Wellness

[CatLoverDogsToo]

@Trinity11  You should be taking a statin, as should many people. My gripe with my doctor is he comes in the room hasn't talked to me or looked at labs, or blood sugar results and will decide I need a medication. On one visit, he decided to double my Levemir dose, without looking at a recent A1C. He didn't look at my meter results either. If I had doubled my Levemir dose, I wouldn't by typing this, I'd be dead. He wants to increase my insulin units all the time for no apparent reason. I can't ask him because he flies in the room and three minutes later he flies out. I am not exaggerating on the three minutes either. Of those minutes, he is typing on the laptop. (I hope he isn't playing candy crush...LOL). Same thing with the Lisinopril and the statin. I don't know whether he has me mixed up with someone else or he is incompetent. That is why I just go to the office to get insulin prescriptions, and do my "own thing". Right now, he is ignoring my thyroid. My TSH is 9.3 and climbing. Nothing is being done yet. I would take a medication for that, because there is definitely a problem. He keeps canceling appointments because he is out of the office. For the visit coming up, I made an appointment with the Physician's Assistant. Hopefully they will actually let me see her and she will be more "competent". I'd love to change doctors, but without insurance, most offices won't see a diabetic and I don't blame them.

[Lipstickdiva]

My DH is on Lipitor but right now I am getting it every 30 days so we won't be involved in the recall.

As an aside, of course doctors get aggravated when a patient doesn't want to take a prescribed medication.  For one thing, that is a discussion one should be having with their physician.  If you are going to arbitrarily decide on your own not to take what he has prescribed, why are you going to that doctor?  Obviously there is a lack of trust. 

If a patient ends up in a bad situation over medication, who is the one that is going to get blamed?  More than likely the doctor.    

[Trinity11]

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@CatLoverDogsToo wrote:

@Trinity11  You should be taking a statin, as should many people. My gripe with my doctor is he comes in the room hasn't talked to me or looked at labs, or blood sugar results and will decide I need a medication. On one visit, he decided to double my Levemir dose, without looking at a recent A1C. He didn't look at my meter results either. If I had doubled my Levemir dose, I wouldn't by typing this, I'd be dead. He wants to increase my insulin units all the time for no apparent reason. I can't ask him because he flies in the room and three minutes later he flies out. I am not exaggerating on the three minutes either. Of those minutes, he is typing on the laptop. (I hope he isn't playing candy crush...LOL). Same thing with the Lisinopril and the statin. I don't know whether he has me mixed up with someone else or he is incompetent. That is why I just go to the office to get insulin prescriptions, and do my "own thing". Right now, he is ignoring my thyroid. My TSH is 9.3 and climbing. Nothing is being done yet. I would take a medication for that, because there is definitely a problem. He keeps canceling appointments because he is out of the office. For the visit coming up, I made an appointment with the Physician's Assistant. Hopefully they will actually let me see her and she will be more "competent". I'd love to change doctors, but without insurance, most offices won't see a diabetic and I don't blame them.

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@CatLoverDogsToo..my heart goes out to you. It must be very difficult not having insurance. I find a lot of diabetes care rests on the patient. The medications keep us alive but a lot of doctors today seem to be very busy and have little time to discuss anything. 

Tomorrow I am seeing the diabetes educator...she can get clearance from my doctor to send in my prescriptions. Even with excellent insurance, my doctor is booked solid for months. Appointments are hard to get with the popular doctors. Today I went to an emergency medical facility for a kidney infection...my urologist is on vacation. I am thankful they make it possible to get emergency care without having to go to the ER.. 

[LilacTree]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

@Trinity11

I'm sorry Trinity.  I didn't say high cholesterol was not a factor at all . . . I said it is not necessarily the cause of many heart attacks.  If you have already had a heart attack and it was caused by high cholesterol, then certainly it is an important drug for you to take.

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@LilacTree, it may not be the complete cause but it is a contributing factor.

Hope you are doing well and had a nice holiday...

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@Trinity11

And back to you Trinity. 

[hckynut]

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@CatLoverDogsToo wrote:

@Trinity11  You should be taking a statin, as should many people. My gripe with my doctor is he comes in the room hasn't talked to me or looked at labs, or blood sugar results and will decide I need a medication. On one visit, he decided to double my Levemir dose, without looking at a recent A1C. He didn't look at my meter results either. If I had doubled my Levemir dose, I wouldn't by typing this, I'd be dead. He wants to increase my insulin units all the time for no apparent reason.

I can't ask him because he flies in the room and three minutes later he flies out. I am not exaggerating on the three minutes either. Of those minutes, he is typing on the laptop. (I hope he isn't playing candy crush...LOL). Same thing with the Lisinopril and the statin. I don't know whether he has me mixed up with someone else or he is incompetent.

That is why I just go to the office to get insulin prescriptions, and do my "own thing". Right now, he is ignoring my thyroid. My TSH is 9.3 and climbing. Nothing is being done yet. I would take a medication for that, because there is definitely a problem. He keeps canceling appointments because he is out of the office. For the visit coming up, I made an appointment with the Physician's Assistant.

Hopefully they will actually let me see her and she will be more "competent". I'd love to change doctors, but without insurance, most offices won't see a diabetic and I don't blame them.

[BalletBabe]

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@CatLoverDogsToo wrote:

@LilacTree @BalletBabe  I was prescribed Lisinopril for high blood pressure which I don't have. My pressure is up when in the doctor's office for 2 reasons: They take it as soon as I sit down and they take it over sleeves, which is really not the correct way to do so. . My blood pressure is never elevated when I am at home or at the pharmacy. I believe I have "white coat" high blood pressure. The side effects of Lisinopril make me unwilling to take it. I have asthma and anything that would cause a persistent cough would cause me to have asthma attacks. The other thing they prescribed is a statin. I have no desire to take that either, and have not filled either prescriptions.

You are so right, they get aggravated when we don't want to take something. If there is a really good reason, I'd take it, but not "just because" it might be a good idea.

.

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@CatLoverDogsToo   They are getting so pushy.  I was talking to my pharmasist who said a lot of medicare patients are filling their rx's and throwing them away when they get home.   It seems as if you are prescribed a med like a statin and you don't fill it, they are supposed to fill it and call you to pick it up.   I told her DON'T FILL ANYTHING THAT I DON'T CALL IN.   If I say I have side effects it seems it goes in one ear and out the other.  I am supposed to tolerate it.  NOT GONG TO HAPPEN.

[sktchy]

@CatLoverDogsToo Thanks for taking time to post this important information.  I was at my Transplant Dr on March 28th and they requested I do a urine test for bacteria.  

I also complained about some serious thigh pain and they advise I stop the altorvastin for 2 weeks to see if the pain stops - and it has.  

Again - THANK YOU

[BalletBabe]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

My DH is on Lipitor but right now I am getting it every 30 days so we won't be involved in the recall.

As an aside, of course doctors get aggravated when a patient doesn't want to take a prescribed medication.  For one thing, that is a discussion one should be having with their physician.  If you are going to arbitrarily decide on your own not to take what he has prescribed, why are you going to that doctor?  Obviously there is a lack of trust. 

If a patient ends up in a bad situation over medication, who is the one that is going to get blamed?  More than likely the doctor.    

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@LipstickdivaThe problem is I don't trust any Dr's.   I worked for them, so I have a different attitude towards them.  Sometimes we have to say NO.  I believe we know our bodies more then they do.  When you tell a Dr you are having really bad side effects,and he tells you to keep taking it, thats not right. 

Example:  I was seeing another Dr 7 years ago.  I switched to the one I see now.  I told him I had a bad reaction to phenumonia vaccine.   He said that was a reaction.  Suddenly he don't think that was important.  My arm swelled so bad I could not lift it high enough to shave.  I never get sick.  I hven't seen a Dr for anything in 17 years, other then my 6 months follow ups.  He can sick it you know where.  I will not take it again.  If I start getting sick a lot, I might consider it. 

Last year the flu shot gave me terrible hives.  He claims it wasn't from the shot  (really)  Funny I got the shot that afternoon and by 7 pm I had hives like you would not believe.  That is not important either.  He can kiss my grits! 

[CatLoverDogsToo]

@sktchy  You're very welcome.  This was critical information for you, as a transplant recipient. .

[hckynut]

@BalletBabe

You worked for doctors so you have a different attitude towards them, and it surfaces as not trusting any doctor. Interesting to say the least, to this guy anyways.

I have several doctors in different specialty fields, including 2 in my immediate family. Have several also that are good friends of mine. I have seen many of them as their patient, and even though they are friends​ and/or family, I question them like I would any doctor, even those I have seen in the ER. My most recent ER visit the doctor was going to write a prescription for an Opiod pain killer, I said "no thanks", and was this doctor "that did not know me from a bale of hay" aggravated? Didn't appear to me he was even close.

Being proactive in ones health does not and should not blanket the whole Medical Profession as untrustworthy, which it seems to me what you are doing in this post, and others that I have read. Sure, I had a few doctors I did not like or trust. I told them directly that I didn't agree with them, and I would find another doctor.

You lost me on "I haven't seen a doctor in 17 years,"  but then you say something about "every 6 month followups". Followups to what since you haven't a doctor in 17 years. Earlier you say "I was seeing another doctor 7 years ago".  All of this makes no sense to me, but hey, as O'Reilly likes to say: "I am a simple man"?

Most people don't have a clue about their own body. Just because they reside in it, does not mean they know it. If that was/is the case, especially yours, I assume because one thinks they "know their body", they must know what is wrong and also the solution.

Example: You fall hard on your side and it hurts like he!!, since you know you body, what is your diagnosis, assuming everything still moves, but hurts like he!!.

This supposedly a example hypothetical, but in actuality, my own true story. I know my body, practically every part of it, even though "I am a simple man. Why? Because I have experienced it maximums and it's minimums, and know from experience something is not right. The fall? I knew I had fractured a rib. How? Because this was my 6th fractured rib.

Live and let live. I will continue to trust all of my doctors since several have kept me alive, and others kept me functioning pretty well for a simple old man. You keep doing your every 6 months/7 years or haven't seen one in 17 years, whatever all those contradictions mean to you.

hckynut(john)