Doc... help... it hurts!

I really have to share my "wonderful" experience with our medical professionals!

I’ve been out on medical leave for four weeks now... diagnosis... kidney infection...
The first round of antibiotics lasted five days... and I felt even worse...
Then the second round of antibiotics... things just kept spiraling... I can barely walk now... I haven't slept properly in eight days... I've seen the doctor at least five times in those fifteen days alone... his advice? Just keep taking the antibiotics.
And then yesterday, I go back for another check-up—nothing has changed—and the doctor tells me to just go pee in a cup... It’s been a full month since I first showed up with pains, and now I'm physically hunched over from the agony... even the painkillers aren't doing squat... I get maybe thirty minutes of relief a day.
But here is the kicker: after a whole month of me being on sick leave, the doctor actually called me on the phone and basically insulted me! He started berating me for not getting an ultrasound yet, or why I hadn't done a urine culture (which, frankly, I don't even know what that is)... he claimed he needs to maintain control, that he needs to "handle" whatever I think is going on, and demanded I come in tomorrow to talk to his supervisor so *he* can examine me... I was absolutely speechless.
Now nothing makes sense to me anymore... this is the first time in my life I've ever been on medical leave... am I supposed to be the one demanding specific tests so he'll finally order them? It makes zero sense—I have no idea what is actually wrong with me!
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of thing? Dealing with insurance adjusters or hospital supervisors? What should I be asking for? And ultimately, is he actually going to approve my disability benefits?

How on earth did he come to that conclusion about your kidneys if you hadn't even provided a urine sample or had an ultrasound done yet? It seems a bit sudden...
How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?

Thirty-three years old... and my back has been absolutely killing me for days now—honestly, I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out almost every single time it hits a peak

Then you can just calmly explain to the caseworker that they never actually authorized any follow-up tests—just tell them exactly how it went. Besides, they’re required to have a record of every single time you visited their office anyway...

In any other case, if a doctor doesn't order those specific tests, they aren't really doing much at all. I mean, checking bloodwork and urine samples is pretty much the bare minimum, right?

Honestly, I'm a little surprised you didn't realize you had to insist on those two things—I mean, people get those run through for even a minor cold, don't they? It's standard practice...
Unfortunately, our healthcare system here in the States is such a mess lately—you basically have to be your own advocate and fight tooth and nail just to get the referrals you need for further testing.

And hey, don't stress about the paperwork. They absolutely have to provide the documentation for your sick leave. Even if they try to cut your leave short, if you head over to the ER tomorrow, they’ll have to reopen it based on their own medical records.

Anyway, please let me know how everything turns out...

Thanks!
I am honestly spiraling a bit here—total panic mode. I haven’t been able to get a wink of sleep like this... at this rate, I’ll be counting every single sheep in the country just to try and calm my nerves tonight.

For every specific diagnosis, there’s a set number of sick days a doctor is allowed to authorize...www.ssa.gov
When your doctor puts you on medical leave, they hand you a notice for your employer that you’ve got to turn in within three days...
That paperwork will clearly state how many days of leave are expected...
Once those initial days are up, if you need an extension, you have to head to a medical review board with all your test results in hand...
The doctor obviously gets visited by a disability caseworker...😠
Honestly, your post is a bit of a mess...
Why didn't your doctor refer you for further testing? 🤷

Could these symptoms be kidney stones?
To figure that out, you’ll want to start with a standard urine test... then see a urologist for a kidney and ureter ultrasound...
From there, the urologist will decide if you need any more specific testing...👍

Alright... anyway, there aren't any symptoms of female-related health issues... unless the doctor is totally off base...

swiftbear86 said:For every single diagnosis, there’s a specific number of sick days a doctor is authorized to sign off on...www.ssa.gov
When your doctor issues a medical leave notice, they hand you a notification for your employer—something you absolutely have to turn in within three days...
That notice explicitly states how many days of sick leave are expected...
Once that initial period expires, if you need an extension, you have to go before a medical review board with all your test results in hand...
The doctor is clearly acting as a sort of insurance inspector here...😠
Your post is a total mess...
Why on earth didn't your doctor refer you for testing? 🤷

I received the paperwork...it stated 10 days of sick leave...but that was ages ago.
As for "paperwork," I don't have anything because I haven't actually gone anywhere—I've just been seeing my doctor since March 25th, and he keeps prescribing antibiotics that do absolutely nothing. Yesterday, I finally got a referral for a urine culture, which I took in first thing this morning...I'm waiting on those results until next Tuesday.
Up until now, he hasn't sent anything anywhere...he hasn't even mentioned needing ultrasounds, blood work, or a urologist—nothing! Not until today, when he calls me out of the blue and tells me that I *should* have had those tests done already, and that I can't stay on medical leave any longer because of the insurance auditors.

It’s just pure chaos at this point..
I mean, honestly, there’s no sugarcoating it—the doctor really dropped the ball here..
And maybe you could have pushed back a little harder to get what you needed...
But look, what’s done is done..
The real mess is that the doctor is panicking because an insurance auditor is coming, and he hasn't done enough to pin down the actual diagnosis...
Just tell the auditor the truth. At worst, you might just be cleared to head back to work.. the doctor will wrap up your medical leave and give you the paperwork to hand over to your employer...
And just a heads-up: expect your paycheck to take a pretty big hit next month😢

swiftbear86 said:That’s what you call being completely out of your mind.
What else is there to say? The doctor definitely dropped the ball on this one.
Maybe you should have been more persistent about it...
Now—what’s the deal here? It's right here.
It’s a total mess. The doctor is panicking because an auditor is breathing down his neck, and he hasn't even finished all the necessary tests to pin down the actual diagnosis yet.
Just tell the inspector the truth. At worst, you’re looking at being sent right back to work. Your doctor will likely just sign off on your medical leave and hand you the paperwork to take straight to your employer.
Get ready to see a much smaller paycheck hitting your bank account next month.😢

I’d file a formal complaint and take this straight to a human rights court if that’s what it took. It drives me absolutely insane. You get to the doctor, tell them exactly what you need, and they start whining at you. Then, when they completely fail to do their actual job, they have the nerve to bitch because you didn't just sit there and take it. Honestly, that’s just how it works in this dysfunctional country with its pathetic excuse for a healthcare system.
Fire your doctor. Seriously. Just walk into a different clinic, tell them you aren’t happy with the level of professionalism at your old practice, and move on. Your medical records follow you from office to office anyway, so it’s not like you're starting from scratch. It's that simple.

Look, I get the whole salary situation—I’ve already made my peace with that part—but this isn't about money... it's just that I feel terrible, and I know how unrealistic that might sound to some people... but the pain is real, and it's getting more intense by the day. On top of everything, my daily commute to work involves driving 93 miles miles, and frankly, I’m just not physically capable of being behind the wheel anymore (I mean, I tried to just pop into a CVS to grab a loaf of bread and I nearly collapsed right there in the aisle near the registers). It's nothing. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow... so we'll see what they have to say, I suppose... and if things take a turn for the worse, I'll just head into work, and if the pain becomes unbearable, I'll just hit up the nearest ER... surely they'll be able to help me out.

Look, if you go to the ER acting like you don't have any symptoms, they aren't going to do much for you. They need more than just "it hurts" to run tests. Did you actually have a fever, were you throwing up, or was there anything else besides those unbearable pains? Also, do you live in New York City?

I was running a fever—it’s gone now—but I dealt with two days of diarrhea, though thankfully no vomiting (which is what my doctor kept drilling me about during the exam)... all of this kicked off right at the start of the parade... and of course, there is this lingering pain on the right side of my back and in my lower abdomen that just won't quit, even today... the real issue is the pattern: whenever I take an antibiotic—say, once I've knocked back three pills in the pack—things seem to improve slightly, but then the second the course is finished—the very moment I finish that last pill—by that night or the next day... the pain returns with such absolute horror and intensity... it's unbearable... so I'm back at the doctor's office again, and he just wants to prescribe yet another round... we've been stuck in this endless cycle for a month now...

I’m not really following how Dr. Smith landed on the kidneys being the issue.
You could be looking at gallbladder problems too, especially since you've got those stomach pains and diarrhea hitting at the same time...🤷

urbannomad13 said:I had a fever, but it's gone now. I dealt with diarrhea for two days, though I didn't vomit (which is what my doctor asked about). That all happened right at the start of the parade... and of course, there's this pain on my right side, in my back and lower abdomen, that's still hanging on today... The thing is, whenever I take an antibiotic—say, after three pills in the pack—things improve slightly, but as soon as I finish the whole course, by the next day or even that same night... the pain is just absolute agony. So I go back to the doctor, and he just prescribes another round... and it's been going on like this for a month now...

Get yourself to the ER and tell them you're having a severe pain attack. Tell them you already saw a general practitioner and finished a dose of antibiotics, but nothing worked, and now the pain is completely unbearable.
They’ll admit you and get you treated. You can't just brush off abdominal pain like it's nothing.
It sounds like you've got some kind of infection, most likely triggered by a kidney stone. You can't ignore this, because things can spiral out of control incredibly fast and get very ugly, very quickly.

I’m not going to get dragged into some endless debate about what someone did or didn't do, or what they should have done versus what they actually did...

So, I'll just lay out exactly how I handle things when there's pain in the kidney area—basically, once I determine that's the logical culprit...

Step zero: we check for a fever (if necessary, even in the middle of a rush) just to see what kind of fire we're fighting and how intense it is...

First off—effective, immediate pain management. The pain shouldn't be unbearable, period. If I can't manage to take the edge off for you, then you're heading to the hospital. What they decide to do once you're there isn't my call and I can't control it, but I'm certainly not sending anyone home in agony—unless they specifically ask to leave—just like I wouldn't send someone bleeding all over the ER floor, and I'm definitely not sending you to wander around a lab if it can be avoided. If it's strictly for technical reasons, I'll just bully the lab techs into coming over to the clinic to draw your blood while you're right here on my IV...

Second—if the lab and X-ray are open during normal business hours, you take my (emergency clinic) referral straight to the lab for bloodwork and a urine sample. If the lab is closed, I'll rely on those quick urine dipstick tests we have here in the clinic; they aren't quite as precise as a full lab panel, but they get the job done...
As for X-rays, it's case by case; I don't typically order them for simple colic...

Third—once I figure out whether an infection or a kidney stone is the more likely candidate, we go one of two ways...
a) Infection—antibiotics and a follow-up with your primary care doctor in 3 to 7 days (depending on the specifics). If it's just a bladder infection, that might be the end of it, but if it's kidney-related, your GP will tell you when to come back in, and the plan is usually to give you a referral for a follow-up urine test at a proper lab... And obviously, if you're hurting, you're getting pain meds, that goes without saying...
b) Kidney stones—I'll write you prescriptions for pain relief (though, unfortunately, they don't work the same way for everyone), and if you can't manage the pain at home, you head straight to the hospital—specifically the emergency urologist...

Regarding bacterial resistance, cultures, and all that—as an emergency provider, I don't run cultures and I can't even order them because, by definition, this is emergency care—it doesn't make sense to wait. However, in special circumstances, I've been known to refer patients with urinary tract infections to Infectious Disease specialists so they can do whatever needs to be done there, but those are exceptions, not the rule...

Bottom line: if after two rounds of antibiotics and a maximum of 20 days the urine results haven't cleared up and the symptoms haven't subsided, you absolutely need a culture and sensitivity test. As far as any regulatory inspector is concerned, I don't see how anyone could find fault with a procedure that follows basic medical common sense...

I want to apologize in advance if this feels a bit off-topic, but I honestly wasn't sure where else to pose this question:

What is the actual legal requirement regarding when an employee needs to submit medical excuses to their employer?
To give you some context, my boss is being incredibly difficult about it—they’re insisting that even if we miss just a single day of work, we have to provide official doctor's notes immediately.
What does the law actually say about this? Am I truly required to be running back and forth to my physician just because I missed one day, or is there a bit more flexibility in the regulations than my employer is letting on?

Thanks,

Every single day you're out on sick leave really needs to be officially accounted for with a doctor's note. Now, I know that in certain companies, there’s a bit more flexibility where you can just request a day off—like how I might ask for a day to handle some things and then just make up the hours later—but that’s really just a matter of what you and your manager agree upon rather than anything dictated by federal labor laws.