Beauty

[ellaphant]

Thank goodness this was not life or death, but I'm still ticked.

Last June I began seeing a 'TOP' dermatoligist for red and dry patches around and below my nose and on my chin. Dr said it was Rosacea. Waaa? I couldn't belive it but she said yes it was and I left w a antibiotic cream. The patches went away and then reappeared in August, saw the DR, same diagnosis. Getting a bit worse, saw her again in September, in October she put me on oral antibiotics along with the cream. Afe 3 weeks it was WORSE. Went back and DR said, '"I'm now going to treat this as Facial Sebborhaic Dermatitis"

Now, I am on a cortisone cream and it is clearing up. I have a high deductable and high co-pays and seeing her 4 times has cost me a bit of money. I owe her $178 which my insurance would not cover. I do not feel I should pay this due to 5 month of a misdiagnosis AND walking around with a highly inflammed and flaky face for the last 2 months - not to mention taking a 3 week course of antibiotics I didn't even need! Your thoughts please.

THANKS.

[maestra]

Rosacea, since it is a medical condition, is covered (at least by mine) by insurance. I was diagnosed 5 years ago and it is common to have to return to the derm as you experience flare ups. You should keep a diary of what may be triggering your rosacea (mine is very cold weather and treatment products )-and use only 1 new product for 2 weeks at a time.

It doesnt sound like a misdiagnosis, but an evolving ort multiple diagnosis. Let your derm's office know about lack of insurance; many office also give trial samples of creams.

Good luck.

[Kachina624]

Medicine is not an exact science.  It often involves a lot of trial and error until a firm diagnosis can be found.  Dermatology seems more inexact than many specialties.  Many people get non-descript rashes the source of which is never identified.  It still takes the physician's time, effort and expertise to try to treat it.

Yes, you owe the fees you were assessed for treatment, Would you be so upset at this charge if you had insurance that paid it?

[Scooby Doo]

I agree that medicine is not an exact science.  That's why they say they "practice" medicine.  They try different solutions until they get it right.

I've had several incorrect diagnoses myself.  One doctor told me I have fibro and another said I didn't.  One doctor treated me for a bladder infection when it was actually a hernia and my bowel was pinched.  It depends a lot on which diagnosis you want to accept also.  There's lots of lawsuits filed against doctors for misdiagnosing patients.

[TuesdayTaylor]

Aww, I'm sorry Ellaphant, that's terrible that you've been dealing with this for so long.  I really hope that the latest meds you're on will be the ticket.  Unfortunately, I think you're stuck paying for the months of trial and error.  I've been in the same situation with my dermatologist for eczema/skin irritation and it stinks.  I just wanted to mention that sometimes the red flares around the nose and in the crease of the chin is actually a type of yeast infection.  I'm sure your latest meds will continue to work for you, but just in case they don't, maybe google yeast infections on the face and it might be helpful.  Sending you a hug!     

[ladyroxanne]

i'm not a doctor of course, but is rosacea similar looking to the dermatitis?  are the symptoms similar?  any which way, the doctor has changed her diagnosis and the important thing is that she find the right one.  i'm sorry this happened, but you only have your insurance not covering it to blame.  get better soon!

[taginsc2016]

Hey Ellaphant. Welcome to the world of medicine. This has happened to me alot. I have 5 ppl in my family & more often than not, the Dr's are wrong. It's all trial & error. And unfortunetly, it's at your expense!!

 If we have a problem, I research it & then if need be go to Dr. I walk into the Dr armed w/info,symtoms etc. If they don't come to the same conclussion as I, I start asking why 

& discuss it w/the Dr. I know more about my own body then a Dr. I still may leave the office w/a multitude of meds.

 Just read up a lil before going. That way you don't go in blind.

[Constance2]

I sympathize with you Ellaphant for I've had many misdiagnoses over the course of a lifetime.  One dermatologist said the rash on my forehead could be anything, since it only appeared after having an operation at a hospital.  She prescribed a cream that thankfully I only took a time or two.  It didn't work, anyway, but shortly afterwards, the cream was pulled off the market because it was causing cancer instead of helping people.  One local woman was prescribed the cream for a blemish on her breast and got cancer at that spot.  

For this reason, and many others,  I AVOID doctors as much as possible.  You have to be your own doctor and do lots of research before accepting any diagnosis.  It's always best to get a second opinion.  Many doctors are just guessing and are truly "practicing" medicine.  I think you'll just have to bite the bullet and pay the dang bill, even though the doctor you saw doesn't deserve the money.  

BTW, the rash on my forehead later spread to my face and I diagnosed it myself after several years--it was caused by MSG and preservatives in the food i was eating.

[60sgirl]

Dear OP,

Ever look up symptoms on the net on sites such as WebMD? If so, you would find that many, many symptoms apply to a multitude of diseases and diagnoses. A rash can look like several things and doctors often start out by what is the most common thing and try medicine for that and then work their way up to other things if that wasn't it. Do you see how insurance companies can pay for thousands and thousands of bills on tests, treatments and so on until a final diagnosis is made?

You weren't misdiagnosed. You were seen and treated for a likely condition that did not improve over time therefore the next thing for any doctor to do is treat the symptoms for some other ailment and see if that works.

You got treated by a physician, not just brushed off. You owe the money. 

[suzyQ3]

I basically respect, admire, and trust most physicians. But of course, they are human.

And also, there are many cons to researching your own symptoms online. Unless you are very welll-versed in the medical field and scientific research, chances are that you will be inundated with information that is often incorrect, misleading, and downright scary. What was your headache just became brain cancer -- all through googling.

I do use the Internet for basic things related to medical stuff, but I have found that my physicians are the best source; e.g., I developed an odd bump on my pinky finger, researched it online and was 100 percent sure of MY diagnosis. Guess what? The specialist kindly told me that it was something else altogether. He was very kind and patient to me when he gave me the correct info. I think doctors are getting very used to know-it-all patients armed with their own diagnoses.