Doctor with unsatisfactory service - Page 3

Still Raining · ‎03-30-2014

@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
To those of you who have scolded me: you're right. IF this ever happens again I'll get my toochas to the nearest ER. I'm in my 70's and should know better.

Just do NOT drive yourself please. The mother of a friend did that one night, boy was she scolded.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

@PuppyLoverBob666

I am relieved to see you are still with us and able to post a response to our concerned posts.

IF what you experienced WAS an MI, you now have some degree of damage to your heart muscle. This is permanent damage that will never heal/regenerate healthy tissue. Your body will attempt to continue blood flow around that damaged artery by forming offset blood vessels to keep your heart functioning.

I strongly urge you to please not consider this episode over. You must mention this to your doctor and let him or her decide on any follow up action.

My husband survived this type of heart attack at 47 years old. He was actually under a doctors care, had 2 office visits, EKG's and blood work. When he wasn't feeling better after a weekend of rest, he saw the doctor again on Monday, and that 3rd EKG showed significant changes in heart rhythm to confirm he did indeed have an MI. Treatment was done after the fact, but it doesn't change the fact he has 30% damage to his heart.

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

While you should have gone to the ER, that doesn't exempt your doctor's disinterest in your welfare.

You should have been told to go to the ER.

Find another doctor, ASAP.

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@PuppyLoverBob666 Pain in your jaw and the feeling of a rock on your chest are both symptoms of a heart attack. I have not had a chance to see the other responses, but this might require a trip to the ER or, and a call back to the office and you giving those symptoms to whoever answers, telling them to please relay those symptoms to your doctor immediately. Chances are, any doctor or medically trained professional will know this and not want you to wait.

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@Foxxee This is due to a communication problem. The OP needed to specifically mention the symptoms. She could have asked the person taking her call to relay the symptoms to the RN, the PA or the doctor. Someone would have told her that these are highly serious symptoms and an ER visit was necessary and for her to summon 911. As patients, we often have to learn exactly what to say to get the help we need. I strongly feel that doctors' offices could easily train phone staff to quickly distinguish the few symptoms of major emergencies and have the clerical staff immediately let a trained staff member know about a call which includes those symptoms. The clerk could be trained to advise the patent to call emergency services if one of the medically trained staff could not take the call and advise. It's not as if the offices are swamped with patients' calls with heart attacks, strokes, anaphylaxis, spurting blood or extreme loss of blood or inability to breathe every time they get a call. Most calls are for things that can wait. If in doubt, any patient can call 911. Their operators are trained and will summon paramedics.

bellarosa1 · ‎06-21-2015

Honestly, you really should have gone to the ER. The ER staff could have assessed you and the sequence of events which maybe you can help with. Which happened first? Why are you falling? Did you have the chest pain, felt light headed and fell? Did you lose your balance? If the chest ightness, jaw pain etc, happen after you fell down the flight of stairs, it could be a chest contusion or broken ribs, etc, etc.and not necesarily cardiac in nature but equally important. Did you hit your head? Again, you really need to assessed as why this is happening. Are you falling from something neurological or lower extremity weakness?

When you call a doctor's office, they have scheduled patients and will get back to you as soon as they can....sometimes it's later after office hours. Yes, you should have been told if it was an emergency to go to the ER.

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

@Mindy D wrote:
@Foxxee This is due to a communication problem. The OP needed to specifically mention the symptoms. She could have asked the person taking her call to relay the symptoms to the RN, the PA or the doctor. Someone would have told her that these are highly serious symptoms and an ER visit was necessary and for her to summon 911. As patents, we have often to learn exactly what to say to get the help we need. I strongly feel that doctors offices could easily train phone stars to quickly distinguish the few symptoms of major emergencies and have the clerical staff immediately let a trained staff member know about a call which includes those symptoms. The clerk could be trained to advise the patent to call emergency services if one of the medically trained staff could take the call and advise. It's not as if the offices are swamped with patients calls with heart attacks, strokes, anaphylaxis, spurting blood or extreme loss of blood or inability to breathe every time they get a call. Most calls are for things that can wait. If in doubt, any patient can call 911. Their operators are trained and will summon paramedics.

@Mindy D

The OP said,

"I called my doctor today about some troublesome symptoms I've had latey."

Sounds to me like she did articulate her symptoms to her doctor's office.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

One thing I have come to realize. In this day and age, identify a good emergency clinic. Hopefully it is one affiliated with your personal physician.

It is almost impossible to get in to see a doctor without an appointment in this day and age. So if you need immediate care or consulation, ask to see the doctor's PA, or go to the emergency clinic and the will assess whether or not you need to go to the ER. It's a lot quicker than going to the ER unless you are in crisis.

annie-g · ‎04-20-2011

I got a paper cut scratch from a sharp raccoon claw last week. Very small and did not bleed on fingertip. Trying to keep trap secured and he swiped out little hand and got me. Did not think much of it until spouse killed raccoon. Wrong! Next day I made a beeline to Dr. Saw a PA and they looked at me like I was crazy. Left it up to me to get rabies vaccine, called health Dept, not much help. Not many game wardens in Alabama to pick up animal. Finally called state lab for info, on testing animal, too late now but he said he had never seen rabies from a paper cut type scratch. Mostly animal bites. Made me feel better and I have not gotten vaccine. Pretty sure animal was healthy, as he had been coming thru cat door and eating expensive Iams cat food at night. All this mental stress, and as a retired nurse, the medical profession was of no help. Yes, the ER was the way to go, but who wants to wait for hours.

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@Foxxee @

@Foxxee wrote:
@Mindy D wrote:
@Foxxee This is due to a communication problem. The OP needed to specifically mention the symptoms. She could have asked the person taking her call to relay the symptoms to the RN, the PA or the doctor. Someone would have told her that these are highly serious symptoms and an ER visit was necessary and for her to summon 911. As patents, we have often to learn exactly what to say to get the help we need. I strongly feel that doctors offices could easily train phone stars to quickly distinguish the few symptoms of major emergencies and have the clerical staff immediately let a trained staff member know about a call which includes those symptoms. The clerk could be trained to advise the patent to call emergency services if one of the medically trained staff could take the call and advise. It's not as if the offices are swamped with patients calls with heart attacks, strokes, anaphylaxis, spurting blood or extreme loss of blood or inability to breathe every time they get a call. Most calls are for things that can wait. If in doubt, any patient can call 911. Their operators are trained and will summon paramedics.

@Mindy D

The OP said,

"I called my doctor today about some troublesome symptoms I've had latey."

Sounds to me like she did articulate her symptoms to her doctor's office.

@Foxxee I only read the words "about some troublesome symptoms." The problem here is we don't exactly what she said to the person that answered and the words "troublesome symptoms" can be describing symptoms that are not life threatening or are too dangerous to wait for a call back. A single half day of constipation can mean troubling symptoms to a caller.

If in doubt as to the seriousness of a medical problem, and the person can't reach a doctor, a person can call 911. They will usually know whether to send an ambulance or to recommend the person be driven for ER or urgent care treatment. If a person called with the feeling of a rock on their chest and jaw pain the 911 operator would have dispatched help, or questioned just a bit more before dispatching help. They know exactly which questions to ask callers.