What is your view about your local doctors?

Singapore
December 20, 2006 5:56am CST
I always find that being able to be cured from illness really really depend on the doctors you get to see. Some are totally negligent and some couldn't really care less as it's really part and parcel of their job to see sick people. I had a friend who fell really sick after giving birth. She was diagnosed as having serious flu, infection. However, she could really breathe and all that and after several doctors treatment, she was finally admitted to hospital as she just fell unconscious. Lucky (or maybe not so lucky) for her, the senior doctor told her husband after checking and said,"Your wife is in serious condition, half her heart is failing. Be prepared." Well, thank God, she survived her surgery but the side effort was terrible. She had absolutely no strength as part of her heart can't function well. She couldn't even carry her son for more than 10 seconds, and can't climb up stairs. She lost weight till about 40+ kg. Literally bones! Two years later, went back for regular check up and this time, really FORTUNATE for her, a back up doctor did a different test and you know what? After that many years of wrong diagnosis, treatment, finally one NEW doctor said, "her heart is not functioning well because the membrane is too thick". So, she went for her second surgery...and now, she is in pink of health!
5 people like this
46 responses
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
that's a good discussion..in fact i went to the local clinic a few time and i was kinda dissapointed when the gp was a rather young chap with pale complexion. my bf always felt giddy after meal so decided to check it out...and the doctor examined him and told him something is very serious with his lungs and all that...needless to say, my bf was worried sick after the consultation...and kept thinking and acting as if he's going to die soon...i dont have the confidence in the young doc, so i brought my bf to see another more experienced doctor and after checking and hearing about our explaination, the doc laughed and told us that it's only stress!! so to all who read this...pls get a 2nd opinion!!
2 people like this
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Exactly...it's best to get second opinion. I mentioned about my this friend, right? After visiting the GP, and first time when she was hospitalized, a young houseman (just completed medical school), looked at the prescribed medication by the GP and said ," yes, flu, infection." Goodness!!! So, it's so important just to get a different view!
1 person likes this
@Tanika (632)
• Australia
20 Dec 06
i absolutly hate my local doctors. and doctors in general to be honest. i have never really found a good one. Anyway, i tried a new one last week as my daughter had been having some problems with what i htought was ongoing diarrhoea, and he told me it was actually constipation and sent me for an xray. I asked him if i should make another appointment to get the results and he said 'no just ring and get them'. that part of the story is fine. then i ring a few days later to get the results and they tell me they dont give results on the phone that i need to make an appiontment. i make the appointment, get there and they say they do not have my test results. i am not happy as you can imagine so i ask what could have happened. they don't really know they said, i will have to chase up the place i got it done and see whats going on. so i ring the radiology and they sent the results to the doctors. i ring the doctors and they still say the radiology stuffed up. eventually the next day they figure out that the xray has fallen on the floor behind the computers and they are soo sorry. so i finaly get to see the doctor about her results. he says that yes my daughter is constipated, then asks me to sign the medicare form (we have free public healthcare here which is good in some ways but also serves to make the problem worse because doctors just wanna get you out the door so they can get the next person in and get more money from the government) and gets up to open the door. i am shocked that he is ushering me out to i take a few steps, then i realise he has not told me anything to do that will help her, so i ask and right there in the doorway where the whole waiting room can hear he says get something from the chemist and that there is nothing he can do about it. I was totally disgusted that he didn't care in the least what happened to my daughter. When i get home with the toxic medicine i was recommended, i read the instructions and it says that there are all these risk that my doctor will have explained to me. So anyway the next day i go buy apricots and she is much better now. i just cannot beleive that he didnt give the least care to my situation. its not like im one of these ppl constantly going to doctors for tiny things. my child had been sick on and off for like 4 weeks and i had tryed everything i knew to help her before going to the doctor. This is just one story in a long line of stories exactly like this, and i am getting so fed up. i hated them to begin with but now i thin kthey are even worse. sorry for such a long post but i was finding it hard to compact the story and i also needed to b$%ch about it anyway. Thanks for reading (if you got through it all), Tanika.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
I did read through. I really can't believe you and your daughter had to go through all these. You know, these people are supposed to be professionals. How else can we seek professional advice? Unfortunately, some of them just don't do a good job at being a doctor.
@Tanika (632)
• Australia
20 Dec 06
i know, its soo scary because we put our very lives into the hands of these supposed professionals. How do they live with themselves when they are meant to be helping ppl but they just dont seem to care. having said that though, i am sure there ARE good doctors out there somewhere, i just havent met one yet.
1 person likes this
@Kylalynn (1771)
• South Africa
20 Dec 06
I am glad your friend is back in good health, but what a pity she had to go through all of that first. It is very important to trust your doctor. If I don't feel comfortable with a doctor or specialist I don't go back.
• France
20 Dec 06
i have a good doctor
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Exactly. She really went through alot. When she was only 40plus kg...it's really bones! And she couldn't even talk properly as she gets tired, out of breath. I am so thankful that she is all back to normal and now, her son is so attached to her as she has the energy to play with him. Before that, he didn't even want to play with her because she didn't even have the energy.
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
21 Dec 06
It's unfortunate that your friend had to suffer being so ill for 2 years. What I think is that too many people accept the diagnosis and explanations of their doctors as truth and fact without questioning them. Many people are still afraid to ask questions of their doctors or to make suggestions regarding their care (for example if they read about something on the Internet). I think that 2nd opinions should always be sought when someone is seriously ill, especially when the illness is sudden and unexpected; two heads are better than one, as they say. Don't ever accept the word of one doctor if you are not getting better. It's your life and your health, and you have the right to be involved. Ask questions, demand explanations and answers. If the testing being done is not revealing the answers, you have to think "would a different doctor order different tests that would get to the bottom of this?". Any doctor who gets impatient with questions or doesn't want to take the time to explain things to you until you can understand him/her is not worthy of his paycheck. They should be "fired", and you should find another doctor.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
Well said, and it's very true. When my father was first diagnosed with colon cancer last Oct, after surgery and chemo in Aug 2006, there was a relapse. Going to the government hospital was a nightmare. First, the waiting time can be like half a day and they will not think out of the box to treat the patient when they have concerns. All they do is just follow the normal procedure. My siblings and I insisted to see another doctor and turned out that the private doctor (though very much more expensive) took a different approach and treated him with better and more advanced medication. Everything turned out fine. He is still undergoing chemo but even as a patient, he can even feel that things are better.
@itsmepinky (1300)
• India
21 Dec 06
its gud to know that she has returned to her normal self....but jus think about the mental impact it must have had on her all these years..she must have been devastated psychologically...
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
Thanks for all your response. I am also very happy for my friend who is back to normal. Put back on her weight that she has lost and is now in perfect condition!
@ais_nedla (162)
• United States
21 Dec 06
im sorry but where do you live? my place is full of intelligent and responsible doctors. but i cannot blame you because doctors can be pretty lazy sometimes. all they do is look at you from head to toe, that's it.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
I live in Singapore. Although there are real good hospitals around here filled with specialists, but not necessary all of them are really that great. As mentioned earlier, there are always still good ones available.
@nancygibson (3736)
• France
21 Dec 06
I have to say that whilst the NHS is a great thing, not all the doctors are good, I don't much rate our local one and woudl only go to him if I had to, I just don't feel confident that he considers all the factors and usually he just tried to see us in a few seconds and thats that
1 person likes this
@ngty69 (971)
• India
20 Dec 06
Its good to hear that your friend is in good health. May god bless her healthy life after all these problems in her life. You should not stick to one opinion only, keep getting different opinions from different people. Because it is very much possible that some opinion will suit you in life. Therefore, the moral of the story is "Don't loose hope in your life". Keep trying and you will definitely succeed in life.
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Thanks for your message. Yes, outlook in life must be positive. everything will be fine!
@missybal (4490)
• United States
21 Dec 06
Yeah it is all about the doctors... I got really sick and could barely walk for about three months solid, I kept getting the flu over and over my immune system was like nothing when in the past I had always been in great health never really got sick. I went to one doctor and he pretty much said it was in my head, all my weakness chronic fatique and sleeping 22 hours a day. He said it was depression, or that I didn't want to work anymore. I loved my job and hated being home all the time, I knew he was wrong. I started seeing the nurse pa and she ran countless blood tests and finally discovered with the proper blood test that I have a rare form of mono that is hard to detect unless one exact test was done. Ebstien barr! It is never really out of your system, causes all sorts of problems where your immune system is broken down. I had to start pumping vitamines and keep on top of if I get sick or weak taking care of myself or else I could get really bad again and to the point of being disabled with the fatique. I had a problem with my gall bladder. The same nurse pa had me do a test that proved that it had simply stopped working. Rare but happens, she knew it needed to come out. She sent me to one specialist, he looked at the results and then he wanted to test me for an ulscer and all sorts of other things because he didn't think all of it could be gall bladder issues. I knew I didn't have an ulscer. He scared me saying that without my gall bladder I would have liver problems. No history of liver problems in my family or myself. I went and got a second opinion with a different surgern. Got my gall bladder out the next week and felt 100% better. Found out that a great deal of what stomach problems I thought I had where actually all the gall bladder most my life. A lot of doctors are idiots.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
I am glad that you are feeling better. Yes, sometimes, or maybe most of the time, doctors are wrong. When my grandmother fell sick and was hospitalized, all the doctors told the family to be prepared for the worse. Well, she lived for another 10 over years before passing on. So, I really don't know what these doctors are doing. At the end of the day, it's better to get different opinion, may not even be just the second or third. And you know what? Sometimes, doctor will just do referral to another doctor who is their golf buddy or med schoolmates. I think it's a business dealing for most rather than really wanting to heal. Of course, having said that, there are also good ones around who do make a difference.
• United States
20 Dec 06
Wow. Some doctors...I just don't know about. My father fell ill when I was around four years old and he went to the doctor. The doc told my dad that it was all in his head, that there was nothing wrong with him. When my dad came around to get a second opinion, turns out he had cancer. By the time this happened, it was too late. My dad was already in the middle stages and had to begin chemo right away. My father passed away two years later and a few years back, my mom and I went to this one doctor so I could take a test to get hired for this job. That SAME doctor was working there, and my mom's face just got really angry, the angriest I have ever seen her look. He looked straight at her too and then quickly went into one of the back rooms. That is one man that should NOT be practioning medicine as well.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
Oh dear, I am so sorry to hear about your father. It's really sad when people suffer because of doctors' negligence. When I mum fell sick, the tumour removed was tested and thought to be benign. Then a specialist came to see her and asked, you want to start chemo? My mum was confused and said, oh, I thought it's not cancerous, so why need chemo? I mean we didn't understand then that maybe chemo is still required even if it's non-cancerous. So, the doctor took out his name card, threw it across the bed and said,"Well, if you want, just give me a call" and walked out. So rude, isn't it? Is it just a business deal or something? And he charged that round he took at the hospital for $200. So, we paid for his expensive namecard for $200.
@luolei (166)
20 Dec 06
i think so ,you said that i think is right
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Thanks for your response.
• Italy
20 Dec 06
i dont think they must be banned but only be more sever to donot allow children buy that kind of games
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
did you even read the topic? Please do not post irrelevant response. You will get reported and account will be cancelled.
• India
21 Dec 06
The docs here in nagpur are quite good.. Its better if u go to an experienced lot than to young ones.. someof them are renowned docs in india
1 person likes this
@bindishah (2062)
• India
21 Dec 06
I am a pharmacist by profession working in the marketing department of a p'ceutical firm. I used to think doctors are very knowledgeable and work in the best interest of the patients. But after working in the industry i ahve realized this is not true. P'ceut companies give gifts/sponsorship to the doctors which always influences their prescribing pattern. Often times you see doctors giving wrong prescriptions just in order to promote that company's product. This relation between the p'ceut industry & physicians is further leading to more & more wrong diagnosis as doctors rely only on info given to them by the medical reps rather than utilizing their own knowledge.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
21 Dec 06
Oh dear, there should be a governing body to ensure that there is no such preference given. There shouldn't be gifts, etc. You know those US MNC are very particular about receiving gifts, and it's all done in the matter of professionalism. So, given that doctor is supposedly a well respected profession, I think gifts should not be accepted. :)
• Brazil
20 Dec 06
Doctor - Doctor
I had a serious problem and had good and bad doctors. Most of them were good, but thanks to a bad one, I had to make extra surgeries. I only got cured because I left that moron.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Oh no, that is terrible, surgeries are something that I really wish I could avoid. But I'm so glad that you are well now.
@Tanika (632)
• Australia
20 Dec 06
i absolutly hate my local doctors. and doctors in general to be honest. i have never really found a good one. Anyway, i tried a new one last week as my daughter had been having some problems with what i htought was ongoing diarrhoea, and he told me it was actually constipation and sent me for an xray. I asked him if i should make another appointment to get the results and he said 'no just ring and get them'. that part of the story is fine. then i ring a few days later to get the results and they tell me they dont give results on the phone that i need to make an appiontment. i make the appointment, get there and they say they do not have my test results. i am not happy as you can imagine so i ask what could have happened. they don't really know they said, i will have to chase up the place i got it done and see whats going on. so i ring the radiology and they sent the results to the doctors. i ring the doctors and they still say the radiology stuffed up. eventually the next day they figure out that the xray has fallen on the floor behind the computers and they are soo sorry. so i finaly get to see the doctor about her results. he says that yes my daughter is constipated, then asks me to sign the medicare form and gets up to open the door. i am shocked that he is ushering me out to i take a few steps, then i realise he has not told me anything to do that will help her, so i ask and right there in the doorway where the whole waiting room can hear he says get some parachoc (maybe alot of parents would have known this but i very very very rarely visit a doctor or use "conventional" medicine) so i ask whats in it coz i dont wanna be giving my daughter something toxic.
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
That's really rude and terrible! You know, my mum had this tumor growing and she could really tell. After visiting several doctors and specialists, they just tell her,"Nah, you are worrying too much, it's just normal weight gain due to age, etc." After dragging for like 3 years, finally a proper scan showed that there is a tumor and she had it removed. 10 years on, it grew again and she went to a doctor and he was so insensitive! When my mum asked," oh dear, why did it return again?" The doctor said," it's God's gift." Can you believe that? I don't want to curse people, and I don't like to do that, but I sometimes wish the same can happen to him and see how he feels. Unfortunately, my mum didn't survive through and this whole episode made me wanted to be really vigilant about seeing doctors.
1 person likes this
@nhtpscd (1416)
• Australia
21 Dec 06
I am glad all work out well in the end. The human body is a funny thing we can have symptoms the make doctors believe one thing when it is totally another. I have gone through 5 local doctors before I made my choice who would be the 1 I use all the time.
1 person likes this
• Malaysia
20 Dec 06
Your story makes me feel even scared to go to the local doctors. I too have a terrifying experience with the local doctors. Approximately 2 years ago I was admitted to the hospital because I had been infected with germs in my ovary. I was due for an operation. It was indeed a very rare disease and the doctors should pay more attention to my case. Unfortunately, the supposed expert surgeon made a terrible mistake during the surgery. She failed to send the speciment liquid that extracted from my cyst and therefore unable to produce any test results. I was told to undergo another operation in three weeks time just to take another speciment from my body. I was blaring with anger and I refused to undergo that operation. Do you know what the surgeon told me? he said I do not have any hope to be cured. I will totally be incurable. What type of a doctor who will say that? I swear to God I won't go there anymore for further treatment. Until now I do not want to discuss about my health problem because it has been a traumatic experience to me. I just hope that I could find a remedy for myself by searching through the internet for the newest technology development. Then I met another doctor and he suggested me to drink vigin coconut oil. Its function is to help reduce any harmful virus in my body. I tried to consume it but I had to stop for a while because the side effect is too much. I had a serious headache that I couldn't tolerate. But I think the oil is effective and I want to start again consuming it in little dosage at a time. At least now I have something to hope for -- a cure. Not like what the local doctors told me -- I have no hope. The morale of my story is never believe what a local doctor tells you until you get a second opinion. Or else you will live in suffer for the rest of your life. Thank you.
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Thanks for your response. Exactly, what I can't stand is the insensitive comments they make. Oh yes, for all these natural products that you are taking, small dosage would be good. Sometimes, even good stuff need to be taken at small dosage. Do take care and yes, always seek second opinion if you can. And at the end of the day, doctors are still human beings. So, they are not miracle healer at the end of the day.
• India
20 Dec 06
i always feel that the things really depeend on how the doctors approach us..if they just be harsh and rude things will just be complicated apart from that if they just touch us with a caring loving attitude we are gonna feel much better
• Singapore
20 Dec 06
Agree, that's very true that the patients need to feel comfortable. If the patient is stress, afraid, physically, they won't feel any better and may not even react well to medication. So, they must feel at ease.
@5891sid (19)
• India
21 Dec 06
i dont know about the rest of the world but in india yes the doctors are careless or if good enough can harass you with many unneccessary tests which are not required. purpose: such docs have tie ups with labs and to improve the business of such patho labs such docs recommend unneccessary tests. just recently when i had some swollen jaws, i went to a doc and told him all that ails me. at the end of it he diagnosed me with tonsilitius, and prescribed 3 strips of tablets and 1 solution to wash my mouth. but using them did nothing to improve my condition, so i sat down on the net and all my symtoms matched that of mumps. so i had mumps but got diagnosed with tonsils. this was real bad judgement on the part of the doc as the symtoms of mumps were very different and as a doc he should have known. however i think docs are a frustrated lot here because of the heavy bulk of study they have to handle for many years and less job satisfaction, so said a friend of mine who is studying medicines. further the doc and patient relations have never been worse. no patient trusts a doc and just to be that extra careful maybe the docs prescibes those unneccessary tests, lest he gets it wrong and is sued by the patient later.