Do you fear Doctors?

[WhitewaterWoman]

LOL! I like to watch. Doesn't change the amount of pain I feel and it is interesting.

Getting cortisone injections in your knees makes most other shots trivial in comparison.

I got cortisone shots in my heel. Oh my God. Had two of them and then went in for a follow up and he said I could have another one, but I declined. I am not sure I could have held my foot still for another one of those.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

It has become insanely difficult to get a lot of drugs in the States because of the opioid crisis. More people die from opiate overdose than from autos or guns. If you are in hospital and suffering major pain, they'll put something in your IV but good luck getting anything serious as a prescription. The same thing applies to muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety meds.

US doctors are now monitored very closely regarding their controlled substances. If the government thinks they are being too slack, their license is at risk. They used to hand the stuff out like candy. I had prescriptions in the past for codeine and Tylenol 3, among other things, but they won't prescribe it for me anymore. I don't push it because I know I'll lose.

I think they are overdoing it, but the policymakers aren't listening to me. It isn't a policy cooked up by doctors but by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Most deaths are due to fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids, and a narrow focus on that might yield some progress. Alas! Governments do not believe in using a scalpel when a sledgehammer is available.

Medical records are computerized. The doctor has them on screen when I see him, but I can access them at home if I like. I've had times when the doc was about to prescribe something, saw on the chart I'd had a bad reaction to it before, and changed it to a different drug. If records aren't computerized and instantly accessible, you don't see the same doctor every time, or if the patient load is high, errors are more common.

Overworked doctors may not have the time to review your complete record, especially if it is very long. (Overworked doctors also tend to be grouchy and looking for the easiest way to get you out of the office. They are human.) In an ideal world, you wouldn't need to, but in the real world, it helps if you keep track of such things as bad drug reactions yourself. So when the doc goes to prescribe XYZ for you, you can say nicely, "Uh, doc, I was prescribed that a year ago and had to drop it because blah blah blah."

My daughter doesn't have HMO coverage, so she's on Medicare. It is difficult to get everything right because doctors are constantly changing, and it is a real PITA to see one. She's always complaining that her records haven't been transferred to whatever provider she was switched to. Doctors will not see you until they have your records. That's a back-office screwup, not the doctor's doing. Until then, you are stuck with urgent care and emergency room doctors.

Covid hasn't been a reason not to see a doctor here for at least a year. When the epidemic was really raging, doctors were overloaded to the point that you didn't get to see one unless you were at death's door. Older nurses and doctors were retiring early because they were overwhelmed with stress and hours. (My wife was one.) Since then, all the medical people I interact with have become curt and hurried to get me thru the office and not prone to having conversations. A much greater emphasis on phone and email visits. It has taken a toll. Post Covid we have fewer medical personnel but still somewhat elevated demand.

Sound like UK medicine has taken a much bigger beating.

Things have lightened up a little bit. There are people with chronic pain who need the opioids for breakthrough pain or flares. These people complained a lot.

My doctor can now, again back to how it was done brefore, fax a prescription for opioids to my pharmacy. When this program was first implemented, she had to write a paper script and I had to hand this to a pharmacist. The first time that happened, the pharmacist refused at first to fill it because she thought the doctor's signature did not match. Oh lordy.

The state still monitors opioid prescriptions. My doctor, with many years of knowing me and she can see how much I am using online now, has no problem writing me a script.

 

[Au Naturel]

This is definitely an issue. I've had chronic pain for years now. Before COVID the doctor was finally starting to try to investigate what was causing it but it all ground to a halt and I was back at square one.

I finally, after a lot of pushing, managed to get an in person appointment and get examined for the first time ever! It was damn painful but I was grateful for that.

My dad was with me as I never go to doctor appointments on my own after previous experiences. He tried to suggest some pain meds (I was going to but hadn't gotten that far, to be honest I had gone a bit mute), but the doctor said "Oh according to NICE guidelines, we don't prescribe anything for chronic pain. We don't even give ibuprofen as some studies suggest it worsens pain over time".

I should qualify for some state assistance due to my mental health and chronic pain etc. But the fun thing is that they say if you aren't on pain meds prescribed by a doctor you don't qualify. So that's a ridiculous catch 22. So I'm now dealing with the stress of sorting that out.

As you say, accessing your medical records is very important. I used to be able to access and print my consultants letters but for some odd reason, they have restricted that function recently, I'm told this is the case for everyone, but I'm suspicious that's not true.

The doctor that refused to prescribe my long term meds claimed that I had no record of a condition that would require them and I had no record of ever being prescribed them.

Of course I tried to appeal to his better judgement. After a few minutes of getting nowhere, he claimed "Ah, oh I see, oh that information has just come through! I can prescribe them now..." Seemed a bit odd but I was happy it seemed to be resolved.

The next time I visited that doctor was after a visit to the hospital (where they had treated me badly, I suspect the doctor had put a warning or alert on my medical file). I started to recount the events and what happened, I mentioned the meds they gave me and he launched into a tirade "I'm NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THAT!".

I replied that I was only telling him what had happened, and that perhaps he should wait until I ask for something before he starts shouting and saying "no". He said "oh I just had to tell you is all, and I can see on your notes what happened at the hospital". I asked him why he didn't mention that earlier. He looked sheepish and was a bit more polite after that.

Bottom line is though, no body ever disputed my diagnosis until he did, and after he did it was like everyone had received the same memo and treated me suspiciously. This was despite it being all over my medical notes!

I absolutely agree they've over corrected with the attitude on pain med prescriptions. The irony here is that I have to resort to OTC meds that contain codeine. I don't think I could become addicted, opiates don't seem to affect me that way. I can go days without taking them, if I really wanted to, much longer. But my quality of life would suffer and I have no wish to punish myself for no reason.

You are lucky. There is no OTC codeine here. Very tightly controlled. You're more likely to get a couple of days worth from a dentist than a doctor. This is a big part of the popularity of CBD and medical marijuana here. Official DEA pain management policy seems to be, "Deal with it!" Some state laws are harsher than others.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508171/
I got into the habit of keeping paperwork from my visits and old prescription bottles back in the days when dinosaurs and paper ruled the Earth. Going digital and having remote access has made a huge difference. It is still a royal pain to get copies of X-rays and scans and such because those aren't available online, and they don't like to print things out. When the doctor has them up, I take a picture of them off the screen with my phone.

I used to take Ibuprofin regularly for knee pain and back pain. Then it started to eat my stomach. Now I'm on meloxicam and Tylenol, which isn't as rough on the stomach - but also doesn't feel as effective.

 

[MildredHubble]

You are lucky. There is no OTC codeine here. Very tightly controlled. You're more likely to get a couple of days worth from a dentist than a doctor. This is a big part of the popularity of CBD and medical marijuana here. Official DEA pain management policy seems to be, "Deal with it!" Some state laws are harsher than others.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508171/
I got into the habit of keeping paperwork from my visits and old prescription bottles back in the days when dinosaurs and paper ruled the Earth. Going digital and having remote access has made a huge difference. It is still a royal pain to get copies of X-rays and scans and such because those aren't available online, and they don't like to print things out. When the doctor has them up, I take a picture of them off the screen with my phone.

I used to take Ibuprofin regularly for knee pain and back pain. Then it started to eat my stomach. Now I'm on meloxicam and Tylenol, which isn't as rough on the stomach - but also doesn't feel as effective.

I actually learned that the UK has quite a generous policy on codeine when I visited Switzerland. You weren't allowed to bring it through security at the airport or it would be confiscated. I did buy some at the airport, so that seemed to make a mockery of the whole thing.

Codeine doesn't massively help, but it kinda dulls the aches, it's the transient pain that is an issue. If I try to move too casually, I can set it off then it's like a series of sharp excruciating pains through whatever I happen to have upset, usually my knee, back or arm and neck, or all of the above.

Right now I'm having to pick through all the medical paperwork I have to send of as medical evidence and it's really setting my back off. I feel so irritated that this happens. I used to be crazy active, I rarely stopped. But now scanning documents is too much.

I have found ibuprofen lysine (spelling?) is actually quite effective, but the problem is it seems to lose its potency, but in combination with paracetamol and codeine I feel almost human for a while.

I tend to not take ibuprofen too often as when I get migraines, it's the only thing that can help. I sometimes resort to taking 3 doses at once if I have been taking it regularly. Obviously I don't recommend anyone do this as it's bad for your stomach as you have pointed out. But when you are in the middle of a migraine, you kinda just want it to stop even if you take a little risk.

 

[Au Naturel]

I have found that the trick to defeating a migraine is to hit it early; the instant you think there's a symptom coming on. Once in a while, you'll treat a migraine that isn't about to happen but the consequence of one going full-blown is horrible. For me, the first sign is always a visible aura in one eye.

Sumatriptan is what the doctor prescribed for my migraines. If that isn't possible, I go with a witch's brew of brewed coffee or an energy drink, Tylenol, Meloxicam, and Dramamine. Then a dark quiet room with ice packs. I can get very cross if someone tries to interfere with this.

Tylenol and Meloxicam are the only pain meds I have available. The Dramamine stops the nausea that kicks in with my migraines. Caffeine can help short-circuit migraines and keeps the Dramamine from putting me to sleep. (If the pain is already bad, sleeping may be your best choice.)

https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/triggers-caffeine

 

[MildredHubble]

I have found that the trick to defeating a migraine is to hit it early; the instant you think there's a symptom coming on. Once in a while, you'll treat a migraine that isn't about to happen but the consequence of one going full-blown is horrible. For me, the first sign is always a visible aura in one eye.

Sumatriptan is what the doctor prescribed for my migraines. If that isn't possible, I go with a witch's brew of brewed coffee or an energy drink, Tylenol, Meloxicam, and Dramamine. Then a dark quiet room with ice packs. I can get very cross if someone tries to interfere with this.

Tylenol and Meloxicam are the only pain meds I have available. The Dramamine stops the nausea that kicks in with my migraines. Caffeine can help short-circuit migraines and keeps the Dramamine from putting me to sleep. (If the pain is already bad, sleeping may be your best choice.)

https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/triggers-caffeine

I always get told off by doctors for having a strong cup of coffee at the onset of a migraine. But it can work, if I hit it early with paracetamol and codeine and some fast acting ibuprofen washed down with some coffee and a good lie down I have perhaps an 80% chance of being spared the pain.

The wonky perceptions though aren't so easy to get rid of. I definitely get sensory overload that affects my vision and hearing. Smell too sometimes. I get quite dizzy and feel a bit like a zombi.

There has been some research that suggests migraines might actually be some for of seizure, perhaps a mild form of epilepsy. I think I read that in New Scientist almost a lifetime ago.

The sudden onset migraine with aura I don't seem to be able to do much about sadly. I seem to be getting clusters of them at the moment, it always seems to be when the weather warms up

 

[Au Naturel]

I always get told off by doctors for having a strong cup of coffee at the onset of a migraine. But it can work, if I hit it early with paracetamol and codeine and some fast acting ibuprofen washed down with some coffee and a good lie down I have perhaps an 80% chance of being spared the pain.

The wonky perceptions though aren't so easy to get rid of. I definitely get sensory overload that affects my vision and hearing. Smell too sometimes. I get quite dizzy and feel a bit like a zombi.

There has been some research that suggests migraines might actually be some for of seizure, perhaps a mild form of epilepsy. I think I read that in New Scientist almost a lifetime ago.

The sudden onset migraine with aura I don't seem to be able to do much about sadly. I seem to be getting clusters of them at the moment, it always seems to be when the weather warms up

Ask them about Sumatriptan. It does wonders for me. I feel a tiny bit drunk from it, but otherwise am fully functional.

Why would they tell you off? Almost every over-the-counter migraine med out there contains a coffee's worth of caffeine mixed with one or more other pain meds. My own doctor recommends it. Even the Mayo Clinic suggests sipping a caffeinated drink. Maybe they are afraid you'll overdo it.

I'm glad I don't know your doctors.

According to our National Institute of Health, "The exact cause of migraines is unknown, but they're thought to be the result of abnormal brain activity temporarily affecting nerve signals, chemicals and blood vessels in the brain." Caffeine causes dilated blood vessels to contract. The visible aura is probably a dilated blood vessel impinging on the optic nerve.

Paracetamol is what I'm calling Tylenol, AKA Acetaminophen.

 

[MildredHubble]

I'm glad I don't know your doctors.

To be honest, for the most part, I wish I didn't know them either. They've literally put my life at risk countless times!

I'm still wading through my medical notes and it's abysmal! So many examples of incorrect accounts, terrible spelling and pure nonsense. I have to get it all sent off today if I can.

It's been rather distressing to see so many inaccuracies. I suspect it's partially due to the limited time they have to write things down but jeeze! No wonder I have a hard time when they literally fill my records with half baked accounts that look contradictory. They get everything jumbled up, old stuff recorded as new stuff.

Thankfully every once in a while there's an accurate account of my history so it's hard for them to dispute that I've been accurate and consistent for decades now.

Of course it's never their fault, and whatever half arsed junk is on my files is apparently the truth despite it being easily refutable. They behave like spoilt brats when it can't be denied they messed up. Their response is essentially "Awwww maaaan be cool c'mon, stop being sooooo pedantic when we are trying to discredit you! Just chill..."

Sorry, I'm getting into a bit of a rant but I'm in a lot of pain and at my wit's end!

 

[AspieChris]

Pain sucks. The human body wasn’t designed to hurt all of the time. I have 20 screws in my spine and permanent nerve damage in my spinal cord, so I’m speaking from experience.

I found Kratom a few years ago and it changed my life. It got me off oxycodone (tons of oxy). Today I take Lyrica and Kratom. Kratom is for my general aches and pains. Lyrica for the nerve pain. And I finally don’t miss my oxy. It took me about a year to get past the physical withdrawals, and another year for my brain to finish recovering. The prescription opioids actually created pain everywhere in my body, just so that I needed a pill to stop it for a short time.

 

[Au Naturel]

Ok. I just found something far more painful than cortisone shots.

The orthopedics guy suggested I try a new treatment called Plasma Rich Platelet (PRP) injections.

First they suck 100 CC of blood out of you. Literally. They insert a tube into your vein, then attach it to a 60CC syringe and slowly pull. (There's already 10 CC of anticoagulant in it.) The doctor who did this botched it and left me with a nickel-sized lump on the inside of my elbow that really hurt. The lump is smaller and less painful three days later, but the bruise is now about two inches across. When the first syringe is full, they attach a second one and repeat the process.

The result is spun in a centrifuge, so the remaining ingredients are the liquid plasma and platelet cells. Now comes the painful part.

They inject the material into the knee using the same giant syringe and a large bore needle: much bigger needle and far more volume than my cortisone shots. I'm used to pain, but I can see how this would be a non-starter for some people. The only anesthetic was some cold stuff sprayed on my skin. I asked why they didn't include a bit of lidocaine and the only reply I got was that they weren't allowed to. (!!!) Instead of explaining things, they handed me a printout and told me to read it. Slap on a couple of bandaids, and they were done and gone.

This is modern assembly-line medicine where procedures are done as quickly as possible, reducing the number of staff needing to be hired. That is what state-run healthcare (Medicare, for me) tends to provide. Time is money.

I wasn't done. My knees were inflated like balloons. I stood up and almost fell over. Tried to walk, got ten feet, and went back. Waited in the exam room for 20 minutes until I'd got enough flex back in my knees to walk to my car. Both knees hurt like heck.

I was supposed to rest a day and not do anything vigorous for a week. For two weeks, no hot or cold packs, hot baths, knee supports, vitamin supplements, or anti-inflammatories. (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Meloxicam, ect.) Tylenol only and no, they won't give me a prescription for a day's codeine.

Sometime in the next several weeks, I should know if it worked. If not, I'm going back to cortisone.

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/platelet-rich-plasma-injections

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

In this video content I ask a question about whether if it's common for some autistic individuals do fear seeing Doctors.

Really in this video I only primarily explain how I had a painful foot wart that I self treated and my foot in the end got infected with ulcers. I even explain how I once knew this man in his 70's who was autistic, never went see any Doctors to have health checks, then died from not being diagnosed with diabetes.

If you don't watch or you don't like watching any of my videos, only one question to POP! DO YOU FEAR DOCTORS?

Yes because doctors have hurt me and nurses and did medical negligence that they should be in jail for.
I fear them because I have been put in vulnerable evil systems where I could not understand or advocate for myself.
I fear them because they are often arrogant, think they are right and do not listen or take on board what you think.
They just think I am a mentally ill hypochondriac which is not true.
And they get away with it for a long time and continue to abuse others without justice and seem to have some excuse like they are overworked.
Which is really evil when you have to live in hyper vigilance of them each day knocking on ur door again and are a vulnerable person who is terrified of them.
And just wants to go somewhere safe where you never have to worry or think about them again.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I don't have a fear of doctors but I've met very few that I have any respect for. With more than half of them I wonder to myself if they got their PhD in a legitimate manner. Some of them were so incompetent that I asked them outright.

I have met a few truly brilliant doctors, so I do know the difference. The good ones are quite rare though.

So mostly I don't go to doctors simply because 9 times out of 10 it's a complete waste of time.

100%

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I'm wary of the doctors, but afraid of the head nurse here, and of the administration. I caught that nurse making a mistake, so she got busy making me look like the problem.

I am sorry for you and hope you feel comfort.
You are loved

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Not afraid of doctors, but rarely have the need. I investigate my own condition and reasonable courses of action. If I need drugs or a procedure, I go to the doctor.

A few months ago I diagnosed myself with chronic pancreatitis. I’ve made significant improvement with diet, but I’m still not healthy. I just gave myself a date certain; without significant improvement by then, I’ll go submit to the initial scans.

Just my observation, but we’ve been taught that doctors are the go-to medical solution. As punishment for believing that, we have weeks to wait for a visit with a doctor who only has time for a cookie cutter diagnosis and treatment plan. Or, there’s the emergency room. Don’t get me started.

If I wind up seeing a doctor for my pancreatitis, I’ll be given from one to three scans to confirm what I already know. Given my symptom set, they’ll want to determine whether the pancreatitis is caused by gallstones. If it’s not gallstones, they’ll give me drugs. If it is, I’ll need to be driven to have my gallbladder removed, but barring complications I’ll be home that night. But, whatever happens, every time I see a doctor, for the rest of my life, they are going to insist on another battery of tests. If drugs are working for me, I’ll have to submit to their cash cow lab tests… or they’ll threaten to withhold the drugs.

It’s also possible that I have pancreatic cancer. I have no intention of battling that killer, so waiting for a diagnosis doesn’t really change anything. A few years ago, the last thing I did for my lifelong wife was to serve as her primary caregiver until she passed of multiple organ failure. I’m not confused about the issues at hand.

Neither was my wife. As a hospital lab tech and phlebotomist, she watched many people die of cancer, including our friends. That’s why she chose not to give herself over to the doctors.

They gave her 12 months, 18 max, if she refused the big three (rad mastectomy, chemo, radiation). With all three, she stood roughly a 20% chance of surviving 5 years. She refused all three, radically altering her diet and lifestyle, and lived almost 9 more years. For 8 1/2 of those years, she led a full and happy life.

Had she submitted to the treatments, however much time she had doubtless would have been in and out of the hospital and with seriously compromised immunity, nausea, vomiting, weakness, etc. That would have been because every doctor she saw insisted it was the only way.

I’m not suggesting others follow the same course, but we had good family health for decades with only rare trips to the doctor.

I’m not afraid of doctors. I’m afraid of what can happen when we treat them as a special species. I’ve had a number of friends that are medical professionals; they’re just people hoping to keep their jobs.

Sorry about your wife.
You are right. That sounds like a good way to go because lots of doctors prescribe chemicals and poisonous treatments and a lot of natural medicines and a good diet helps a lot more and peace and compassion.
If you are going to die then one day you'll die, no chemical will heal you.
Cancer is very aggressive
I think autistics would be quite sensitive to harsh chemicals and treatment and get really sick anyway.
And it is good when you can die with dignity and choice.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

More than fear, i sort of have bad sentiments for some of them, see, i had a 'crisis' and the good pshych gave me benzos, the strongest ones, like clonazepam, those you can take maybe 1 week no more, i was years with it, when i realized it was affecting me badly, it was hell to get off of them, i think i still have consequences in my brain because of that. Some phychiatrists give them like candy, seeing it now i feel stupid for not knowing better.

You are right, they make it worse not better.
They have bad side effects and no one should have to ingest that garbage.
What helps even with mood disorders is natural remedies and a healthy lifestyle.
I used to get voices but I do not anymore because I eat fairly healthy and try to actually just be a healthier person in my thinking and habits.
What also helps is meditation and healthy mindsets like positive thinking and self compassion and gentleness.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Not really “afraid” of doctors, but tired of them being condescending and acting like I’m wasting their time when there actually is a serious issue going on with me.

Also tired of them using the BMI system which they’re finding more and more evidence isn’t entirely accurate.
I’m in better shape than a lot of people who weigh less than me.

Yes BMI is so screwed.
People always think that people should fit a small gap of weight
But some people have bigger bones and muscle weighs more than fat.
Hope u get to the bottom of ur health issues, autistics can be more prone to health issues and conditions.

 

[Slime_Punk]

I sort of lost all hope in doctors a few years ago when everyone I saw told me there was nothing wrong with me, and kept sending me home as I got sicker and sicker over the course of an entire year. Had I listened to them and followed their advice, I could've actually died, because it turned out to be a life-threatening emergency.

From now on, if something bad happens, I'm either going straight to the hospital or the grave. I'll gladly skip the middleman. All they ever seem to do is speculate about issues and dismiss every word you say.

The worst part is that in my area, these types of stories are all-too-common.

 

[AspieChris]

Yes BMI is so screwed

According to the BMI chart, every professional bodybuilder on stage in the Mr Olympia competition, every year since it started, is morbidly obese. It’s the most ridiculous garbage.

 

[tripleU]

My mom said to a dentist, that I am autistic, and they have been delaying it since. She saw that I move my tongue too much, while she or they were touching my teeth. Is this reaction a real part of autism?

 

[AspieChris]

My mom said to a dentist, that I am autistic, and they have been delaying it since. She saw that I move my tongue too much, while she or they were touching my teeth. Is this reaction a real part of autism?

Yes it is. Stress causes all sorts of things that are uncontrollable. I hate the dentist, so I stopped going 20 years ago.