Since I Can't Drink, I'll Vent

I need a drink. Really, I am not an alcoholic, but after this week, I either need a very long vacation from treating patients, or a drink. Since neither is feasible, you get to hear about my frustrations.

Most of you have read my blog previously and know my "story", and can probably tell that a)I go after what I want/need until I am satisfied with the results (in this case painfree hips) b)I can be a bit snotty about who I choose as a healthcare provider c)I feel very strongly that that this is the way to get things done quickly and well.

As you can imagine, passive people make me nuts. I am going to use some examples from my week. I know I have to keep reminding myself that not everyone is as aggressive as I am, but when it comes to your health and well being, maybe you should be.

I have a patient who clearly had a botched back surgery. From the first day I saw him, I said he needed a second opinion. I personally gave him the name of 2 VERY local surgeons to go see. Took him a week and a half to make the appt, and was told there was nothing this surgeon could do. What would I do? Start looking into third and fourth opinions, bc living in constant pain, bent over, unable to walk without the use of a cane is not acceptable, and being worse off than before the surgery is definitely not acceptable.

Another patient with arthritic knees, who I told to stop power walking on concrete for a week to see if she would feel better simply cannot stop bc she walks for her mental well being. Well, then she will have a great mental well being but a shitty physical one.

My patients are afraid to ask for x-rays or MRI's when they are clearly needed, half the time I ahve to request them on their behalf, it absolutely akes me nuts.

Patient with a probable labral tear, too passive to even think about getting an MRI, I volunteer to help find an OS who takes her (really crappy) insurance, declines the help and will think about it. Ok, so live with groin pain, I think this is something I know a little bit about and can help you figure it all out, but go ahead and be passive and let pain dictate your life.

Ok, I feel a little better. I could write a book ont his stuff.

Before I forget, there is the lady who called yesterday, she claims she is a former patient, and needs a hip replacement but is too scared to get one (I won't even go there), and she has been sitting in a chair bc she is an artist, and has put pillows under her. When she looks down at her legs, her quadriceps look rounded (WTF). So I (annoyed) say "what exactly is your question", and she continues to ramble about the chair and the pillows and how once she was in a different chair and she turned in it and her groin hurt her, again, I ask "What is your question for me", so she wants to know if I think she should use the pillows on her chair or not. Seriously? How the heck do I know? So I told her to try to take them out, and see if her pain goes away, and if it does, then she should not use the pillows. I swear, she thought I was genius!