christine hockhing
Posted by: 19chris51
17th Nov 2010 11:11am
Why do (so called) health professionals, eg specialists, who are not sure of answers, try to find them, instead of sending people off none the wiser, if they don`t know, why not say so? we pay enough, my opion is if they don`t know, its not happeneing or it 1s all in your mind,this is what they infer about my son, who has a serious problem, they should not be Drs, never lone Specialists in their field if they can`t be bothered
You must be a member to reply to this chat topic. Click here to sign in.
Help Caféstudy members by responding to their questions, or ask your own in Café Chat, and you will get the chance of earning extra rewards. Caféstudy will match these and donate equally to our two chosen Australian charities.
Australian Marine Conservation Society are an independent charity, staffed by a committed group of scientists, educators and passionate advocates who have defended Australia’s oceans for over 50 years.
ReachOut is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia. Their trusted self-help information, peer-support program and referral tools save lives by helping young people be well and stay well. The information they offer parents makes it easier for them to help their teenagers, too.
Comments 10
katielou
The specialist you are talking about is probably a diagnostician. If you have ever seen Dr House you may have noticed that he is more focused on the disease than the patient. Unfortunately that is the nature of a diagnostician. When they dont know they usually are determined to find out. Would you prefer them to say hey do you know that it could be about 10 or more different things but hang around and i will just try to work it out. If you dont get satisfaction, find someone else. There is nothing worse than being the parent of a child with a health issue and not getting a satisfactory answer. Ask your GP for a referral to a pain clinic for your son. Sometimes it is worth dealing with one issue at a time, they may not necessarily be connected, but dont givve up. I am an RN so am in that dreaded health field but I am also a mother who had issues with my child when he was young. I did not give up and finally got answers. Please continue to try to find answers, even if it is one step at a time.
19chris51
thankyoy Katielou you are more then likely right about that, consultants, I`m sorry they can not seem to consult at all, (who do they consult with, not us) and no I have never seen House, I`m afraid I am over the Medical profession, and don`t really want to see more (especailly for relaxation) as a RN I think you ( and most Rn`s, have a better understanding),
My Daughter lives in Vic and has now been diagnosed with POTS, she has had a pacemaker put in, but still has lots of underlying problems with bad pain in the back of her head aroun the cerebella region, they can not seem to recongise this either, my son has this pain as well so hopefully between them, (the states and diffferent Drs) they may come up with something, sorry pain clinic `s are useless, or at least the one we have been to, I am not a violent person, but the Dr at the pain clinic was lucky I did`nt smack him in the face.
By the way my children are Adults ( I guess I will always refer to them as children) 35 (son) 33 (Daughter), my daughter has three beautiful children.
WE WILL KEEP TRYING sorry for venting, just get so frustrated, THANKYOU Katielou
doug
I REALLY WISH THAT I HAD SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR YOU BUT SADLY I HAVENT .. HOWEVER WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GIVE UP HOPE ,WHO KNOWS THERE MAY BE A CURE IN THE FUTURE ..SURELY THOUGH EVEN THOUGH AS YOU SAY THERE IS NO CURE ,SOMETHING COULD BE DONE TO GIVE SOME RELIEF FOR THE SYMPTOMS .I REALLY FEEL FOR YOU AND YOUR SITUATION BUT KEEP ON FIGHTING !! REGARDS DOUG
19chris51
Thankyou Doug, thats nice, yes we will keep trying.
thankyou Chris
doug
IF YOU DONT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR DR. OR SPECIALIST IS TELLING YOU ,FOR GOODNESS SKE SAY SO !ASK HIM TO BE MORE PRECISE AND TELL YOU IN PLAIN ENGLISH ,NOT THE CONFUSING WAY THAT SOME OF THEM SEEM TO DO ,WHICH DOES NOTHING FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THEM .. AS A GENERAL RULE IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE MEDICAL PROFESSION I HAVE MOSTLY HAD GOOD FEEDBACK BY ASKING QUESTIONS THAT I NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND ...
YOU ARE PAYING FOR HIS SERVICE AND OPINION ,ADVICE ,IF NOT HAPPY SEEK ANOTHER OPINION ........DOUG
19chris51
Hi Doug, Thankyou for your comments, we have tried an other Dr.s, but it is always the same,trouble is tthere is no cure for sca, but it would be nice if they could try and address his other problems, but no they just think no you can not have a bad headace, and actually imply that he has`nt, when in actual fact, HE DOES,so nothing is done, we know there is no cure, but to help alleviate the side effects would help him to live a more comfortable existance. Also if tests are ordered why don`t they know how to read the results??
Cool
One problem with Health Proffessionals is that through their Training, many are turned from Medicine to specialist Drug prescribers and sadly they tend to use Man Made Medication with all its flaws and side effects. They are told in training to believe in themselves or their patients will not believe them. Sadly some of them will not consult with more experienced Physicians and often we hear of Wild Guess prognosis (You have 6 months to live - Opps you survived that and it's now 3 years) and Second and Third opinion methodologies are a good way to verify if the First professional is on the right track. The Human body is marvellously formed and not an easy fix when things go badly wrong. Honesty in a Professional is a merit worth rewarding. If they won't be straight with you, Vote with your feet, after all it is your Health...
19chris51
thank you cool, yes we are going to see another specialist,my son has a condition called Spina Cerebella Ataxia, which is life threatening, he has a side condition, bad pain in the head, which no one seems to recognise or try to treat,I don`t know whether they can, but no body seems to address this problem, also he has a high level of a chemical called pyravite (I think thats how it is spelt) and no one seems to say anything about that either,they seem to put it in the too hard basket.
I would just like some answers, and so would he for goodness sake, he is a man in his thirties,and of quite high intellegence, yet is treated like an idiot,
gilgal1
As a person who has some serious health issues, I have had some of the sorts of interactions with health practitioners - GPs, medical specialists, various complementary therapies - that you describe. I don't expect them to know all the answers (medical science really hasn't mastered as much as we'd like to think) but I DO expect good communication and a willingness to admit that they don't know. I also expect to be treated as an intelligent person and that includes answering my questions.
In my view, doctors and other health practitioners are not superior beings. They are people with useful technical knowledge that can help me sort through my health issues.
If a specialist does not meet your expectations, ask for a referral to another one. Do some research on the internet for local health self help groups. Ask around. Remember that one doctor may be good for me, but not suit you. Eventually you'll find someone to help.
One last thing, as a health services consumer you have rights. In a hospital, there is usually a patient advocate or someone in a similar role (different states give them different titles). And most states have a Health Complaints Commission (again, names vary by state) for dealing with serious complaints about incompetent or insensitive health practitioners.
Just remember: there's a reason they call us patients... because that's what we often need to be ;-)
bren
I think many of the doctors and health professionals are good at what they do, but are sometimes terrible at communication skills. Communicating with the patient should be a major part of their final year of studies which THEY MUST PASS!
I have met with doctors who will fail to mention all of the options that are available, and expect the patient to comply with their single solution. I don't think it is necessarily a case of 'can't be bothered' but a case of simplifying their diagnosis in the belief that the patient won't understand the complete answer. If you are not satisfied tell them that you would like a second opinion, and they might go the extra distance for you.