Posts by Kate Collins67

jadesailor14 said:I really think you guys get hit with all kinds of odd requests, though I suspect you might be exaggerating just a little bit here and there.

Speaking of money, though...
I honestly think anyone who books an appointment and then just ghosts it without canceling should get sent a bill for the full amount!
Just imagine how much those waiting lists would shrink if we did that.
I bet half the people book multiple slots thinking they can squeeze in sooner, or they just magically feel better and decide it's too much effort to call and cancel.
If you didn't show up, hey—pay the fee and try booking again! 😁

Oh, I’d love to do that too—but hey, it's not like anyone asked for my opinion, right? Honestly, we should just slap 100% surcharges on everyone who messes around in the ER, and maybe then everyone would finally just calm down and behave.

jadesailor14 said:But honestly, none of this affects me.
I really couldn't care less about why you (or anyone else) are so worked up just because some lady caused a scene during the night shift.
I've personally had to hit the ER twice for my own reasons.
Once when I was completely wiped out and needed some serious help,
and the second time because my kid decided to go into labor right at 1:30 AM!
Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of waiting around even once.

I truly believe it comes down to how someone was raised, their personal culture... and whether they actually have the drive and intelligence to keep learning.

It’ll hit home one day when you or someone close to you ends up dealing with that exact same woman—because she'll be the one sitting in the clinic instead of you, and you'll just be stuck waiting, wondering if you'll even make it through the night.

@ jadesailor14

Did the government foot the bill for your K-12 education, or maybe even your college degree? And because they did, are you somehow legally obligated to spend your entire career stuck in public service?
I’m perfectly entitled to feel underpaid and demand a raise—if you actually think you're being compensated fairly, fine, good for you, but I don't. Everyone fights for their own interests, don't they?

Come on then, enlighten me. Give me some actual, concrete examples of other career paths I could take. And please—spare me the vague guesswork and give me specific professions that require longer schooling. Just... please, no more empty clichés about how "we all need to keep learning forever" to justify everything.

Kyle Lee7 said:There seems to be a lot of talk here about groups of hypochondriac patients driving innocent doctors crazy.
I am a chronic patient myself: I’ve had asthma since early childhood (about a dozen hospitalizations and just as many ER visits, home visits, etc.—thankfully, it’s been under control for the last few years), and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in my thirties (again, fortunately, no major flare-ups yet).
If you factor in dentists, gynecologists, ophthalmologists, and routine checkups—plus the fact that I’ve recently started psychotherapy because I believe mental health plays a massive role in both my diagnoses—I have certainly spent a significant amount of time seeing various doctors.
And I really don't think I can be lumped in with the hypochondriacs.

To start with the asthma, I have to say that all the doctors I saw as a child and as an adult, including those in the ER, were truly commendable. My primary care physician was great too. My psychotherapist has been wonderful as well.

The neurologists, with one notable exception, were also excellent. ("Well, why are you surprised? You already knew you had MS." — No, I didn't know. I don't have a crystal ball. But apparently, having just found out, I'm not supposed to be upset by the news, nor am I supposed to be distressed knowing my mother has been in a wheelchair for years because of this exact same disease.)

As for gynecologists, I’ve dealt with discomfort, neglect, a lack of willingness to explain things, and sheer arrogance. Now, I see specialists privately.

Here are a few instances that I will never forget: An ultrasound technician once acted like I wasn't even there; he was just hovering over me, chatting with his nurse, treating me like I didn't exist on the table. He told HER that I didn't have one ovary (this wasn't my first ultrasound, and I was quite certain I had two). Naturally, he didn't think that such a statement might interest or distress a twenty-year-old woman. When I asked him nervously what that meant, the guy just snapped at me to ask my gynecologist instead and kicked me out. I spent the entire subway ride home crying, imagining how my ovary could have just vanished. I called my boyfriend, and luckily, he knows "someone" over at a clinic in Manhattan; that person saw me at ten at night and—lo and behold—found the "missing" ovary.
It turns out it just wasn't visible because of my intestines or something similar. But clearly, it wasn't in that technician's job description to offer even a hint of a possibility, because that might mean he'd be acting like a psychologist or a social worker, as someone else mentioned here. And he isn't paid for that.

The second time was during a routine physical. Another ultrasound. This doctor at a clinic in a major US city also decided that the person lying on his table wasn't worth his attention, and he simply dictated to his nurse that I had a 3-centimeter growth on my liver. My grandfather passed away from liver cancer (not that anyone bothered to ask me about my family history). I don't know, and I shouldn't necessarily have to know, what a hemangioma is. This doctor also didn't think it was necessary to tell me that a 3cm growth doesn't necessarily mean cancer. Or would that be him playing social worker?

So, I think there’s no room for generalizations, regardless of which side you're on. Just because some people get annoyed by hypochondriac patients doesn't give them a reason to lash out at me, ignore my presence in the room, or casually drop a diagnosis while we're "in the hallway."

In my own line of work, I deal with people too. Even though it's not always a matter of life and death, and even though my clients can sometimes be quite colorful in their behavior and comments, I would never, ever allow myself to take my frustrations out on them. We are in the private sector, and our livelihood depends on our clients. Doctors don't have to worry about that: unfortunately, there will always be sick people.

The whole diagnostic process basically runs like an assembly line. And honestly? It’s probably better for the patients that it works this way. If they actually sat down with every single person to dissect every little detail and answer every single question a patient might have, the waiting lists would get even longer, and we'd all be back sliding backward.
When you get sent for a diagnostic test, someone refers you, and then *that* person is usually the one who interprets the results, not necessarily the person performing the actual test (though, if they're feeling generous, they might—but they don't have to). If you decide to go out and order the tests yourself, well, you know how it goes: you either interpret them yourself or you pay someone else to do it for you.

jadesailor14 said:Are you having trouble reading? 😁
I already mentioned that it's a job just like any other!
I make sure to book my appointments properly, wait patiently in the lobby, and when I'm called in, I keep things short and sweet so I don't waste anyone's time (I actually write down bullet points so I don't forget anything or ramble too much 😁). All I expect is a solid check-up and some professional advice on what steps to take next
. I truly couldn't care less if that doctor had a rough morning, what their salary is, or what kind of drama they have going on at home... none of that matters to me
. I just want a straightforward, professional conversation that results in a solution
. And no, I'm definitely not volunteering for an AIDS test 😬
.
From my own experience running around various hospitals, I've noticed a bit of a pattern
. Most of the time, my issues were actually with staff members who weren't quite hitting the mark
. The rudest ones were usually the junior doctors and nurses
. On the flip side, the ones who have built successful careers and actually earned their positions have always been totally great
.

bluehawk37, love the username! Do you feel like you live up to it with your skills and hard work?
Because that's exactly the kind of doctor I need right now! 🤣

You know what true professionalism would look like for about 60-70% of the patients walking into an ER? It would be saying: "You can leave now, and you'll be notified in the morning regarding the official legal proceedings being initiated against you for obstructing emergency medical services." Now *that* would be pure professionalism.

The reality is that these high-ranking officials often hold those positions because the rude, bottom-tier staff handle both their work and the work of those above them—leaving the higher-ups plenty of time to focus on "science" and "advancement" at everyone else's expense. Go to a major teaching hospital and look at the surnames of the veteran doctors versus the names of the newcomers. The young ones whose names you see associated with the older generation will likely be professors and PhDs in a few years; the other group? They'll just become more arrogant doctors. Just so you know how the game is played.

Brandon Newman95 said:Well, I am not buying that. Real doctors look at both the lab results AND the patient. Because according to you, I'm just another number in a long line and you couldn't care less. And don't even get me started on how private clinics and hospitals play together. As for that last sentence, I only believe the part about being short on equipment. Patients have access to way more information now and they want to know if their lives are actually at risk or not. They want things explained to them. They don't want to be dragged along like a kid on a leash for three years.

Well, newsflash: you *are* just another patient in the queue—what else would you be? To them, everyone is exactly the same.

jadesailor14 said:I really can't argue with that—some people definitely are.
But honestly, you find scum on both sides of the aisle.

So, you mentioned you'd love to see patients stepping into the doctors' shoes for once.
I bet it would be quite the sight to see some of those arrogant, rude doctors experiencing life as patients when they end up under the care of one of their own colleagues!
And let's be real, they wouldn't have their buddies looking out for them, either.

Ten years of school, training, and specializing...
Why emphasize that so much? Are you expecting a medal for it, or maybe some special thanks or admiration?
Do you think people in other professions don't spend years studying and honing their craft throughout their entire lives?
And most of them aren't even doing it on the government's dime—they're paying for it themselves!
Nowadays, if you aren't constantly leveling up, you just get left behind in the job market.

Look, I expect a salary that actually reflects my level of education, but as for a medal? You can have it, or give it to someone else if they want it.
In other fields, people don't undergo the same kind of mandatory, continuous specialization required in medicine—and I'm not even talking about the extra certifications, because those exist everywhere, not just in the medical field.
Was your college degree paid for by the government or out of your own pocket? Since specialization is essentially just an extension of medical school—and you literally cannot practice without it in any reasonable timeframe (actually, in most cases, you can't even start without it)—who exactly is supposed to foot the bill? Me? Or the government/company I work for?

For all you "general immunity" enthusiasts out there—how exactly are you measuring your strength? And more importantly, how can you possibly claim to measure if a specific supplement is actually doing anything for you at all?

Look, let’s not be naive here. There is a literal mountain of products out there claiming they’re good for your "immunity," your "liver," your "circulation," or your "memory"—and honestly, I could go on forever.

It’s all just clever marketing fluff. They’ll take basic tap water, slap a fancy label on it, and swear up and down that it boosts memory, supports kidney function, or aids detoxification. Please. Plain old water does all of those things and way more—just try dehydrating yourself for a day and you'll suddenly realize exactly how much "benefit" regular water provides.
These companies can advertise whatever nonsense they want because most of these claims are either impossible to verify or so incredibly vague that it’s not even worth the effort to check them.

At the end of the day, people have always been fascinated by things they don't truly understand.

Since I can't think of anything actually brilliant to suggest right now, you might as well just try what's listed above.

Those "sudden" breakthroughs? They’ve basically just become the new status quo because they would have happened regardless.
The real issue with people turning to alternative medicine or lay practitioners is that these "patients"—if you can even call them that—take the placebo effect, or what actual doctors call an expectant response, and credit it to some quack or even a legitimate physician.
If you don't actually grasp the underlying science, any idiot with a loud enough voice can talk you into believing absolutely anything—provided you're gullible enough to let them.

Let's be honest: an ultrasound reading for just about anything is nothing more than the subjective interpretation of whoever happens to be looking at the screen. We see it all the time—those "pathological" findings that turn out to be perfectly normal once you look closer, especially when we're talking about minor, insignificant nuances.

Look, he’s out there building an alternative side hustle before even touching the medical field, but hey—you’re entitled to your, uh, "opinion"... if you can actually point to any evidence to back it up.

And when it comes to HIV, people always seem to forget one glaringly obvious thing: your partner could be having risky encounters that you don't necessarily know about.

Ethan Wilson73 said:..please, if you can't handle a little sarcasm, just don't bother posting👎

Man, everyone is so sensitive these days. Get used to it. Seriously—if you go in for a colonoscopy, even the doctor is probably going to crack a joke at your expense—maybe not to your face, but still. It's part of life.

So, you’re claiming you went to see a specialist for this? What kind of specialist would Sadaković even be that you’d visit him for breathing issues? It doesn't make any sense.

As for the bloody diarrhea—look, most of the time it’s nothing to worry about. In the worst-case scenarios, we're talking Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, or in the absolute worst cases, cancer. Nothing else really comes to mind right now.

Which specific part of your immune system are you actually looking to beef up?

So, what exactly are you using for this detox thing?

1. How can you even be sure it’s actually an allergy?
2. Most allergy panels only screen for the "usual suspects"—you know, the standard stuff—they aren't exactly testing for every single thing under the sun.
3. And honestly? Even dermatologists struggle to explain certain skin reactions... at least, that’s been my experience.

So, did you end up booking that colonoscopy appointment with Dr. Sadiković?

Lisbeth said:You've got a point there.
But don't you ever wonder why people even bother doing this? Is it pure greed? Boredom? Hypochondria? Or maybe—just maybe—it's because they're being scheduled at such ridiculous intervals that they'll be dead and buried before they even get through the door for an exam.

I won't go on listing the thousands of examples out there—there's just one right here on the MS thread, since we're already talking about it—a woman from Miami, I think, who posted about waking up with one side of her body numb, dealing with vertigo and all sorts of symptoms, only to be told she wouldn't see a neurologist for 9 months later?!

If you can't see how this works, no matter how you slice it, there are way more tests needed than the government is actually willing or able to pay for...
If you jump the line today, and then someone else jumps tomorrow for the day after, and so on—if you shove 300 people into the front of the queue—everyone else just gets pushed back another few months on the waiting list.
Cutting in line doesn't shrink the line for the rest of the population; it just benefits the specific person cutting.

A hundred cars in a traffic jam is still a hundred cars in a traffic jam, whether you're the first one or the last one. And if those 100 cars are added within a single month, then inevitably, someone is going to have to wait 30 days for their turn. Of course, nobody wants to be that person, but maybe you have a magic wand I don't know about, or maybe I'm just missing something.

Maybe less criticizing and more offering actual solutions would be better.

PatientX511 said:....when I went to see my doctor with my discharge papers, she basically told me I should just keep resting for a bit longer. It’s written right there in bold letters—based on the tests performed—that I need follow-ups, including tumor markers and more monitoring. I had to pay out-of-pocket for some of those tests, but they wouldn't cover the markers. When I asked her again for a referral, her answer was that she simply couldn't give me one. She didn't care if I'd met all the criteria or not, let alone this specific situation.
On the flip side, I have a coworker who manages to get major medical scans through Blue Cross every single week—total hypochondriac case... It’s just not fair. Do doctors have a limited quota of referrals they can issue, or do they just get bigger bonuses for cutting costs?!! How is it that some doctors throw referrals around like candy while others won't even give you what a specialist specifically ordered??

Well, it isn't fair. But unfortunately, as of right now, there are zero consequences for patients who exploit the system like that.
The next time you—or anyone else—find yourself sitting at number 151 on a waiting list, just ask yourself: do you actually *need* that test, or does one of those 150 people ahead of you actually need it? Or is the entire list just a byproduct of unreasonable demands—from both doctors and patients alike—that honestly have nothing to do with actual medicine.

Lisbeth said:I don't know what you're like in real life, but here you come off as this aggressive, angry person who sees both the patient and the system as nothing more than an annoying obstacle in their way.
And here I am trying to defend the doctors, while you're actually looking for a fight over that—it’s honestly ridiculous.

Look, if most of you actually sat down in my office in real life, you’d probably walk away feeling pretty satisfied. Why? Because my self-control is through the roof—I don't go around blabbing my unfiltered thoughts to people; I just get my job done.
But just because I perform my duties doesn't mean I'm some saintly humanitarian; it just means I'm a professional. What I really think about patients while I'm on the clock stays between me and my work, but why on earth should I hold back here?

You don't need to be out here defending the doctors or the patients—just defend the integrity of the process itself, and maybe then we'd actually have a functional country.

Lisbeth said:You really think I don't have any? ☕
Look, I don't equate humanity with a specific job title—and frankly, it’s because of people who hold views exactly like yours. You've made it crystal clear, both then and now, that having a "human touch" isn't part of a doctor's job description. You seem pretty damn consistent about that, don't you?
You spend all this time arguing that a doctor's professionalism and their humanity are mutually exclusive—that they just can't go hand in hand—so why on earth are you trying to claim empathy as some sort of exclusive club for your profession and others like it?

What do I do for a living? I sell apples and kale at the farmer's market. 🙂

Honestly, "humanity" is overrated. It's constantly being used as a convenient excuse for all sorts of nonsense.
Take euthanasia, for example. Is it actually humane to end someone's suffering when they specifically ask for it? Or is it more "humane" to let them slowly wither away in unimaginable pain and impossible circumstances?
Because of local moralists and self-proclaimed "humanists," people don't even get to make their own choices anymore...

So, if you're out there selling kale and apples... try practicing some actual humanity next time you head to the market. Don't try to foist rotten fruit and wilted veggies on people. Just throw the bad stuff out—even if it means taking a bit of a hit on your paycheck this month.