How I Got Into a Fight with a Doctor
I accompanied Sam to his appointment. We were so excited to get there, and it was with great effort that we arrived on time and in a good head space, full of hope (after weeks of dreadful exhaustion).
His doctor was not concerned about the full-body problem which was disrupting both of our lives. He talked extremely slowly, as if he himself was impaired… and asked Sam some irrelevant questions about things, they talked about things that were not even troublesome. It felt like he was just trying to fill an hour’s worth of time, but as you can imagine, Sam had pressing and urgent symptoms that he wanted addressed. Neither one of us came in fight mode, we came in with hope, desperate for help.
It went on and on, Sam kept shifting in his seat, he was so uncomfortable, he tried a couple of times to get doc to redirect to the problems at hand. We were still not in fight mode, but it’s about to go down.
About 45 minutes into the appointment, doc ‘called me out’ for interrupting him and made a “shh” sign. It felt confrontational on his part, after all, we pay $350 per hour and I was just trying to redirect his focus to the disturbing symptoms, not some incidental finding on the latest lab that he deemed important. We only have an hour together. I wanted to punch him!
Sam was experiencing a serious drug-induced reaction needing immediate intervention, yet the doctor outright refused to discontinue the antibiotic because that would “introduce a new variable.” And likewise, I resisted introducing the variable of my shoe to his forehead! Just how long should you watch your loved one suffer before you fight with the doctor?
Have You Ever Gotten into a Fight with a Doctor?
– Showed little or no compassion
– Refused to listen or take your detailed history
– Did not fully grasp the gravity of your condition or what awful thoughts run through your head when you are home alone, feeling isolated or in pain
– Charged you way too much for the benefit you received
– Picks a fight with you by rolling their eyes or shushing you
You’ve been there, haven’t you?
After an hour of dilly-dallying, I was a little mentally out of my mind! So I decided to speak, very softly though, and slowly because I didn’t want to intimidate him. I felt like I actually knew more than he did! So I presented 2 reasonable suggestions and solutions. He didn’t want to hear of anything, because it was all coming out of my mouth, not his own. But my suggestions were perfect, and reasonable.
Sam meekly appealed to him, because he agreed with me. But he was worn out and sleep-deprived to fight harder. Besides, drug reactions are my expertise, not Sams. The doctor insisted Sam stick with the drug, in spite of the horrific reactions, he said I shouldn’t interfere and just let Sam “get used to the drug” and that in time “it will all wear off.” He said that a discontinuation would “set him back for months.”
I appealed to him, saying, “He is having a BAD reaction, look at him, he’s shaking and there are visible tremors and fasciculations on his legs, and he hasn’t slept in weeks, do you really feel this is the best course of action?” He said “YES, I know what I’m doing.”
He rolled his eyes, shook his head as if to suggest “you’re an idiot” and then banged his palm on the desk as if to restrain himself from hitting ME.
I stopped biting my lip, and infuriated with his obstinance, this slipped out:
You know, for what we pay, it would be great if you actually LISTENED
to your patient and had a NICER bedside manner!
Then I walked out in a huff! I looked up his physician reviews for fun that night, and most of his reviews were 1-star.
Note to self, read those reviews before you just go to the doctor! They give you some idea of what you’ll be experiencing when you get there. And as you might guess, I posted my own 1-star review for him too! Not so much because of his arrogance, or obstinance… not because we got into a fight either.
Simply because other people need to know that he doesn’t take a complete history of the patient, he doesn’t listen and appears to be not only incompetent, but neglectful. Who lets a patient walk out like that when they are dealing with symptoms that should put them in an E.R.?!
Furthermore, also can’t diagnose properly! He has one toolbox, and if anyone goes in, they will be given only things from this one toolbox! You have to fight for your health, no one else will fight for you!
You may enjoy this article I wrote, You Pay the Price if Your Doctor Misdiagnoses You.
More About Restless Legs
Just FYI, the “restless” limb problem may occur with any antibiotic protocol, and it’s sometimes part of a Herxheimer reaction. It’s associated with various neurotransmitter and nutrient deficiencies. Gabapentin seemed to help with the issue, and that was what another doctor ultimately prescribed to help. You may be interested in a new article I just wrote, Curious and Unexpected Off-label Drug Uses.
When you kill germs (bugs) with antibiotics, you have to clean up an hour afterwards. It’s like wringing out a sponge, kill the bugs, wring out the dead bug parts and “excitotoxins.” To accomplish this, doctors sometimes prescribe cholestyramine powder, or natural binders like clay which are taken one or two hours after your antibiotic. If you know this, and you want this, then fight for it!
Related article, just in case you are interested: Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics
Some binders and supplements reduce your toxic load of glutamate, ammonia and quinolinic acid, which are three excitotoxic compounds that are unleashed with antibiotic use. You want to reduce those. They can make your brain buzz, or limbs vibrate, or induce restless legs, seizures, clusters, migraines, fasciculations and severe insomnia. Now, it’s time for you to stop suffering.
Speak up for yourself and don’t accept the “wait and see” attitude. If you happen to have akathisias or restless legs syndrome, CLICK HERE to read that article. If you’re interested in more about Sam and me, there is a little bit more of our story over HERE.
💪 Fight for yourself, or your loved one, and if you want, bring along a pit bull like me!
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
