Disdain for doctors

[Ladybug]

Re: Disdain for doctors

The only place I've encountered these misperceptions are on pregnancy boards. Women get inflammatory over c-sections and accuse phyicians of abusing them for greater income. I think some studies suggested this some time back. We do live in anti-authority society and I've encountered (as a nurse) patients that don't trust or respect their physicians, but I don't think they trust anyone. It's the world we live in. DH has walked out on a few patients that have spoke to him disrespectfully, most recently a prisoner. And that's saying a lot because he's a very forgiving, patient guy, but it definitely happens occassionally when you're'r rounding for other people's patients on the weekends. I think they're pissed when they're doctor doesn't show up.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Disdain for doctors

The medical profession doesn't help itself either with Grey's Anatomy and ER where 'everyone' is able to close that gunshot wound and then have mad passionate sex in the call room. (and if the TV had ever seen a 'real' call room, they'd understand how funny that is to those of us in the know)

That's what makes my husband nuts about House- they're interns and residents (ID, lets not forget) but they ALL are able to read films, do surgery, and what he really enjoys- do the MRIs/EKGs/EEGs themselves. (I'm not sure my husband even knows where the 'on-switch' is- that's why he has EEG techs who do nothing but EEGs in a partnership with the neurologists!)

My husband is pretty pissed that he doesn't get to change in a locker room with people that lock like Katherine Hegl.

Kelly

Yeah, I was up at the hospital bringing DH food one time, during his intern year, and he glanced hopefully at the sofa in the call room. Uh, I think NOT. That is just the least romantic, least inspiring bed of broken box springs I've ever seen. Keep it zipped (or tied, in his case, with scrubs), stud.

[Auspicious]

Re: Disdain for doctors

We do encounter this with a few of our crunchier friends, yes. Over the past seven years or so we've learned to work around it. We avoid having it come up in conversation at this point, but still see comments on their facebooks, blogs etc.

I think you should find a different pregnancy board--there are good ones out there, IMO.

[MrsK]

Re: Disdain for doctors

Also, in most institutional settings, psychiatrists get ZERO respect from their patients --and often from other doctors. DrK is rotating on a psych ward now and many of his patents are too sick to know that they are sick. They hate him and they want to "kill" him. (This frightens me because a psychiatrist-friend of ours was actually murdered in his office by a patient.) The paitents become paranoid and attempt daring escapes or become violent -- or in one case, call 911 -- when he does not give them drugs that they should not have (addiction and self-medicating is a huge problem). For the most part, he doesn't have patients that want to be there or that are grateful to their doctor for treating them.

You don't have to be in psych for that - last year on ID, DH had a guy come to from a drunken episode and call 911 to report he was being held against his will! This was the week after the drug addict who had thrice been busted selling perc outside the hospital while still in his gown followed him from floor to floor yelling, "Hey Docta Mutha F*cka! I want some percocet!" with DH yelling,"NO!" That went on for about three days.

Yeah, this is pretty much every day in the life of DrK.

[DCJenn]

Re: Disdain for doctors

Well, I've had some jackassian doctors (and nurses for that matter) who didn't take my issues seriously and but I certainly don't blame the entire profession.

Jenn

[Chrisada]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I can understand being a little weary of doctors if you have had a bad experience. However, I do not feel that most of these women have dealt with negligent doctors at all. Here's another example. Someone was pissed because her doctor wanted her to, gasp, pay her deductible for visits and such before he delivered the baby. People were livid! Like, "how dare he ask you to pay now. Yeah, I bet that money is just going to go towards his Mercedes." It just went on and on about how doctors just want our money and how they are idiots and so on. I just wonder how many people really feel that doctors went into their profession for the money.

Re: Disdain for doctors

To have kids is to enter the world of wives tales, period. They have always been there, they always will be, often they're right - so it only fuels the fire. And many educated women feel the same way. We all know plenty of drs push drugs to preggo moms to keep a schedule, and you can see from c-section delivery dates that the dr's DO often schedule them as they want. No, not all are like that, many are. Medicine is as much of a curse as it is a blessing IMO. There is a huge list of issues that I resent that resonate in our healthcare in the US. So, yeah, plenty of issues to fan the flame to. Most of my family refuses to go the dr unless brought in on a stretcher. I get it. There is good and bad in any profession.

[Chrisada]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I cannot relate to an OBGYN pushing drugs on me and scheduling a c-section for their convenience. In fact, I had to beg my OBGYN to even schedule a c-section, and she did so just a day before my due date. My amniotic fluid is also very very low right now and even though I am full-term, they will not induce me. I have never experienced doctors treating me for their convenience. I still believe that many of these women, educated or not, do not have horrible c-section pushing doctors.

[HouseofWool]

Re: Disdain for doctors

My OB was more than willing to schedule an induction (for just 4 days before my due date) because DH needed to travel to one more interview. But I don't know how she would react to an elective c-section.

I love my OB and am so disappointed that I will need to find a new one for the next babe.

[houseelf]

Re: Disdain for doctors

ITA with much, but not all, of what has been said in this thread.

I can't believe some of these stereotypes still exist. In deference to the best interests of the child, none of my ObGyns would accomodate my desire to be induced to accomodate *someone's* psychotic schedule. Realize that I've been through four practices now due to moving around so I've had a pretty good sampling. Also, most of my ObGyns were not Nazis about crazy stuff: Don't sleep on this side, Don't run, Don't blah, blah, blah. They seem realistic about things offering sound advice to use my best judgment and stay healthy and active while listening to my body. (Although I admit I was tempted for about a minute to try the aerial zip line at camp this weekend with my son but eventually decided that the American Board of Obstetrics *probably* wouldn't sign off on that one.)

With all the hate mongering out there about "cold, hard maternity medicine", I've been very impressed with all the good doctors who have treated me. It makes me wonder if I have been lucky or if people refuse to give up old stereotypes.

Kelly

[MrsK]

Re: Disdain for doctors

(Although I admit I was tempted for about a minute to try the aerial zip line at camp this weekend with my son but eventually decided that the American Board of Obstetrics *probably* wouldn't sign off on that one.)

I'm getting a mental image of that. Woohoo!

[Pollyanna]

Re: Disdain for doctors

It makes me wonder if I have been lucky or if people refuse to give up old stereotypes.

Kelly

I think people like to hold on to the stereotypes. Right behind disdain for medicine as a whole comes disdain for OBs in general. I don't know a single OB that pushes unnecessary sections or induces for convenience (either that of the patient or themselves). I do know docs that have tried over and over to get some women to consent to a section as they watch the baby slip away on the monitor only to have the woman refuse. Most docs bend over backwards to accommodate the wishes of their patients (and boy are there some weird requests).

[Michele]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I think we have a sampling bias. Most of us are near areas of major medical education. These folks have to be up to date and "good" in order to survive a private clinic near the academics. (The referring doc is always judged/evaluated based on his initial treatment of the patient.)

For Shreveport being a major medical center, there is only a small handful OBs in the area who will CONSIDER a VBAC....not that do them regularly. (And some groups of OBs that flat out refuse to do them.) I think the stereotypes persist because there are more crappy doctors out there than we'd like to admit.

On a smaller scale this happens in veterinary medicine too. And yes there are crappy veterinarians out in practice.

I think there is also doctor-patient mismatch going on as well. As a group, we are more comfortable talking to physicians and can express our expectations. If your doctor was the type that ran a lot of tests and was hyperviligent in managing your care, yet you were more relaxed about your own care but didn't tell your doc....then you'd be the one saying that doctors suck. And vice versa on the situation.

[Pollyanna]

Re: Disdain for doctors

For Shreveport being a major medical center, there is only a small handful OBs in the area who will CONSIDER a VBAC....not that do them regularly. (And some groups of OBs that flat out refuse to do them.)

This is true for a variety of reasons but the number one reason is that we live in litigious society and most docs are just not willing to risk their practice to accommodate a VBAC. Most of them don't even want to do forecep deliveries anymore. Dh has worked very hard to learn how to use all the different type of foreceps but realizes that some practices just won't allow their docs to use them due to a potential lawsuit.

Re: Disdain for doctors

I had the OB whom delivered my son, look at my cycle charts, stare me right in the eye and said all 7 of them, not ONE had I actually ovulated. I left her, after talking to several friends who went through fertility clinics, found a new OB. Two months later, on my first OB visit to the new OB, came in pregnant. She looked at my charts and said of course I was ovulating. My first OB I loved, and was beyond embarrassed that I was crying over non ovulating cycles. She was COMPLETELY wrong, had NO clue what she was talking about and I have the charts to prove it and a daughter. So yeah, I think there is a lot of things wrong with our current system. Was the dr a bad no, well I wouldn't go that far, but completely out of touch and giving false info, yes. I have had several run ins with bad doctors or ones with very bad advice, enough not to discount other peoples experiences.