Is there a doctor who knows his A** from his Elbow?

[Quahog]

Maybe it's just me but I sure do have the worst luck with people who call themselves doctor. Doctor HA that's a laugh

Tonight for example I am struck with the worst dizziness and weakness numbness yet. It's so bad I actually fell down. My lower back is screaming, my Rt hip is on fire which radiates into my groin and other places. Then there is old faithful my neck which is causing my agony. My pain helps are helping somewhat but the dizziness is BAD !! nothing I took was helping it. Phenergan, Meclizine.

So I thought my blood glucose was high and decided to go to the ER against my better judgement of course.

My GF drives me and I am brought in via wheelcahir. Thankful I did not have to wait long. Of course I am then made to wait. So finalyl afte waiting for a long time in distress. the doctor comes in examines me for all of 5 minutes tells me that a C3-C4 disc would not cause dizziness and numbness. Asks me what I took for the dizziness and I told him meclizine. He then looks and me and tells me you can't get it over the counter. At this point i know I'm in trouble as I was just staring at a bottle that I bought eariler in the week. He then tells me I have Meniere's disease and says I can leave. Never checked my sugar. and completely discounted my visit. This guy was as useless as you know what on a bull. and of course I get stuck with him. Meniere's disease my foot ! Even MS makes more sense than that.

The next big question I have to ask myself it why do I continue to bother. They will never find the cause of all this.

I am doomed to become paralyzed and no one #*@! cares

[Mark N]

Glenn, it is easy to get lost in the maze of medicine as it seems each nurse, doctor, or anyone else associated with medicine comes to us with their own perspective on our problem. When you find a couple of good doctors like I have then you know what it is to have them look at your symptoms and work not with preconceived notions but where the evidence takes them. As patients we have a choice, we can live the way we are or we can continue to push until we find a doctor that has an answer that works for us.

I stay away from the ER just because you never know what kind of care you will receive. I hope that you do find one that is willing to explain your C3-4 and how it couldn't be possible for it to cause your current symptoms. You may have to move back out of state to get adequate treatment the way things are going right now. Hang in there and do what is best for you.

[ainee]

G'day Glen,
I suffered horrific neurological symptoms - which my doc. didn't and still doesn't believe I had. Much research found that injury and/or toxin of any kind, even years before the symptoms are displayed, can damage the nervous system, to cause many symptoms and it seems that medical science is no closer to discovering the cause of many, nor any real easy successful treatments.
I had head and spinal injury - I didn't even go to the doc for those 3 accidents - yet they disbelieved me when I started to suffer horrific neurological symptoms. I didn't know anything about medical terminology - I'm just a country person and didn't need to know such things. Many tests later and no cause ( except fused neck vertabra and a toxin worse than Arsenic) could be found - no diagnosis was given for the symptoms I told them I suffered.
I experimented with a simple treatment and many other things - some worked, some didn't - which suppressed my symptoms. - After months of experimentation etc, my symptoms started to reverse. I still have slight symptoms which I can live with - I have reasonably good health now - so it is possible to gain better health, which I believe the treatment I experimented with, will give to many people, regardless of condition, illness, diagnosis or cause, known or unknown.
I've contacted many doctors, health organizations, support groups - am I believed? Guess you know the answer to that one.
I wonder what your symptoms are, how long have you had them and what do you think caused them? Hope you don't mind me asking - but maybe the treatment will help you.
Have a nice day
ainee.

[Kathi49]

Glenn,

I agree with Mark; just keep pushing. I know you said your NS appointment is soon. How those doctors can say your C3/C4 is NOT responsible for some if not all of this is beyond me! Again, that level caused severe dizziness for me and referred everything upwards. Then again, I didn't have any autoimmune condition going on either; was tested for all kinds of things. It is hard for me to sit here and say exactly what is going on since your doctors keep coming up with different things. I just know how that level affected me. And, yep, spent many a day going to the ER to get a shot of Toradol for the pain and Phenergan for the nausea. They really didn't do much except to treat the symptoms at the moment. So, when did you say your NS appointment is? I hope you can hang in there until then. :( It is very frustrating I know.

[Fayelle]

I feel your pain!!!!!

It took many years, probably close to 20 to get a doc who did more than call it psychological in my case......After 16 years I finally stopped seeing doctors altogether....I refused to see one for anything....I went exclusively with chiro care for a year, however then the vertigo got worse.....

One thing to note is that docs are extremely careful about diagnosing cervical spine injuries as causing any symptoms, especially dizziness because of the legal ramifications typically involved.....

Finally after 20 years I met my new PCP she has been a godsend.....She sends me for testing when new symptoms hit and she believes me.....When I met her I told her up front I had no love of doctors and trusted none of them.....I refused meds at first because I had learned to live in pain not wanting to become addicted, nor to become a drug seeker in the medical communities eyes, which had already occured with one hospital ER doc......

Finally I have been dx'd with Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, IBS, TMJ, Degenerative Disc Disease, and finally probable Fibromyalgia.....My symptoms are too long to list right now......Keep in mind I am 33 years old.....I take 12 meds a day plus my emergency pain meds.....I seldom go to the ER I don't trust them there.....One of the last times I went I was DX'd with mini strokes or TIA's just to have a neuro laugh the DX out of the office.....

So I feel your pain, I honestly do......

Keep an eye out for a doc you can work with.....Remember too they are not answer books for everything and they are guessing when tests do not pan out.....I had to learn that they were human and often err as well.....I have had a love hate relationship with the medical community for my entire life.....

Also remember not to let them get to you in terms of the attitudes, oftentimes they do not know how to respond with a simple "I do not know" it would be nice to hear that wouldn't it rather than there is nothing wrong go away moron......

I finally had to calm down and allow the Universe to take care of my health......I had to allow myself to live through the symptoms without panic so I didn't look like I belonged in therapy......So far this thing had not killed me so I had to learn patience and to advocate for myself in a way that would cause a doctor to listen to me......

I know its frustrating, and you expect these people to have it together.....Unfortunately they are as human as we are, and make mistakes like we do.....Form judgement patterns, and miss crucial information.....Unfortunately I know that doesn't make you feel any better......Take heart though eventually a doc will come along who can discover what the issue is, and that day will be a blessing.......

I wish you well!!!!!!!!

Fay

[BrokenBladder]

Fay that was very well said. It took several years for me to be diagnosed with my bladder disease. I just couldn't find a doctor who believed the amount of pain I was in at such a young age. They all kept giving me different causes until one day I met the doctor who changed my life. He found the cause and has been a God Send to me ever since.
Glenn I have to believe this will happen for you too. There are just too many of us who went through a rough time to finally find the right doctor and then about the time we gave up the wonderful doctor was found.
Hang in there!! If I remember correctly your next appointment is 4-24.

[Quahog]

I am not feeling well so I will be brief.

thank you all for your support.

Anyways, I spoke with my PCP office today and the nurse wanted to know which Neuro to send me to. I've seen so many of them. I told her I don't have any preference or any idea for that matter.

She then asks me why the doctor are thinking it's MS when my Brain and C-sspin MRI are normal with the exception of the C3-C4 disc and possibly C5-C6. Again I told her I've no idea.

It was decided that we would wait until after the NS appointment and go from there.

I also asked if there was any way I could get an Rx for Zofran. Meclizine is useless and the Phenergan isn't really helping anymore either.
So far I am waiting to find out. I do have to wond erif my ears are causing this. Of coruse they seem fine. My neck is on fire and when I turn it I get these nasty crunching noises. (Crepitus) and then all H*** breaks loose and things get worse.

Later

[jena1225]

Hey Q - Sorry you are having problems :( I agree, with negative MRI's of brain and C-spine, and with all the burning and crunching, I actually think they are WAY off base with the MS thing. I have that crunching in my lumbar and hips, and it has NOTHING to do with my MS.

I really hope you get some answers soon.

[Kathi49]

Glenn,

I really am hoping your NS can help you out! The more I read your posts, the madder I get. Probably because I went through something similar. But since I just took a Norco I better shut up or I will go off on all the doctors for ya! :eek:

[Joey54]

It can be difficult to find a Doc that has common sense and a very expensive journey.

I stay out of the ER unless I believe I am in very serious trouble.

I struggled 9 years for a diagnosis, if any Doc would have touched my back or asked a few ladies what happened when my back was touched the journey would have been much easier.

I will stop or waste more time on an unfortunate past and encounters with incompetent asses.

Good luck,

Joey

[exitwound]

I have had nothing but bad luck going to ERs here in Maine for chronic conditions. All they are really prepared to handle well are acute injuries. They are terribly useless for chronic pain conditions. It's sad but it's the truth and I hope that I can help other sufferers avoid wasting time, getting sick from the hospital germs (it happened to me like clockwork both times I went to Maine Med last year).

They simply don't want to touch us with a fifty foot pole. Even the compassionate ones, presented with me and my wife & baby, all clearly middle class with insurance coverage, in tow....were basically useless to me when I came in there complaining of blinding agony beyond all tolerance.

I am always here. I am working with another CP sufferer to build a new site for us locals, and some other resources for our benefit. And I am always here on BT. Stay in touch. I will do whatever I can do help you.

My big prayer now is that MaineCare will cover Opana in dosages I can use, in combination with Oxycodone CR, for the time being. This will give me a safety net if there is any trouble paying for the brand Oxycontin when that's all that's available in the near future.....and the relief should be superior to my current OxyCR-only base medication regime. Also the risk of nausea/vomiting should be reduced at the moderately high doses I need, since I'm very sensitive to these effects and even though my recent vomiting appears to have nothing to do with my meds....anything that improves my odds of beating these GI issues is a good thing.

Anyhow. best of luck, and stay in touch!

Maybe it's just me but I sure do have the worst luck with people who call themselves doctor. Doctor HA that's a laugh

Tonight for example I am struck with the worst dizziness and weakness numbness yet. It's so bad I actually fell down. My lower back is screaming, my Rt hip is on fire which radiates into my groin and other places. Then there is old faithful my neck which is causing my agony. My pain helps are helping somewhat but the dizziness is BAD !! nothing I took was helping it. Phenergan, Meclizine.

So I thought my blood glucose was high and decided to go to the ER against my better judgement of course.

My GF drives me and I am brought in via wheelcahir. Thankful I did not have to wait long. Of course I am then made to wait. So finalyl afte waiting for a long time in distress. the doctor comes in examines me for all of 5 minutes tells me that a C3-C4 disc would not cause dizziness and numbness. Asks me what I took for the dizziness and I told him meclizine. He then looks and me and tells me you can't get it over the counter. At this point i know I'm in trouble as I was just staring at a bottle that I bought eariler in the week. He then tells me I have Meniere's disease and says I can leave. Never checked my sugar. and completely discounted my visit. This guy was as useless as you know what on a bull. and of course I get stuck with him. Meniere's disease my foot ! Even MS makes more sense than that.

The next big question I have to ask myself it why do I continue to bother. They will never find the cause of all this.

I am doomed to become paralyzed and no one #*@! cares

[exitwound]

I am in the same situation with Phenergan and Zofran my friend. Zofran is usually prescribed for chemo patients so it's very expensive and requires PA....my doc has dragged his heels on submitting. I will push harder for that, and some phenergan suppositories to round out the arsenal, at my next appointment this coming week.

I am also going to try to throw a Hail Mary pass on my pain meds. Maybe just maybe I can get my pain levels down somewhat because I'm in a horrible, horrible flare and if I don't make some changes ASAP I am truly screwed.

I am not feeling well so I will be brief.

thank you all for your support.

Anyways, I spoke with my PCP office today and the nurse wanted to know which Neuro to send me to. I've seen so many of them. I told her I don't have any preference or any idea for that matter.

She then asks me why the doctor are thinking it's MS when my Brain and C-sspin MRI are normal with the exception of the C3-C4 disc and possibly C5-C6. Again I told her I've no idea.

It was decided that we would wait until after the NS appointment and go from there.

I also asked if there was any way I could get an Rx for Zofran. Meclizine is useless and the Phenergan isn't really helping anymore either.
So far I am waiting to find out. I do have to wond erif my ears are causing this. Of coruse they seem fine. My neck is on fire and when I turn it I get these nasty crunching noises. (Crepitus) and then all H*** breaks loose and things get worse.

Later

[exitwound]

I do know a doc....my primary/family doc, a very special and compassionate man....but I am so nervous about mentioning his name or referring him any more chronic pain patients when his involvement with his handful of CP patients (he doesn't prescribe narcotics as a general rule but is not cruelly restrictive for those he does treat for pain, which is a rare blessing). He also knows what "typical" treatments aren't worth pushing. I had to try a lot of the typical options, like Prednisone, Lyrica, Neurontin, more NSAIDs, many antibiotics, all of which were useless or worse....and now I will probably be pressured to try some DMARDs like Remicade, Enbrel, Methotrexate et cetera but I am scared shitless about these drugs. Even if they DO work as well as could possibly be expected the "side effects" are horrifying.

Massive osteoperosis. Cancer. Immune supression and dangerous infections/illnesses triggered by the immune supression.

Just seems like idiocy to me. But it's all that Rheumatologists have, even though they know the success rates are very poor with Reiter Syndrome especially my form of the disease....and they know quite well the consequences of taking these incredibly toxic poisons. It's shotgun medicine, killing the patient in order to save him.

Reiter Syndrome is destroying my body, robbing me of my quality of life and quite probably also killing me in its own way. It can cause tremendous inflammation of the vital organs and is so poorly understood its consequences may be even more dire in my case than they appear from the research. But I have a lot more hope about being able to beat Reiter's by other means than I do about being able to get a net gain from DMARDs.

Anyhow....if you have no other option, I might consider giving you the name of my doc if he gives me permission. I don't know if he would be comfortable taking over your pain meds at your current stage but he might be able to facilitate some things that you're not getting taken care of properly right now....

Absent that, I will do whatever I can to help a fellow Mainer negotiate this weird and crazy medical system we have here in the state. I can certainly use some help with the same thing myself, and ought to do whatever I can do accumulate such knowledge along the way....

I am not feeling well so I will be brief.

thank you all for your support.

Anyways, I spoke with my PCP office today and the nurse wanted to know which Neuro to send me to. I've seen so many of them. I told her I don't have any preference or any idea for that matter.

She then asks me why the doctor are thinking it's MS when my Brain and C-sspin MRI are normal with the exception of the C3-C4 disc and possibly C5-C6. Again I told her I've no idea.

It was decided that we would wait until after the NS appointment and go from there.

I also asked if there was any way I could get an Rx for Zofran. Meclizine is useless and the Phenergan isn't really helping anymore either.
So far I am waiting to find out. I do have to wond erif my ears are causing this. Of coruse they seem fine. My neck is on fire and when I turn it I get these nasty crunching noises. (Crepitus) and then all H*** breaks loose and things get worse.

Later

[Matuboo]

Maybe it's just me but I sure do have the worst luck with people who call themselves doctor. Doctor HA that's a laugh

Tonight for example I am struck with the worst dizziness and weakness numbness yet. It's so bad I actually fell down. My lower back is screaming, my Rt hip is on fire which radiates into my groin and other places. Then there is old faithful my neck which is causing my agony. My pain helps are helping somewhat but the dizziness is BAD !! nothing I took was helping it. Phenergan, Meclizine.

So I thought my blood glucose was high and decided to go to the ER against my better judgement of course.

My GF drives me and I am brought in via wheelcahir. Thankful I did not have to wait long. Of course I am then made to wait. So finalyl afte waiting for a long time in distress. the doctor comes in examines me for all of 5 minutes tells me that a C3-C4 disc would not cause dizziness and numbness. Asks me what I took for the dizziness and I told him meclizine. He then looks and me and tells me you can't get it over the counter. At this point i know I'm in trouble as I was just staring at a bottle that I bought eariler in the week. He then tells me I have Meniere's disease and says I can leave. Never checked my sugar. and completely discounted my visit. This guy was as useless as you know what on a bull. and of course I get stuck with him. Meniere's disease my foot ! Even MS makes more sense than that.

The next big question I have to ask myself it why do I continue to bother. They will never find the cause of all this.

I am doomed to become paralyzed and no one #*@! cares


This story sounds very familiar to me, as I have also been to the ER in pain several times and have never experienced any positive results. God forbid you should drive yourself, if they give you pain meds they won't let you leave, you must somehow secure a ride, which is difficult to do for someone who is living in an area with no family. I mean, I can understand their concern about giving out meds and allowing a person to leave the hospital in a car but with what they charge, they should offer a free shuttle!


The only thing ER's are good for is acute medical emergencies, heart attacks, extremely high fever/massive infection or any other situation where you believe your life might be in danger. That's been my experience although I'm sure people have different opinions. When I've gone to the ER in pain, the doctors are usually dogmatic and seem almost indifferent, usually unwilling to perform any meaningful diagnostic tests, beyond a simple X-Ray. I mean if your X-Ray is negative and your blood work comes back ok, you must not be perfectly fit!:rolleyes: I've also gone to the ER with chest pain and they will give you an EKG immediately, although if that is normal, they'll make you sit in the waiting room as long as anyone else. EKG's are not good diagnostic tools for heart attacks. Some doctors have offered to RX pain meds but what good does that do, considering I can't take the script anyway (even though I've stated that I am currently on pain meds and under contract.)


I've had lightheadedness and dizziness before and have found meclizine to be relatively useless. Although klonopin has provided some relief.


This is not intended to slam doctors or nurses as my own father was a physician and my mother a nurse but I've had some really bad experiences in ER's myself. I've simply ascertained that it's always better (unless you are in immediate danger) to consult your on-call doctor. I've had a few get a little crabby on me if I call them on a weekend but usually they'll at least provide you with some sound advice and whether or not it's time to go to the hospital. Then, at least you can say, my doctor told me to come.


M

[jena1225]

I hate ER's! They have yet to do any good for me :rolleyes: Get this - my hubby goes to ER after ripping his bicept muscle straight from the tendon :eek:

They give him NO pain meds, and tell him there is nothing they can do, and that, quote, "You will just have to walk around like everyone else without a muscle attached to his arm" Can you believe that?

I wrote a letter to the head of the ER, (acting as if I was him), so when they called, he just accepted there apology, and down-played it! I would have given them a BIG piece of my mind and asked for a personal apology from that Doctor. I was sooo mad.

They are very pompous and think anyone not "dying" is just a weaner-whiner

[Kathi49]

Jena,

OMG! I would have been on the d*#* phone! But I did have to laugh at your whiner statement. :)

I don't know; most times when I go to the ER closest to me they are really pretty good. I just HATE the time it takes to get discharged. Now, the other day when I went, it was pretty useless. And, well, yeah, my arms felt like they were falling off. Maybe it was just the doctor. Or, maybe it was just me being a whiner. :D Normally, they are pretty good. But there is one further northwest from me that is EXCELLENT! And that's the hospital my spine docs use. Boy, they were on it the two times I was there; did everything they could, asked tons of questions, gave me meds and printed off a sheet explaining what they had done and given me. And then asked that I call them when I got home. So, yep, there are differences between the two.

[jena1225]

lol, that's what I call my kids when they are crying over nothing! Heck - I call myself it all the time! lol

I guess I have to keep in mind that MY ER's are notorious for chopping off the wrong leg/testicle, etc... :rolleyes:

[Kathi49]

STOP! LMAO!

It isn't funny, I know. But dang, to have your husband rip his tendon off and then do nothing is something else!!!

[jena1225]

I know, can you believe that! I was so mad when he told me he just said "no biggie"! I was like, what a DA! It just really "gets my goat" when health professionals blow people off like they are nothing! What makes them think they are any differentthan the person in front of them :rolleyes:

[Kathi49]

Hey Jena,

No doubt!! I was just wondering yesterday what my Neurologist would REALLY do if she ever has a cervical herniation in her neck or anywhere for that matter. I think I will ask her that next time I see her. :) Anyway, my PM gets it, and he gets it because he KNOWS the pain having issues himself. So does my Uro doc. Now that guy makes me laugh because he told me to watch how he sits. And he sits to one side because his butt and leg hurt but he refuses to have any surgery...not yet anyway. Oh, well, I guess some are must more compassionate than others.

[jena1225]

I agree - my PCP's Nurse, who has also turned into a friend :) also has MS, and since they are very close in that office, like a family, she really does empathise. She thinks of her nurse like a sister, so she can empathise.

It certainly does help when they can relate b/c they have been there, or at least close to someone who has.

I think some of the ER people are just desensitized. They are young, arrogant, and seem to think showing you they care is a no-no! But, that is only from MY experiences :rolleyes:

I love that "roll eyes" icon! I am always doing it, lol

[Quahog]

For the most part my expereiences in my local ER have been fairly decent as well. In fact I think i amy have jinxed myself by saying how everytime I went they were very nice to me. Gave me medication to help and were very quick. I don't accept pain medications from the ER due to my pain contract. but there have been many times were they wouldn't take no for answer and gave them to me anyways. The doctor told me that I needed them and if my pain doctor had a problem then he could call her directly. How's that for decent medical treatment. I kind of knew when I went that I may be in trouble. For one I was made to wait for awhile in a room and no one bothered to ask how i was. Normally, they would've already treated me at least initally. This guy( ER doctor) gave me a hard time about some medication I had taken. saying that you could not get it OTC. Then after I told him my symptoms and my History told me oh we don't treat chronic pain. I then basically yelled at him. that was not why I was there. To make a long story short tells me my neck wouldn't cause all these symptoms. What an IDIOT and then after I told him meclizine did not work for me and that I had some at home. What does he do ? he gives the meclizine to me anyways. This guy pissed me off so bad I had a hard time controlling my temper. I wanted to tell him off so bad but I didn't. I really wish now that I had. Well here it is about a week later and I am still dizzy. My pcp still has not called me back about an Rx for dizziness, vertigo ,nausea :( The good news is my health insurance covers zofran without a PA but I have never heard back from my doctor.
I am thinking the nurse forgot to tell her. I've been managing but it is not easy the good news is that my blood glucose has been normal. 75-80 for fasting numbers and about 100-110 2 hours after eating. I think it's safe to say that my glcuose levels are not the cause of all this.

A doctor I have chatted with has told me that there maybe an issue with my C1-C2 in addition to everything else going on. He can't say for sure of course but thinks it could be a Chiari Malformation or an anatomic variation at the C 1 level that is pushing on the spinal cord. I do not know how much truth there is in what he told me but it looks like yet another problem that has been over looked.

In addition to everything I mentioned, I am also experiencing a glove, stocking like numb sensation in my lower half. It includes both legs (they feel like lead weights) and now my arms are being effected. My face is also becoming numb. this includes my nose, and my upper teeth as well. It is always worse after physical activity. I also can no longer lift my arms and hands over my head.

At this point nothing surprises me anymore and it would cetainly explain the symptoms but then again many other things could as well. However, I can say without a doubt that the ER doc is a fool and I do not have a labyrinth disease such as Meniere's.

[Kira]

I hate going to the ER. It makes me crazy when they blow off what I am telling them about my disease and then do everything wrong. There are basically two kinds of doctors I run into in the ER: the kind who won't admit that they don't know anything about my disease and so they act all snotty and refuse to listen to what I am saying, and the kind who admit they don't know much about mito and actually listen to me and call my metabolic doc and read the notes in my chart on the computer. I really, really prefer the second kind... it is downright dangerous to act like the first kind.

I know what it is like to be walking around feeling like crap and not having a dx, too. It took about 7 years from when I first started trying to get a dx (scary neuro symptoms, vomiting like crazy for weeks on end, exhaustion, muscle pain)... and I just got my "official" dx last week. They have only been taking it seriously for the past two years or so. It sucks to have them look at you like you are crazy when you are just trying to figure out why your body is acting so strange. I have seriously considered writing letters to the docs who blew me off back when I first got sick... though I don't know how much good that would do.

Oh, BTW, I also take phenergan and zofran fairly often. Zofran is really expensive, but they did recently come out with a generic for it. The drug name is ondansetron. There is a similar med called dolasetron (Anzimet) which works about the same as zofran. The best thing about zofran is that it comes in "orally disintegrating tablets" that you put under your tongue and let dissolve. That way, you don't have to keep a pill down when you are puking. But it is really expensive stuff...$300-some dollars for 9 of the generic under-the-tongue tablets, and $800-some dollars for 9 of the name-brand ones.

[krashleen]

Hey, not all doctors graduated at the top of their class. I have to remember that. Even with their diplomas and all hanging on the wall.

My local ER is wonderful with me. However, they wouldn't fast-track me last time due to my brain surgery. The ER doc asked if I needed any scripts to take with me, and of course I declined.

neurologists? They are useless in my book...too scientific. They told me my Chiari malformation was "subjective" and my PM doc said that a "gunshot wound to the head is subjective" hows that for a laugh.

Keep looking, there are good docs out there.