Is my doctor a jerk or not?

[Gail in Ca]

Find a new one

Find a new one

Christina,
I read your post and it upset me and I don't even
have your doc!
My cardiologist wants me to eventually regulate my
own dose, and I think any up to date doctor would
be fine with you testing once a week or more if necessary. He sounds like a jerk to me and I wouldn't tolerate that from my doctor. We have been thru too much to have someone in charge of your heart care be that controlling.
I can't believe that cardiologists ( mine included) are ok with only testing monthly. Now that I've been testing weekly I see how the inr can change in a day from 4.5 to 3.4 or 1.8 to 2.3
either way it's not in range and needs to be addressed, by us responsible heart patients preferably!!
If you like his skills then just be open about your feelings on his opinion and see why he feels the way he does. What's to lose?
Good Luck, Gail

 

[Christina]

Hi Gail,

Thanks for your kind response to me. No, this doctor is out the door by the end of this month. It's too bad I have to hang on to him this long yet, but my new doctor could not give me an appointment until then.
The jerk doctor has been a jerk from the start, and I have only seen him once so far. The rest of the time I have spoken to him over the phone when the nurse did not know what to say and handed the phone to the doctor. With Coumadin a person cannot be too careful I believe. I have already had two surgeries and don't need a third one. I know what I am doing, but do not feel totally confidant to be on my own.
It took every ounce of self restraint not to give this shovanist pig of a doctor some of his own medicine, but I refused to steep down to his level of unprofessionalism. I am always a lady, and he'll always be a creep.
But you can't win them all Gail. I'm sorry I've run into a lot of very overworked, insensitive doctors that are controlled by HMO's these days, and get kickbacks from the pharmaceutical companies. All they seem to care about is to get a patient out the door with yet another prescription, and if the patient dares to question them they get an attitude!

Wish me luck with this new doctor. I chose a female oriental gal. Have been to some of her lectures since I like alternative medine. I think she's okay. Hope she knows about Coumadin. She's the only doctor in the office.

Christina

 

[Bill719]

Hi Christina-- I also tend to make my own dosing decisions....to the ongoing frustration of my cardiologist group. My cardiologist actually delegates the coumadin dosing recommendations to his nurse, so I wouldn't feel bad telling him that in spite of his exalted medical degree, its not rocket science. Next time he changes your dosing, ask him how he came up with the decision.... you'd like to see his calculations (he he). Fact is, that they basically go with trial and error making only gradual dosing changes in pursuit of a target INR (after all, they don't know what you eat, or how your body metabolizes the vitamin K).

If he can't explain it to you, tell him you'd like to find a cardiologist that gives you more confidence he knows what he's doing. Then see who's on the defensive!

Regards,

Bill

 

[strayze]

I don't spar with jerk doctors like Christina's. They seem to be the norm. They seem to have been born that way. We ARE more knowledgable about our anticoagulation management than some jerk who has an M.D. degree, which I don't particularly value as such. A physician must prove he is competent to gain my confidence.

Because physicians are in short supply here in S MD one cannot drop one and pick up another - - not within 3-4 months- - with severely limited choice on the open market. Therefore I use physicians for what they can do, for example write an order for me to take to Quest for INR dtmn, or to get Coumadin scripts, or to get other medications that I know are necessary and that I know are in the proper range. I avoid conversation of medical nature because I find I ask questions that are intimidating to the doc, and the result is I get fired with no one to write INR orders. (I used to teach med school biochemistry to them). I look up my medical concerns in the textbooks. With a gaffe that is dangerous to my health I treat myself until I can find an expert 3-6 months later. I've ended up with 6 experts.

I guess we all have to find our ways of dealing. I'm trying to find an easy comfortable way which may not exist.

STRAYZE