General Medical issues thread

[Pushka]

To weed out the fruitcakes..The unfortunate downside of being recommended by lots of people.

Yes. A lot of truth in that too. Conversely was able to get into the first Rheumatologist within a week. That too should have sounded warning bells.

 

[JohnK]

To weed out the fruitcakes..The unfortunate downside of being recommended by lots of people.

I feel it should be the other way around. Saw a rheumatologist in Burwood once. Total waste of time but then my inflammatory markers were not that clear.

That's one of the hardest things when suffering is the ability to prove you are suffering.

 

[Quickstatus]

Rheumatologists see some strange and weird presentations (what people come in with). And sometimes there is nothing that can be done (Fruitloop or otherwise)

Don't forget that no doctor knows everything. And there is no such thing as the "best". Beware the one that says your problem can be fixed when no one else can...

 

[drron]

Ah.The only one who can fix you doc.unfortunately too frequently found.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes. A lot of truth in that too. Conversely was able to get into the first Rheumatologist within a week. That too should have sounded warning bells.

I have a male gyno colleague. He was very happy when a female gyno started next door. He reckons all the fruitloops are now going to the female gyno and he just deals with people with real problems even though the total number of patients he gets are reduced.
And the female gyno (also a colleague of mine) complains that she sees "all the fruitloops" - her words.

Mind you the vast majority of patients have real problems whether treatable or not. They are not the fruitloops.

 

[love_the_life]

Ah.The only one who can fix you doc.unfortunately too frequently found.

Yes, friend of MrLtL was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer metastasised to liver, gungho surgeon in Sydney removed most of the bowel within the first couple of weeks of the diagnosis. Gave them the speil about beating the odds etc. Giving this chap a colostomy was the worst thing imaginable for him. After about 8 months he had the op reversed and was much happier in himself. As well he had round after round of different chemo which made him really ill and he had to stop several times after having bad reactions. Because they had rushed into treatment they never really thought about what the options were and what the future would be lke. As it was he died 18 months later and of that time, maybe only 2 months in the middle were what I would call quality life.
These things are never straight forward or easy and I suspect that they were desperate to accept the idea that he could be cured.

 

[Quickstatus]

Sometimes the best treatment is to be conservative. "First do no harm...."

Is it better to be a hemiplegic with your half your brain removed and living longer or have a shorter but better quality of life?
Remember a doctor who recommends conservative management is often reducing his potential income.

I have a lot of respect for patients who decide to go down a non invasive treatment/non treatment route.

 

[JohnK]

life with auto-immune is tough

I am sure that is the case for most folks with chronic illness… but it's a whole lot better than the other option…..

Some days I disagree.

But until we know the other option of what's on the other side we cannot make a comparison. Could well be a one-way portal to paradise. Utopia.

 

[Quickstatus]

I reckon chronic disease is a really bad set of cards because you live long but quality is often poor. Whereas an acute fatal illness means you life is cut short but up till that life’s good and maybe decadent (which maybe led to fatal illness)

Spock said “live long AND prosper”. No point the former without the latter

 

[suze2000]

I got told late last year that I was a lot sicker than I think I am. I don't really accept that, but do recognise that having a chronic illness is not a walk in the park. And it can be expensive.

 

[cove]

At least the fiscal fiend thinks we are prospering based on the quarterly bills they send us.

 

[JohnK]

Spock said “live long AND prosper”. No point the former without the latter

Don't let that get in the way. Learn to tolerate pain and carry on. Patiently waiting for next under par round.

 

[JohnK]

Any results yet? It sounds like you need a really good rheumatologist to handle your immune disease. Way out of the realm of a GP usually and it can take time finding the best rheumi who will see the whole picture. And it probably won’t be a bulk biller.

Echocardiogram results normal.

Yes I do have a heart....

 

[drron]

As I often say to a patient after a normal brain scan-yes you have a normal brain but we haven't proved you use it yet.

 

[VPS]

Not sure if this should be here in the humour thread. Patient came in to have blood taken and told the nurse that the doctor told her she was unusual because she only had one neuron The nurse had a lot of difficulty containing herself but that was used in our tea room quite a lot after that.

 

[drron]

That's an old one.Heard that as a JRMO back in 1970.

 

[Pushka]

Not sure if this should be here in the humour thread. Patient came in to have blood taken and told the nurse that the doctor told her she was unusual because she only had one neuron The nurse had a lot of difficulty containing herself but that was used in our tea room quite a lot after that.

I can’t even think what she was thinking of? Or maybe the Doctor actually said that!

 

[tgh]

I can’t even think what she was thinking of? Or maybe the Doctor actually said that!

Perhaps she has some challenges with thinking and the doctor was providing a gratuitous character
assessment

 

[VPS]

The doctor did say that. She was an absolute PITA and he was probably just fed up with her. Hope she never repeated it to someone who knew what the doctor meant

 

[Pushka]

The doctor did say that. She was an absolute PITA and he was probably just fed up with her. Hope she never repeated it to someone who knew what the doctor meant

Well the phlebotomist did! That’s a big word. Did I spell it right. It’s too hot to check. Even the cats are behaving like limp oil blots. Edit. Which makes no sense either.