drs. can be real butts. they don't feel any pain and can't see where pain is coming from, the first thing they say is, it's on in our heads. makes you want to put something in their heads. it's the old saying; if you can't feel it, can't see and can't find it - than it's not there.

i hope you ran out of the office.and didn't look back. i would also get back with my primary dr. and find out just what he has been doing or saying. what has he been treating you for, if treating you at all and milking your insurance.

doctors can be horrible at times.
go see another doctor, one who takes the time to make sure he has covered every base like my doctor.

It seems to me the doctors who develop this "put down" type of manner get rewarded by saving themselves time. It is difficult, or impossible, to have a conversation with such a person.

I think the obvious reward for such types is that they squelch all communication, thus saving themselves time/bother. And to remind someone that something is not "on paper" tells you his mind was ONLY considering legalities. They get so good at merely covering legal issues in order to make a fee that to actually help someone becomes completely outside their repertoire.

Oh, how sad that someone like this gets into the "caring" or "healing" professions, as we used to refer to them. The personality type is there long before the education. Someone like that should have worked in a factory with "things" - counting them or other sort of paperwork job where people didn't matter.

I'm sorry you had to meet up with him at any time, let alone a time of major importance.

Hugs,
Bisoux

If you do file a complaint, make sure to mention the body language, tone, etc. that are "non-verbal behaviors" and how demeaning the doctor's behaviors were to you.

In other words, try to describe it in video, rather than just addressing the audio portion.

I'm so sorry to hear you had such a horrible experienc with the doctor. It sounds dreadful.

When will your regular doctor be back? If it's soon, can you hold out till then and just have the test for the ulcer (which should include a test for the heliobacter bacteria) in the mean time?

To file a complaint, sit down and write out a full narrative of your entire visit, the conversation, the eye contact or lack thereof, the body language, the exact nature of the physical exam, what paperwork you received or didn't receive, etc. For your first draft you can put in all the feelings you want, exactly how you felt during the appointment. Use any language you want, be emotional. Let is all out; it will help you remember some of the nuances of how you felt and what you saw and heard. Then go back over you narrative and take out the emotion, the adjectives and make it an unemotional narrative of an appointment with a doctor. You are the observer describing an encounter between a doctor and a patient. Focus on the particular areas of concern you want to address (you can't cover everything; there have to be parameters for what you complain about), e.g. that he denigrated your concerns, questioned your sanity ("it's all in your head" or "you're making this up"), was willing to order what he considered unnecessary tests without consultation with you ("well, if you insist"), etc. If he used any racial, ethnic or sexual slurs, be sure to include them, verbatim. But for the final complaint you really do need to be an unemotional observer in order to get your point across forcefully and without sounding like your whining (which we know you're not, but all too many other doctors and adminstrators automatically assume a patient who files a complaint is).

You also need to quickly find out who and how to file a complaint. Who do you address it to, the chief of the clinic, your HMO, your doctor (who definitely needs to know if this is someone they have covering for them when they're away), etc.?

I don't know why doctors treat anyone this way. It's inexcuseable. They wouldn't treat their dog this way; I don't understand why they think it's acceptable to treat a human being like that.

There is an excellent book you can probably find at a second hand bookstore called "How Doctors Think" by Jermome Groopman, MD. It's a fascinating look into how doctors are trained and how their thought processes work (at times). It's written by a doctor, but from his perspective as both a doctor AND a long-term patient. I highly recommend it for anyone who deals with doctors on a regular basis; it's provides some amazing insight as some excellent methods of dealing with the less "patient-centric" medical professional we all face in our quest for treatment.

I wish you well.
Ruth

So the first back specialist I went to said there was nothing wrong with my back that he could see on the MRI. I told him I was in an amazing amount of pain. He told me that he could not do anything for me and pretty much accused me of seeing him for opiates. My wife was there and her mouth dropped open as did mine. I told him that I had just got out of a 2 month in treatment program and was not into meds... and left the office. The next specialist said that he could not see anything on the MRI and then proceeded to give me 3 epidurals over a 2.5 month period. No relief. Wanted to put a stimulator in my back to zap my spine and give me a 12k dye Mri to see if that showed what was wrong. The 3rd specialist diagnosed my problem in 5 minutes with the same MRI report. Surgury a week later and 95% of the pain is gone. This guy was the best in town and I had to wait 4.5 months for an appt. Boy was it worth it. Sometimes finding the right doctor can make ALL the difference.

It's hard to believe that people are like this ESPECIALLY a person in this line of work! I suggest finding a younger doctor who isn't so set in his ways...Good Luck!

i am so sorry that you had to go through that. some doctors seem to think they are god's gift. i wish i could share my pain with all of the *special* doctors that i've dealth with who were like him with the pain i'm feeling for about, oh, five minutes or so. somehow i think the bedside manor and snarkiness would change pretty damn fast.

i would definitely file a complaint - however, i'm sure you're busy and could probably get it done in one draft. i would consider sending it to more people than you actually *have* to - ie the GI himself, whatever partners he has (his actions affect THEIR practice, and how many patients they have by word of mouth, absolutely!), the heads of any boards that he sits on, etc. but that's just me. if you don't want to take it too far, i would at *least* sent it to his colleagues at his practice - if nothing else, they should know that he is treating patients like crap, and not taking referrals seriously.

i truly hope that this NEVER happens to you again!
xo, misa

They think they are God and the ones who act like that God will put them in their place!! Sorry to hear that you had to go through that. I would file a complaint too. I have had many bad docotrs over the years. I hope they find out what is causing your pain. Best of luck.

thank you all so much! im not exactly sure who to send the complaint to but i am looking into it. i have already started a draft to my primary dr and looking into the AMA to file a complaint with them.

i was able to re-schedual my appt in seattle for the pain center so i am just going to have them look at all the test results.

thank you all again for your support, i dont know what i would do without you guys.
hugs and wishes for you all to have a pain free moment today.

Sorry you had such a horrible experience with that yuts! I'd go back to your GP and ask for another referral for a 2nd opinion. It sounds like that Dr dismissed you even before he walked in the exam room. If your insurance company doesn't require a referral and the specialist doesn't require one, I'd start googling Gastro docs in your area and take matters into your own hands. You should also write a post on "ratemds.com" about that Dr. People need to know how horrible he treated you so they don't make the mistake of choosing him and being treated that way. Hope you get answers soon. Take care

~hugs