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Am I just extremely unlucky with doctors?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Or am I being irrational for expecting a dr to listen to my symptoms before diagnosing me with the most simple illness?
I saw dr last thursday with my ear ear pain (following an extremely bad ear infection 4 months ago...i decided to seek treatment early to stop it getting to that stage again), anyway I got sent home to see if it clears up by itself. Which is a fine outlook depending on the type or ear infection as many inner ear infections clear up by themselves in 2-3 days.
Did my ear infection clear up by itself? No. I ended up in A&E on saturday in such bad pain I could hardly stand. The dr didn't even listen to my symptoms (which include seriously painful pinna) and proceeded to look deeply inside my ear while pulling on the pinna, resorting me to tears. Then she prescribed me with antibiotics. I told the dr that my last ear infection was exactly the same and antibiotics did not work, did she listen? no.
So i've beared with the antibiotics for over 4 days now, i can't eat because the swelling and pain has spread to my neck and jaw (so ive lived off yogourt for 4 days). I can't sleep because im so much pain. Im constantly drowsy because im on such strong pain killers. My ear is twice the size it should be. If i move i vomit. So back to the dr again today to plead with them to give me the right treatment.
The thing that annoys me most, is that none of the dr's have even bothered to find out what type of ear infection i have. There are 2 main types- Otitis externa and otitis media. Im showing every single symptom of Otitis externa and little symptoms of otitis media. Yet all they do is treat me like i have otitis media without listening to my symptoms, and while acting like im a hypochondriac. Then when i go back they act like i shouldn't be there! In fact when i went back for my past ear infection the dr actually told me to "not come back". Unacceptible.
Am i just extremely unlucky to always get dr's like this, or has anyone else had the same experience? The 3 dr's i've seen about my ear infections have simply not done their jobs even to a satisfactory level and i think its disgusting they have not diagnosed something so simple that can be treated so easily.
I don't know what to do when i go back to a different dr later on. I know that i have Acute diffuse otitis externa yet I don't know how to get the dr to diagnose this and give me the right treatment. I dont want to end up in this position again in another 4 months time, which is what will happen if the infection is not properly treated again.
The past week has been a living hell
I saw dr last thursday with my ear ear pain (following an extremely bad ear infection 4 months ago...i decided to seek treatment early to stop it getting to that stage again), anyway I got sent home to see if it clears up by itself. Which is a fine outlook depending on the type or ear infection as many inner ear infections clear up by themselves in 2-3 days.
Did my ear infection clear up by itself? No. I ended up in A&E on saturday in such bad pain I could hardly stand. The dr didn't even listen to my symptoms (which include seriously painful pinna) and proceeded to look deeply inside my ear while pulling on the pinna, resorting me to tears. Then she prescribed me with antibiotics. I told the dr that my last ear infection was exactly the same and antibiotics did not work, did she listen? no.
So i've beared with the antibiotics for over 4 days now, i can't eat because the swelling and pain has spread to my neck and jaw (so ive lived off yogourt for 4 days). I can't sleep because im so much pain. Im constantly drowsy because im on such strong pain killers. My ear is twice the size it should be. If i move i vomit. So back to the dr again today to plead with them to give me the right treatment.
The thing that annoys me most, is that none of the dr's have even bothered to find out what type of ear infection i have. There are 2 main types- Otitis externa and otitis media. Im showing every single symptom of Otitis externa and little symptoms of otitis media. Yet all they do is treat me like i have otitis media without listening to my symptoms, and while acting like im a hypochondriac. Then when i go back they act like i shouldn't be there! In fact when i went back for my past ear infection the dr actually told me to "not come back". Unacceptible.
Am i just extremely unlucky to always get dr's like this, or has anyone else had the same experience? The 3 dr's i've seen about my ear infections have simply not done their jobs even to a satisfactory level and i think its disgusting they have not diagnosed something so simple that can be treated so easily.
I don't know what to do when i go back to a different dr later on. I know that i have Acute diffuse otitis externa yet I don't know how to get the dr to diagnose this and give me the right treatment. I dont want to end up in this position again in another 4 months time, which is what will happen if the infection is not properly treated again.
The past week has been a living hell
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Comments
I'd say complain because in my experience if there are enough complaints then the PCT have to do something. Also ask to see a different doctor. You have the right to a decent doctor who will listen to you.
Thats so unacceptible, I don't understand why some Dr's bothered to become one.
It took various different doctors over 7 years to diagnose me with endometriosis. 7 years of my life were pretty much lost because Dr's couldn't be bothered to listen to my symptoms.
Last time I went to the doctor he didn't believe my symptoms
I guess I just don't care enough, but my dad has his life cut short by a doctor doing the same thing (not taking a thorough diagnosis and jumping to conclusions based on a 5 minute consultation). But he was struck off the medical register a few months after my dad died. But there's no use holding it against him as such, it won't achieve anything. Apparently other patients of his also died due to poor medical advice though.
I don't think it's uncommon for doctors to make mistakes - they're human afterall. The main issue is their attitude - at least the ones I've come across don't acknowledge they're human, they won't consider the patients opinion because the doctor is all superior, of course.
In fact, all things taken into consideration, the amount of family who've been through various stages of the NHS and died I would say that doctors seem rather than brilliant lifesavers, just doing their job to try and help as many people as they can, and they don't have the time to spend days with every patient - even if it means patients might die. I guess they have to switch off though.
Sorry, little rant.
Anyway, I had a few blood tests done and a few other appointments. One of the blood tests was for coeliacs or something. That test came back negative and I got told I had IBS. The doctor then said that he was going to prescribe me something and I told him that I'd already been on that and I was intolerant to one of the ingriedents. he then told me he was going to prescribe me with something else and I told him that I'd already had that and it did nothing. I've come to the conclusion now that they don't have a clue what's wrong with me, as nothing I've been told to do works - they suiggested that I could eat a little bit of wheat, but that (even a small amount) gives me stomach cramps.
And don't get me started on wrong diagonses - I was diagnosed with something when I was 3. It took the doctors a year to work out that I had something else wrong with me.
My mum was told however that the was no treatment for the infection. I ended up with a burst eardrum from the pressure the muck was building behind it. When it finally burst and load of green and red shit came out it was such a relief. I was only six but even now that has to be the most painful thing I've ever experienced.
Have to say I don't know the difference between the two, or the difference is treatment, but if there's evidence of an infection then standard antibiotics and time for them to work is usually the first course of action.
And i explained to the other 2 doctors that i've had it before and even named the treatment that worked, they completely ignored me, which caused me to get even worse.
Anyway, saw another doctor today and he was fantastic (i specifically asked to see a different one), he agree'd that i have Acute diffuse otitis externa and has given me relevent long term treatment to hopefully clear it up for good this time. He couldn't understand why I wasn't treated earlier.
There's no excuse for doctor's that can't diagnose simple things, and if the other doctors had done their jobs properly i wouldnt have suffered for the past week and the infection wouldn't have got worse. I've lost 1/2 stone in weight! 1 in 4 doctors couldn't diagnose an external ear infection.
Hopefully im on the road to recovery now :yippe:
The nurse at school was awful to me too, kept calling me an attention seeker and told me I was wasting her time because she had people that were 'actually ill' to take care of. One guy didn't turn up to school while I was waiting to see her one day and she was on the phone to everyone trying to find out why - he eventually turned up and it turned out his grandad just died. As she took him in she went to me 'Now this is someone who actually has problems.' She and the receptionist would bitch about me too (friend was in there and heard them) calling me an attention seeker and time waster. Shes still a cow - the other say she called me into her office to tell me off for the noise my friends were making in the corridoor (though she sits there with her door wide open). Argh - she should be sacked she's so nasty.
Anyway, one doctor said she had no idea, another just told me to 'chill out' and said I wasn't serious enough to be put on the waiting list for help. Went to another, he gave me betablockers for the panic attacks and put me on a waiting list to see an councellor who specialised in panic attacks - why none of the others couldn't do that I don't know.
I really do wonder why some of the people in 'caring' jobs are in them sometimes. Rant over
Unlucky, yes, but I wouldn't say extremely unlucky. I've seen some terrible doctors in my time! And 2 members of my family have died, and one was very lucky not to, after doctors failed to diagnose fairly common illnesses. And one told me that a BMI of 15.9 was within the healthy range for my age and (I quote) "it's not like you're skinny or anything". Ok, then!
Even when doctors are capable, they quite often seem to like to make out that either you're fabricating the illness entirely (does anyone actually do this???!?) or that you are a pansy, and you should be able to cope with it.
I'd say if you find a GP that is capable AND sympathetic, hang on to them! I've had a few really great ones and they're worth their weight in gold.
I'd like the one i saw earlier to be my regular doctor, only problem is he's a man and given i may need to get my bits out at some point (when my mirena coil needs replacing) i'd rather have a woman. My actual doctor is a woman but she's crap and im refusing to see her any more.
Is it possible to just request a doctor to change to within the same practice?
I've had the first so fucking often it's why I never go to the doctors :mad: even if it's serious I always presume he'll just send me away.
Last time I went for my ears he gave me anti histamines which I can't even have :mad: :mad: :mad: (ceterozine). I didn't notice until after I'd left tho.
Sorry, mini rant. I think I'd make a good doctor, cos I can listen to people
Even if you're regular doctor is a man you can request to see a woman for some appointments. I'm at an all girls college next door to a large GP surgery, but it only has 2 female doctors, so most of us are registered with one of the men and see them most of the time, then ask for a woman as and when we want to see them for that appointment.
I *think* you usually register with the practice rather that with a specific doctor, so you can pick whichever one you like. That's what I do!
Actually on your NHS card it will list a specific individual not a practice but at almost all practices it doesn't have to be the one you actually see. I've only met the one that I'm technically registered with once, I usually see a different one at the practice.
Same at my Drs :yes:
Some Dr's can be dreadful. When my nan had breast cancer for the first time she went to see the Dr and he hardly examined her and just said oh it's nothing you will be fine. Considering she was in her late 50's at the time he didn't even think it was enough to go for a mammogram :rolleyes: . Anyway she left it 6 months after what he said, it got worse she went back to see another Dr and it turned out it was breast cancer. If he had just noticed and looked properly in the first place she wouldn't have waited 6 months!!
Some Dr's are shit, but then there are a few that are really, really good. It's just trying to find them!
Thankfully your infection is being sorted and you will be better soon
I wouldnt be here without the support and help ive had for over the last 3 years.
Me too actually.