Medical professionals flipping attitude!

[valerie]

I had made an appt. yesterday, I thought with an MD, turns out it was

a Nurse Practitioner, WHATever. She starts out fine, friendly and

listening, compliments me on my exercise... (I've had a nagging cough I

finally wanted to do something about) and then when we were done with

that, I said there were a couple of other things I wanted to ask, well that

was IT... she gets ticked and says something like "You really should have

told the tech (receptionist) when you made the appt. I'm running out of

time I have people waiting for me"... blah, blah, blah. I told her I DID

(the truth) tell the recep that my main complaint was the cough but there

were other things, etc. but I don't think the NP wanted to hear it. Got

nothing but attitude from there on out. I must have been asked 3 different

times if I smoked (I do understand because of the cough) but when I say

Nooooo the first time, that should be IT in my book. No "Are you SURE?"

WTF? No, let me see, maybe I DO smoke! :-5



Have insomnia, asked for some Ambien (feeling like a total druggie!)

and she tells me no, that's for when your mother dies! She actually said

that! Didn't suggest anything else except some herbal stuff.



Anyway, thanks for listening (reading!) all. I just needed to vent a little!



:-6

[abbey]

Sorry you're not feeling too good.

Maybe you should follow your own advice Val, "Accept no substitutes"

Make another appt with your GP and get that persistent cough checked out.:yh_flower

Attilla the Hun should be reported, grumpy old bag!

[SOJOURNER]

What a horrible experience! I'm glad you spoke up to her. Hopefully, if you need to see her again, things will improve.

I see the Nurse Practitioner whenever I can at my doctors office because I really like her. She seems to take more time with me and more thoroughly answers my questions than my doctor does. She now actually hugs me on greeting me and say good-bye (I like that).

This same NP totally pi##ed off my husband when he had to see her. He spoke to her about her unprofessional attitude which so upset her that she called me at work to apologize yet again.

Both my daughters have gone to her. One loves her, the other is very dismisive of her.

Bottom line: You have to find the right person for YOU! Hopefully you will get to choose someone other that this person next time you seek medical council.

[valerie]

Abbey, you're a sweetheart, but I really don't feel bad at all. The cough

is an allergy-related thing, not from a cold. The NP did give me some stuff,

and thinks it should be totally gone within about 10 days. And I can still

give blood, and better yet I can probably get OFF all the meds at some

point. (My preference is not to take anything more than aspirin!)



She did in fact ask me if the cough was worse when I had a cold, and

I got the great satisfaction of telling her I don't really GET colds!

Last really bad one I had was Christmas 1995, and another really mild

one some years after that.



If I do have to go back there at some point, I'll ask to see someone

else, there are several others I could see.



:-6

[Galbally]

I was with the doctor a month ago with my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it sounds terminal I know, but its harmless and musicians get it all the time (if you take the p out and replace it with an n it sound like a kinky type affliction). Anyway, she was young and she mustn't be long in the job as she actually asked as I was leaving if there was anything else wrong with me, did I need anything else? would I like my glucose or something medical sounding checked?. My usual experience with doctors is being told to get out of the surgery as quickly as possible with my pathetic prescription for aspirin, despite suffering from total organ collapse. To be honest I just looked at her and went, eh, you what? But it was nice while it lasted.

[ComfortablyNumb]

To me a nurse is not the same as a doctor. If they try to get me to see one (barring injections and dressing changes when I had a foot injury), I ask them how many years the nurse spent in MedSchool and whether he/she is qualified to make a diagnosis. I'm sure they're very helpful in some circumstances but patients have every right to see a fully qualified MD whatever's wrong with them.

[SOJOURNER]

ComfortablyNumb wrote: To me a nurse is not the same as a doctor. If they try to get me to see one (barring injections and dressing changes when I had a foot injury), I ask them how many years the nurse spent in MedSchool and whether he/she is qualified to make a diagnosis. I'm sure they're very helpful in some circumstances but patients have every right to see a fully qualified MD whatever's wrong with them.
I was given to understand that a Nurse Practitioner is the same as a doctor except they cannot write prescriptions in certain states -- that a doctor does from what the NP tells them.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Well, they call ours a Nurse Practioner because she's a nurse attached to a practice - only experience with minor ailments as far as I can tell. I have friends who do go to her then complain when she tells them to make an appointment to see the doctor! I think it's more of an assessment role and to ease the burden on the GP.

[Betty Boop]

Our Nurse Practitioners prescribe, the one at my practice is wonderful, it's quick and easy to get an appointment with her, great when you've got a young child with recurring ear infections.

If it wasn't for that lady my allergies still wouldn't have been diagnosed, she saw me for something else entirely then asked about my general health, picked up on my eczema being bad and asked what was being done about it, I told her nothing, the GP just prescribes bucket loads of steroids and sends me on my way.

Before I knew it I had been referred to Dermatology and Allergy Specialists, twelve months later the eczema is under control after 10 years of hell.

[valerie]

I don't think the NP's are all that bad as a general rule. I think they can

actually see more things day-to-day than an MD and I believe they

have to re-certify fairly often so that's good.



My sister has 5 nursing degrees, and while she's bossy and annoying,

she knows her stuff on things medical.



The NP yesterday prescribed right while I was in her office, typing on

her laptop to fax the stuff to the pharmacy. So that was pretty cool.



(Far, take off all your clothes, lie down, relax and do everything the

nice doctor tells you to!)



;)

[nvalleyvee]

I've had different experiences with different doctors. Mostly my experience has been to wait for an hour and a half past my appointment time which irritates me to no end. Why can't they call and say we are running late - I work too. My surgeon for cancer was impossibly cold but very very good, my oncologist wears glitter on her face and fancy hoseand is very very good, our GP is good and listens, the NP I saw at his office before my mastectomy (I went there to get LOTS of valium for the weekend) took my blood pressure 152/112 as opposed to my normal 90/58 gave me the valium and then asked to see the cancer tumor - I figured WTF - 2 doctors before her that day had put a big black circle around it...so felt it but it was NOT a feel up like I'd felt with the plastic surgeon before her.

[valerie]

Far Rider wrote: Thats exactly what the nursing assistant tells me! wait, are you a blonde?


(SALUTES) GUILTY AS CHARGED, SIR!!

[cars]

valerie wrote: I had made an appt. yesterday, I thought with an MD, turns out it was

a Nurse Practitioner, WHATever. She starts out fine, friendly and

listening, compliments me on my exercise... (I've had a nagging cough I

finally wanted to do something about) and then when we were done with

that, I said there were a couple of other things I wanted to ask, well that

was IT... she gets ticked and says something like "You really should have

told the tech (receptionist) when you made the appt. I'm running out of

time I have people waiting for me"... blah, blah, blah. I told her I DID

(the truth) tell the recep that my main complaint was the cough but there

were other things, etc. but I don't think the NP wanted to hear it. Got

nothing but attitude from there on out. I must have been asked 3 different

times if I smoked (I do understand because of the cough) but when I say

Nooooo the first time, that should be IT in my book. No "Are you SURE?"

WTF? No, let me see, maybe I DO smoke! :-5



Have insomnia, asked for some Ambien (feeling like a total druggie!)

and she tells me no, that's for when your mother dies! She actually said

that! Didn't suggest anything else except some herbal stuff.



Anyway, thanks for listening (reading!) all. I just needed to vent a little!



:-6


Ah yes, this is a pet peeve of mine! The GP's assistant is called a "PA" in my neck of the woods. (Physicians Assistant) I once went to an Ear-Nose-Throat specialist, and had to wait 4-1/2 weeks for an appointment. When there, after waiting 4-1/2 weeks I didn't even get to see the specialist. I foolishly let his "PA" look at my Ear problem. After putting in ear drops, he then looked at my throat, (I did not go there for a throat problem) and made me drink water while he held my thorat. He then said I had a suspiscious node, and needed a sonagram of my throat. I went for the sonagram, cause I now was scared. The tech hurt my throat muscels so bad during the procedure, that my throat hurt to swallow for several months after.

I had a copy of the sonagram report sent to my regular GP, & went to see him for a follow up. My GP told me it was nothing to worry about, maybe just the start of a goider. Eating more foods containing iron would help fix the problem. (I'm convinced that the PA was getting a kickback from the Sonagram place for every patient he sent them. As I talked to some people in the waiting room, & found out the PA sent them all for Sonagrams to. All turned out to be OK)

Now, after all was said & done I will not let a PA substitute for the "Doctor" I'm paying to see!!! There was not a reduced "rate" for seeing the PA instead of the actual Doctor, so why settle for less, and pay the same? :-5

[Dizz]

I finally found a good doctor. I go in with a list of complaints I want to talk to him about so I don't have to go back some other time. (My popping hip for example.) He sees going in that I have that list and he actually talks to me. I tell him the symptoms and my theory about what causes it. I'm usually right and he tells me so. I'm glad I found a good one. He also doesn't mind gypping the insurance a little bit. He fudged the size rating on my tonsils so the specialist can look at them. They were bothering me a LOT. They came out in a couple months. :-6 It's nice to have a doc like that.

One time I saw his NP and she was really helpful. I went in for a UTI, got treated for it and also got advice on my menstral cramps.

[Nomad]

My mom died and I didnt get Ambien, its been 4 yrs but can I go back and get some now ? If thats the deal I want mine !