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Back from appt with the doc with bad reviews....

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Posted 6/25/2014 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Well that was a treasure.

(BTW: I should mention, this is for grafting and repair of cartilage in my septum...from previous breaks and repairs, I have either a bar or wire connected to the bone, which he can manipulate, and confirmed my nasal passageways are being constricted and my septum is splayed. This is also why I'm getting brand new full dentures,...even chewing causes pain).

So I'm being proactive.

All he took away from everything I've been through and the reason I was referred to him and am seeing him, was: This is a relatively straight forward procedure. He'd require an x-ray to see if it's a rod or wire or cartilage...they "don't do this procedure anymore" (the one I had done in the past which is why I'm having problems now)....in part because,....ta-da,....it contributed to tooth decay!

Anyhoo, he won't operate me......until: I am totally off my pain meds and Prozac.

After all, he said, he gets a back ache every now and then, and he just takes an Advil.

Plus, I've already had all these surgeries and that's the job of the surgeons, to "fix" whatever was causing me pain. I "shouldn't still need" pain meds.

Yes, I told him I was in pain management, and that I am on 1/8th the meds * I was on even 10 years ago. Nope, doesn't matter. I'm out of a wheelchair and active in PT non-stop and working out since 2011. Nope, doesn't matter. Gotta get off those narcotics.

I could see his assistant writing furiously in my chart when that topic came up.

He then said he'd need to see me (get this)...."more mobile." Really? Well heck, so would I! For the,....positions he may have to get me in for surgery? Really?



(Dear God give me strength)



I refrained from being defensive (because we all know how that can come across). I was calm and patient, I was compliant, not argumentative. I had to repeat and re-explain things so many times. He made a snap judgment about me....

He stared at my leg brace, shaking his head....."You've got too much stuff going on."

(Ya think?)



So my referring doc is wanting me to call him and let him know how my appointment went (since he walked me through my anxiety yesterday),...and I don't know what to say to him.

Can anyone offer some help and suggestions about how to relay this to my other surgeon? I want to convey this experience w/o coming off as..........I don't know.









M.


*EDIT: Not 1/8th,...sheesh. I meant to write 1/3rd. Not sure how I transposed that one! Just wanted to clarify.*
Posted 6/25/2014 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
I would just tell your dr just what you told us happenend. I wouldn't try to sugar coat it or anything. Just tell the dr the truth about exactly what happened.
Posted 6/25/2014 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
EEEKKKKK... OMG, I was cringing reading what he said, what a...you know what.

This escapade certainly didn't help you, it grates my nerves when a Dr says you should feel better and he only takes Advil!!!!

Why do you have to be off pain meds and Prozac for him to operate?

Your referring Dr sounds pretty good? helping you with the anxiety yesterday.
I would just be straight forward with him, tell him exactly what the other one said, I'd say I was disappointed too.

But I know me, so....I'd have to wait until my blood pressure came back down to normal!

I'm really sorry this happened, I was hoping for a good outcome for you.

PS. My left shoulder is quite a bit lower than the right because of my accident but one Dr said...well, maybe it was like that before....nope it wasn't, I didn't look like I was walking at a slant all the time before, but he kept saying it.

I feel your frustration, I'd give your Dr a call and let him know what happened. hugs.....
Posted 6/25/2014 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have seen a few recent articles in medical journals stating that people who take narcotics have a worse outcome in general after surgery, particularly orthopedic surgery. I had a rather intense discussion with an ortho surgeon who will not operate on people who take narcotics. He refused to support his stance with an explanation or reason. I can only surmise that they want to stay away from "difficult" patients, that is, those whose suffering is so intense that it requires medication - and therefore it is unlikely they will have a good outcome for their (the surgeons) record. Thankfully my surgeon did not have that attitude, but sure enough, the outcome was not so good. He, however, is supportive of pain management and referred me back to PM since there i n nothing to be done surgically at this point.

I would relate the conversation with your doc, and ask for another referral. This doc does not deserve your, or anyone else's, business.
Posted 6/25/2014 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
I was so taken aback by his comments it never occurred to me to directly ask him "why" he in particular needed me off those meds for surgery (when no other surgeon has ever made that comment,...not my orthopedic surgeon, and not my neurosurgeon).

Post-op management is just different. It may be a bit more challenging, but that is acute management, and it passes. Plus, it's someone else's responsibility to rx the pain meds.

He also kept inferring or implying that perhaps I was like this.....before I broke my nose? (Which I did a few times, and had 2 surgeries). The last one was in 1996. So for me to only complain about the past few years (vs. the past few months?)

Well, as I gently tried to remind him, that's also when I started to have to get dentures, and to cover my bases and be thorough, I'm even re-doing that out of consideration to how it may apply.



(Deep Breath)



I absolutely do need to wait until I calm down a bit, because I want to make sure when I speak with my referring surgeon (whom I adore!)....I do not want to come off as emotional, impulsive or like I've copped some type of attitude.

This sucks donkey patootie.









M.
Posted 6/25/2014 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
Merida,

You handeled that doc much better than I would have..
U have been thru so much .....we seem to have the hip THR both in common..
I am very thankful to have u as the moderator...I wish u the best..

The foot drop has caught up with me as well.. Less than 8 months after the lft THR was done it was recalled by the manuf. , it's has a small MOM separate stem no coating over the ends where it attaches to the upper & lower ball joints.. It's been in the news for awhile, STRYKER is the manufacturer model ABGll press-fit modular neck stems. Go in for revision in a few months...it's very painful...

While the modular-neck stems provide surgeons with an option to correct certain aspects of a patient’s anatomy and hip biomechanics, given the potential risks associated with fretting and corrosion at the modular neck junction, it was recalled less than a year after I had surgery. The dr. Was not up front with the tiny metal stem 2"".

Risks of MOM in THR has been known since the 70's & my other hip is not MOM. poly cups line the joints . The FDA approved this Stryker system erroneously slipped tru inspection that 4 th tiny little 2" stem. No poly coating on it therefore the metal fretting from wear & tear has caused pseudo tumors pressing on the nerve, fretting of heavy metal into my blood stream, and total hip failure ...

I may or may not be able to walk after the revision surgery. There is no guarantee..The revision parts are much larger & the dr explained I am small boned with the implant attached in the femur bone.. They must break the femur bone to remove the STRYKER implant.. In this case the end of the implant is open in such a way that the bone grows into and thru the implant.. In the femur end...

It's never easy to adjust to our limitations with various degrees of mobility difficulty..

I just wanted to express my personal concern in UR case.. How very strong u r and very helpful to so many. I wish to thank u for UR contributions every day ! I am sympathetic and I support u right back..

Lisa u have been so kind & understanding to so many...thank you so much from my heart to urs.. Healing prayers sent UR way... yeah

Peace, luv & laughter
Posted 6/25/2014 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
I believe I would've walked out on that Doctor, mid sentence of you gotta be off...and That would've been all I heard at that point. Wow they allow people like this to practice medicine?
Wow, Just copy what you typed up on here and fax it over to the doctor that wanted this...
So very sorry you had to go through all that garbage!
Many Prayers and well wishes...
Posted 6/25/2014 8:04 PM (GMT 0)
I just got off the phone with the surgeon who referred me. I said what I wrote here, without going into massive detail (I DO think it helped a WHOLE LOT to write it first here and bounce it around with you guys,-- first, -- before actually speaking with my own doc! Big time. You guys rock!)

I told my doc that I understand I am complex, complicated, and can be a handful,...and he said, "Actually, I never got that impression from you, or I never would have sent you to him for a consult."

He told me that he gets a good sense from people if they're going to be a handful, and I do not fall into that category.

Where it stands: We're going to wait until this other doc sends his report to my doc, so he can review it and get a sense of where he's coming from. He admitted he was quite surprised at what he said re: me needing to be off my meds like that. He said it shouldn't be an issue.

I have two more appointments with him for f/u's anyway, and he said we'll just let this sit for now, wait on the paperwork, and next time, we'll discuss how to proceed....no need to rush.

(Gawd, I love my doctor!)

Thanks again everyone. I know that if I just called my surgeon when I got home before posting here on the Forum about it, I probably would have rambled on and on,......and on? I was so frustrated. But I was able to deliver a more concise report on my experience thanks to everyone's input here.

:D









M.
Posted 6/25/2014 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
MERRIDA..

Good to hear this issue is resolved.. U sound a lot better today..
Take Care.
(( hugs ))
Chotti
Posted 6/26/2014 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
Do you feel like adding your own review for this doc? I have done both good and bad reviews on certain docs that I felt warranted them (not many, but a few). It sounds like this one had a pre conceived notion going into this with you which is annoying (we've all been there).

I sometimes read posts on medical forums from physicians who say some pretty biased things. A physician on one site called CPers "chemical copers" and others responded similarly. We all have our own biases about certain things, but when it negatively impacts someone like a scared person who is in pain it is sad.

Thankfully, you have your existing doc who seems to understand you better.

Take care and hope you are having a low pain day.

Post Edited (1 day at a time) : 6/25/2014 7:41:10 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/26/2014 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
As others have stated, well handled Merrida. I have a PPO, which maybe gives me more flexibility than most, but I fire those people immediately and move on. I wish every painful plague known to mankind upon those doctors, so that they might have some understanding of what constant pain grinding them down like a millstone feels like, nonstop. . .for decades. Advil, what a joke and an insult. Who cares what he had to say? I've heard all I need to make my own snap judgement about him.
Posted 6/26/2014 8:12 AM (GMT 0)
Well nice to know he has the same goals in mind for you that you have! Too bad he didn't have a secret fast track to getting there! I was really glad to hear all his patients fair well with his surgical skill and he's not had any failed procedures? Wondering why he's not made the American medical journals top rated surgeons with such an outstanding surgical record! He must of been lucky enough to not have used any recalled and faulty devices in all his outstanding successful surgical procedures!

I would not compensate stupidity, egotism, or blatant ineptness by allowing my insurance to pay him another penny for another session of ignorance.

Someone had better be finding me another surgeon because that one's far outlived his usefulness!
Posted 6/26/2014 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
My own surgeon, (the one who referred me to doc#2) told me that while performs these surgeries, it's not his specialty, where-as doc#2,...all he does is fix other doctor's work. (That in itself may have something to do with this, I'm not sure).

My surgeon told me of an experience where he did this procedure on a patient and she wasn't pleased with the results, so he coordinated with doc#2 and together they did a revision. But hey, at least my surgeon can say this and freely admits these things happen.

So in the meantime, I have a bar or wire in my septum that's got scar tissue growing and hardening around it,...

I have another appt with my dentist today (for my new dentures), and I'll let her know that....and because of the septum issue, I may (until it's fixed at least) never truly be able to bite comfortably (but I'll take what I can get).

I did not necessarily *have* to go to doc#2, but my surgeon strongly believes and encourages 2nd opinions. (Bless his heart!)








M.
Posted 6/27/2014 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Well, since you said this guy was for a 2nd opinion only, where he did he get the idea he would be the one doing any surgery, that is what is confusing to me. I mean 2nd opinion is just that only, you get their take on the situation & you are out the door & you never see the guy again.

He seems to be pretty full of himself if you ask me. Those with huge egos just do not impress me, they do the opposite.

It will be interesting to see what he writes in his report. In the meantime if your referring dr is not wanting to do your surgery, then I would start my own search for a new specialist. Check out Vitals.com...
Posted 6/28/2014 7:46 AM (GMT 0)
Definitely read that report.

I'm impressed that you were able to control your temper. At least he can't write that you came in and became argumentative.

I hope you will able to find someone to help you. I know how painful facial pain can be. Maybe that's the Dr's problem. I guess you could get down from the examination table and "accidentally" fall onto his face...
Posted 6/28/2014 8:26 AM (GMT 0)
My own surgeon who made the referral (or recommendation for this 2nd opinion) is also curious to see what he wrote because my doc knows me and finds me to be a straight forward patient.

HE will tell me, and I know it. I see him in 2.5 weeks. As he mentioned, we'll discuss it at that time.

But I do know that *my* doc has my back.

You'd think after all these years in pain management and all the surgeries et al, that I'd become accustomed to meeting up with doctors who give me the brush off because of my meds. Nope. Not used to it. Not even close. Still bugs me.

And yes, I am surprised with myself that I did not get on the defensive. I was very cooperative and reeeeally refrained and held back. I maintained a polite and professional attitude (despite it not being given to me).

(WOW I'm making progress, eh?)









M.
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