Finding A Good Doctor

The biggest cause of medical malpractice cases, I would guess, stems from two things: basic negligence in procedure when patient is in surgery and has no say, and failure to diagnose based on effective listening to a patient's reported symptoms.

A doctor-patient relationship, one that is going to work, is one of give and take. A doctor has to be willing to listen to the patient, and to believe them, and not attempt to take the role of psychologist or psychoanalyst and make assumptions about the validity or mental competence of the patient. Not only that, doctors should not be worried about the rise of self-diagnosis from patients who go online, but thankful, as it takes some of the detective work out of their own job.

No one is more concerned, or has a more primary self-interest to their health, than the patient. Typically, unless the patient just doesn't give a damn for some reason and has to be told what to do. Most people are also intuitive about their bodies. We have pain for a reason--it is an attempt by the body to give warning signs. Dismissing pain when pain is subjective and no doctor can "feel" that pain themselves, amounts to medical negligence. Ignoring symptoms because of internal doubt that the patient isn't knowledgeable about their own body is wrong.

If doctors in Wenatchee had listened to me from the start, if their objective was NOT intentional infliction of emotional distress and basic assault, they would have taken the information I gave them seriously--that my pelvis was too narrow for a normal vaginal delivery. What made an inexperienced midwife think she knew more than an OBGYN in a city? What she told me was that there was really no way to know without an X-ray and she couldn't do one because of the pregnancy. It is true that X-rays are not good for a developing fetus. But MRI's are safe and are regularly used. Instead of cutting corners by thinking they were saving money and benefiting from the way they worked with an HMO, they should be taking patients seriously. If she had done this simple procedure or diagnostic, she could have saved everyone a lot of grief. Dr. Butler also was involved, and supervised, and he was dismissive as well. Dr. Butler was so dismissive, he failed to catch a very basic urinary tract infection until it progressed to severe kidney infection and then he was STILL trying to claim I never had a kidney infection and that my pain was from something else. I was treated for kidney infection at the hospital, and the pain went away.

But doctors and medical staff today are primarily about "cover your ass". I had a nice conversation with a former nurse the other day, yesterday in fact, as she and I were jointly making some observations, which I'd like to share with everyone.

And then, I have some other news, and will try to write conservatively about it.

I'm up early because it's difficult for me to sleep tonight, thinking about everything. My health, my son, and the prejudice I've faced in getting proper diagnostics and treatment for real problems. It's created a mess, but I figure what I learn from this can be shared with others.

Patients...do not doubt yourselves, and do not think it is presumptious or narcissistic to go online and try to self-diagnose. More medical texts should be available to the public online. One of my favorite movies is "Lorenzo's Oil." My opinion of most, not all, but most doctors, is that they are not smarter than the average American, but hard workers. To become a doctor, one must be diligent and perservering academically. That doesn't always translate into "medical analyst". Then there are doctors who really keep up, are intellectually curious, and who go the extra mile. But a lot of doctors seem to me, to be "administrative types". I wonder why some of them go into the practice if it's not just for the money.

At any rate, millions of people have discovered what was wrong with them, by going online and matching their symptoms with a cause. Doctors depend upon accurate reporting from patients to find the "cure", something which is often out of the patient's reach. We rely on doctors and medical staff, to work WITH us, in finding a solution.

If you go to a doctor, and they are overly doubtful or dismissive, or seem to be trying too hard to talk over you, it's not a good doctor. At least, it's not a good match. For whatever reason, that professional isn't listening, and you, the "non-doctor" are unlikely to change their mind. Hoping to change their mind comes at a cost.

And once a doctor has pronounced their opinion openly and publicly, and documented it, it is difficult for them to change their minds, especially if they feel threatened. The more you try to convince them otherwise, the firmer they hold to their own conclusions and they will even quit doing diagnostics, out of fear something could prove them wrong. Instead of seeing themselves as scientists who are always working with new information, often, they have a God-complex and see themselves as infallible, or needing to present this way to their colleagues to stay in business.

My plea. Don't waste your time with a doctor who isn't listening. It's a waste. Of their time and education because it will never be used, and of your own time, money, health, and peace of mind.

A good doctor doesn't always have to agree with your ideas, but they should be open, and if they can't rule out what is happening with diagnostics, and never try, there's something wrong. Finding out what's wrong is a process of elimination. Tests and diagnostics are essential for getting to the root of the problem. There are doctors who listen, too, and seem agreeable, who are not very good, even if they have a wonderful bedside manner.

In general though, a doctor who listens carefully and isn't suspicious is the first step. If they doubt you, they will continue to doubt you.

I recently had a doctor ask me 20 questions, many of them which regarded my socio-economic status and were a way for her to feel out what my notch in society was. That kind of information isn't appropriate in assessing where a patient is coming from regarding their health. But any lawyer will tell you, before you go in to see a doctor assigned by an insurance company or anyone else, to dress well. Why? because money, unfortunately matters. In our capitalist society, to the extreme, money distorts reality, and even doctors begin to look at patients as dollar signs, or money pits. The more money one has in our society, the more mentally stable others assume you are.

And we all know it's not true, but it's still what happens. God knows, the rich know it isn't true.

Really, medicine, in my opinion, isn't rocket science. Basic medicine is about reading, learning, and assimilating a massive amount of information. It's a lot of memorization.

It's not typically about research in a lab and doesn't require higher math or science skills. Surgery, of course, takes practice and is hands-on, but basic diagnostics of an illness...plenty of patients have been able to self-diagnose and doctors should welcome this and not feel threatened or annoyed.