Joe on Nostr: I appreciate the response! Maybe I should have kept it to myself though, because it ...
I appreciate the response! Maybe I should have kept it to myself though, because it feels like a lot to properly relay here now.
I am not talking about delayed turkey sandwiches (although the food in hospital is another confusing thing), but I am also not talking about outright mistakes resulting in bad outcomes. Luckily I haven't really experienced that.
Some examples of the things I have experienced. I have had to insist on a family member's hospital discharge because after days of testing, the doctors were off on a tangent based on results of one of the tests, and by that point the hospital stay was doing more harm than good for the elderly patient, and certainly not solving the problem that put the patient in hospital. They looked at me like I was doing the wrong thing. No doubt I did the right thing, even with hindsight. Another example, I was helping this family member with an arthritic autoimmune disorder. This involved steroids when necessary. The patient was adamant about using steroids as sparingly as possible. The first rheumatologist wanted some mg of prednisone daily, and would not allow us to play around with that. I went to the next rheumatologist, which turned out to be one of the best doctors I've ever worked with. He gave us the tools we needed to handle this without having to come in every 6 months etc unless something was wrong. I loved that. I understand a lot of people may not be capable, but being treated like you dont know what is best for you is not why I go to a doctor. I consider it a "medical consultation", which means I am paying for expert advice, not required to take that advice. I think a lot of doctors out there could benefit from being reminded of that. These weren't great examples of "incompetence", but at least this gives some idea of the things I have experienced. I think the individuals are mostly good, but the system is fucked.
Your advice is spot on. It's all about finding the people you trust. Luckily I have a friend that is an internist, so I can get advice and recommendations. I can't imagine dealing with things without this sort of resource.
I am not talking about delayed turkey sandwiches (although the food in hospital is another confusing thing), but I am also not talking about outright mistakes resulting in bad outcomes. Luckily I haven't really experienced that.
Some examples of the things I have experienced. I have had to insist on a family member's hospital discharge because after days of testing, the doctors were off on a tangent based on results of one of the tests, and by that point the hospital stay was doing more harm than good for the elderly patient, and certainly not solving the problem that put the patient in hospital. They looked at me like I was doing the wrong thing. No doubt I did the right thing, even with hindsight. Another example, I was helping this family member with an arthritic autoimmune disorder. This involved steroids when necessary. The patient was adamant about using steroids as sparingly as possible. The first rheumatologist wanted some mg of prednisone daily, and would not allow us to play around with that. I went to the next rheumatologist, which turned out to be one of the best doctors I've ever worked with. He gave us the tools we needed to handle this without having to come in every 6 months etc unless something was wrong. I loved that. I understand a lot of people may not be capable, but being treated like you dont know what is best for you is not why I go to a doctor. I consider it a "medical consultation", which means I am paying for expert advice, not required to take that advice. I think a lot of doctors out there could benefit from being reminded of that. These weren't great examples of "incompetence", but at least this gives some idea of the things I have experienced. I think the individuals are mostly good, but the system is fucked.
Your advice is spot on. It's all about finding the people you trust. Luckily I have a friend that is an internist, so I can get advice and recommendations. I can't imagine dealing with things without this sort of resource.