I have dealt with more and more doctor telling me what my body is doing instead of listening to me about what I was experiencing. They always ask me if anything is new, but when I answer, they say I don't have that, or I was wrong- it couldn't be that.
I got very fusterated.
Denise,
Oh, girl! I've been through that more times than I can count. Let me reassure you though that not all doctors are like that.
I have the utmost respect for good doctors, but I expect them to return that respect too. My doctors do not make decisions FOR me; they make decisions WITH me. They listen, list and discuss my options with me, then we make decisions and go from there -- together.
Let me ask you a question. Let's say you're shopping for clothes. You go to the closest department store to shop. The sales associates don't listen when you tell them what fabrics are comfortable for you, what styles you're looking for, or what colors you look best in.
The next time you shop for clothes, are you going to go back to that store? I doubt it. You work hard for your money, and you expect sales people to meet your needs. In a way, healthcare servces aren't entirely different. Those of us who have insurance work hard, pay high premiums, or both for that insurance. Some of us have none and pay out-of-pocket for care. In either case, we've worked hard for that care, and we deserve "good customer service." Take a look at our article Patients as Consumers - Managing Healthcare and the Healthcare System. for more information.
Hope this helps,
Teri
I've had that experience too. I think sometimes doctors fixate on their first inclinations...they are human. I'm trying a lot of holistic treatments and it's all about listening to what the body is saying.
I am 37 & have had migraine headache since I was 12. I've obviously had a myriad of tests & taken quite few, to say the least, medications to control them; my biggest frustration is that when I discover a regimen that works for me, a working Mom, my physicians sometimes want to alter that regimen for fear I might be taking too much of one med when "we" could try substituting it for another. Change is a large trigger for migraine- change in medication is not good for me, yet I have gone along with it for years. Working full-time & having 2 children means I don't have the luxury of having any days I can be in bed for hours at a time! I wish doctors would just concede to the fact I actually know myself alot better than they do & that I have alot of experience with migraines!!!!!!! I know what works & what doesn't; I also know that 1 Fioricet every 8 hours is a waste of time, as is 1 Imitrex every day as needed.
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