I don't trust doctors anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

Covid did a lot to damage trust between healthcare providers and people. Some of the info and guidelines we got (Covid did come from a lab, remote learning, distancing...) were in hindsight not all great. Horse dewormer is obvious insanity, but having some degree of skepticism and questioning is not a bad thing. And that is outside of the fact that healthcare is a huge business, we have med commercial on tv for some of the worst meds to drum up revenue, insurance companies guide treatment...There is a lot to fix about our system.

[Anonymous]

I’m amazed you ever did.

-works in healthcare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

Covid did a lot to damage trust between healthcare providers and people. Some of the info and guidelines we got (Covid did come from a lab, remote learning, distancing...) were in hindsight not all great. Horse dewormer is obvious insanity, but having some degree of skepticism and questioning is not a bad thing. And that is outside of the fact that healthcare is a huge business, we have med commercial on tv for some of the worst meds to drum up revenue, insurance companies guide treatment...There is a lot to fix about our system.

Whatever are you going on about? Distancing was prudent, as was remote learning. I have no idea what you're referencing about it coming from a lab -- that's tin foil hat bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read something that really resonated. It said that a lot of people treat the healthcare industry like a mechanic - you drop off your car, expect them to figure out what's wrong, fix it, and you pick it up. But a better way to think of healthcare is like an orchestra, and you are the conductor. Each healthcare professional is an expert at their specific thing, and you don't have to know how to "play every instrument". But you should have the vision for how it all should come together, and pull each person in accordingly.

Obviously I'm not a musician and I'm sure the metaphor has its flaws, but it switched my perspective on a chronic health issue I've been dealing with. I do my own research and seek out providers that specialize in things I've read about. In my appointments, I ask for what I want by name and cite the research if necessary. And, frankly, I pay a LOT out of pocket in order to see the best providers.

Now, to be fair, my health issue is not resolved so maybe I'm going about it all wrong, but I feel much better about it mentally than I did when I was just waiting for my PCP to try to figure it out, and they clearly did not really give a shlt.

I like this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

Covid did a lot to damage trust between healthcare providers and people. Some of the info and guidelines we got (Covid did come from a lab, remote learning, distancing...) were in hindsight not all great. Horse dewormer is obvious insanity, but having some degree of skepticism and questioning is not a bad thing. And that is outside of the fact that healthcare is a huge business, we have med commercial on tv for some of the worst meds to drum up revenue, insurance companies guide treatment...There is a lot to fix about our system.

Whatever are you going on about? Distancing was prudent, as was remote learning. I have no idea what you're referencing about it coming from a lab -- that's tin foil hat bullshit.

Was it prudent for restaurant workers? Small business owners? People living in abusive households?

I’m glad YOU were not negatively impacted by Covid, but surely you realize that your experience is not everyone’s experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

Covid did a lot to damage trust between healthcare providers and people. Some of the info and guidelines we got (Covid did come from a lab, remote learning, distancing...) were in hindsight not all great. Horse dewormer is obvious insanity, but having some degree of skepticism and questioning is not a bad thing. And that is outside of the fact that healthcare is a huge business, we have med commercial on tv for some of the worst meds to drum up revenue, insurance companies guide treatment...There is a lot to fix about our system.

Stories like this don't help as far as trust.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/chinese-experiment-fatal-mutant-covid-strain/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I trust doctors on a case by case basis. They are very result-oriented as a whole obviously, but sometimes there is more than one course of action, and the result is not the only thing that matters to me as a patient: the side effects, potential less invasive alternatives, a patient's personal history and comfort level around a specific procedure/medication... I ask questions, and they sometimes HATE that. When they do, it's a sign to me I might not be getting the best care and I move on. I find that the best doctors out there welcome questions and are comfortable answering and discussing treatments so I can feel entirely at ease with the final decision.

+1 My cardio always treats any question as a threat to his authority, always bristles, etc. Seems like an insecurity. In my day job my strength is technical trouble shooting and finding root cause and I use the same approach to my health problems, but this doc doe not even attempt to reason with me. Super frustrating!

[Anonymous]

Whatever are you going on about? Distancing was prudent, as was remote learning. I have no idea what you're referencing about it coming from a lab -- that's tin foil hat bullshit.

From the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability website:

Mounting evidence continues to show that COVID-19 may have originated from a lab in Wuhan, China.

Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified how science indicates COVID-19 infections were likely the result of an accidental lab leak in Wuhan. His conclusion is based on the biology of the virus itself and unusual actions in and around Wuhan in 2019, including gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

pp, You must be one of those docs who belittle patients by saying "Someone's been consulting Dr. Google!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Whatever are you going on about? Distancing was prudent, as was remote learning. I have no idea what you're referencing about it coming from a lab -- that's tin foil hat bullshit.

From the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability website:

Mounting evidence continues to show that COVID-19 may have originated from a lab in Wuhan, China.

Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified how science indicates COVID-19 infections were likely the result of an accidental lab leak in Wuhan. His conclusion is based on the biology of the virus itself and unusual actions in and around Wuhan in 2019, including gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the #1 rule I’ve told my kids when they went off to college, don’t just trust what the doctor says.

Listen and discern if it makes sense, do your own research, get a 2nd opinion.

They’ve both learned that doctors are just mediocre humans doing the best they can which is mediocre.

Also, don’t just go to anyone, get recommendations, look at their track record, interview them, don’t worry about their feelings.

This is how people ended up injecting themselves with horse dewormer to treat Covid.

I'm the "conductor of an orchestra" PP above and I also referenced doing my own research. I understand it's a slippery slope, but just because some people are listening to Joe Rogan and injecting themselves with horse dewormer doesn't mean that the rest of us wouldn't benefit from a couple hours on PubMed, especially if we're confronting a specific, difficult health issue. I've found a lot of evidence that disproves doctor's out of date recommendations, recent exciting studies with promising new treatments, and also, frankly, it's helped me be more realistic about what treatment looks like. Before I started doing my own research I thought a doctor could fix me. After reading more about patient outcomes, I realize that I'm looking at pain management / a tolerable level of pain rather than a "fix". My first TWO doctors promised me a cure; having done my own research I was able to quickly dismiss them until I found a doctor that was more realistic and in line with the research.

So, sure, someone injected themselves with horse dewormer. But that's a slippery slope argument and doesn't negate the benefits of real, informed research and self-advocacy from patients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read something that really resonated. It said that a lot of people treat the healthcare industry like a mechanic - you drop off your car, expect them to figure out what's wrong, fix it, and you pick it up. But a better way to think of healthcare is like an orchestra, and you are the conductor. Each healthcare professional is an expert at their specific thing, and you don't have to know how to "play every instrument". But you should have the vision for how it all should come together, and pull each person in accordingly.

Obviously I'm not a musician and I'm sure the metaphor has its flaws, but it switched my perspective on a chronic health issue I've been dealing with. I do my own research and seek out providers that specialize in things I've read about. In my appointments, I ask for what I want by name and cite the research if necessary. And, frankly, I pay a LOT out of pocket in order to see the best providers.

Now, to be fair, my health issue is not resolved so maybe I'm going about it all wrong, but I feel much better about it mentally than I did when I was just waiting for my PCP to try to figure it out, and they clearly did not really give a shlt.

While I like the idea of this, sick people don't always have the resources (physically, mentally, financially) to do all this, and most doctors resent being treated like the employees they technically are and not the gods they think themselves to be, so getting them to take instruction, not just give it, is like herding cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed you ever did.

-works in healthcare

Honest Qs: why do you stay in such a trash industry, knowing it's trash? How does that impact your mental health? Is the money worth it?

[Anonymous]

Oh OP I understand.

Let’s see Duke University Hospital world renowned OB told me I was dying of cancer and left me with a c section scar that no one should have.

Thank god. ( I’m not religious) however this phrase fits for me second child he was on vacation and one of his students delivered my second one.

By my third child I changed OBs

Skip to age 35 diagnosis’s by Bethesda Urology who completely disregarded my history and diagnosed me incorrectly put me through tests I did not need.

I’m done with crappy doctors especially ones that make Washingon Best doctors

Now I am super careful I have a fantastic female primary and fantastic urogyn and reg gyn and cardio no more male doctors ever again

[Anonymous]

It’s a matter of degree. It’s good to ask doctors questions and get more than one opinion. It’s idiotic to think that Google is providing you with the same expertise as someone with an MD. Every “do your own research” person goes running to the doctor in the end.