionist on the phone that they were only taking new patients who were planning to visit regularly(whatever that means $$).
It also means, "come in for your checkups and when things are wrong instead of only showing up when the cancer is in 80% of your body and expecting the doctor to work miracles."
There is a lot of bad information on the Internet. (Even some on C-D)
I always have an initial consultation with Dr. Google. Yes, there is some faulty info online, but there is also a lot of good information out there and we all need to be better educated and informed patients so we can be our own advocates. Information is power.
I always have an initial consultation with Dr. Google. Yes, there is some faulty info online, but there is also a lot of good information out there and we all need to be better educated and informed patients so we can be our own advocates. Information is power.
It also means, "come in for your checkups and when things are wrong instead of only showing up when the cancer is in 80% of your body and expecting the doctor to work miracles."
I totally get your point and I know you don’t mean this, but I wanted to say: It is possible to do all of your screening tests, live a healthy lifestyle, have no familial cancer risks but still find out that you have incurable stage 4 cancer when the very first symptoms crop up. Of course, if this happens to you and you are wise, you won’t be expecting miracles.
I totally get your point and I know you don’t mean this, but I wanted to say: It is possible to do all of your screening tests, live a healthy lifestyle, have no familial cancer risks but still find out that you have incurable stage 4 cancer when the very first symptoms crop up. Of course, if this happens to you and you are wise, you won’t be expecting miracles.
Of course, and I think, we, as users, sometimes forget about self selection. C-D forum users are, generally speaking, smarter than the average bear (as long as you stay off the Politics forum, LOL). Your posts, for example, show you to be an incredibly curious and informed patient. The amount of research you've been doing is very high, and I think many of the users on this forum are similar.
The fact is, there are a shockingly high number of patients who are misinformed and/or unable to understand complex health related information. There's a reason why patient education materials are supposed to be written at a Junior High level, if not lower.
Last edited by Texas Ag 93; 08-30-2019 at 06:07 AM..
I totally get your point and I know you don’t mean this, but I wanted to say: It is possible to do all of your screening tests, live a healthy lifestyle, have no familial cancer risks but still find out that you have incurable stage 4 cancer when the very first symptoms crop up. Of course, if this happens to you and you are wise, you won’t be expecting miracles.
I don't think anyone's disputing that. But the point is that, doctors wanting you to come in for checkups and screenings, and problems when they're still minor, isn't just an excuse for a money grab.
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