Bad doctor ?? How do I tell him I'm not happy with his treatment?

[Skatterbunny]

So I went to see my doctor last week with a few issues. I'm a very reluctant patient and have a major fear of doctors so me going in means I have something really wrong.

So he deals with my other complaints and then I told him that a few days ago I had been experiencing bad chest pains and it had hurt for approx 3 days straight and I am exhausted and feel I may have had a heart attack. He said ok let's do some blood tests. So I have them and went back for results today. He said this is fine this is fine your iron and cholesterol are fine blah blah then he said do you drink alcohol? Your liver function results are a bit low? I said nope never drink. He just said well it was probably just from your skin inflammation (I have eczema).. I said should I be getting that checked he said  no it's fine. I asked again about my chest pain and he just brushed it off and sent me home. Not once did he listen to my heart or lungs nor take my blood pressure. Does anyone else find that strange for a doctor ?? I'm 47 so I'm not too young to have a heart attack. I'm still very worried .  But its hard to find any doctors accepting new patients in my town. I'm too shy to say hey you didn't resolve my issue. 

[Coily]

I find it very disturbing for a doctor to not even give a cursory exam if the areas of complaint. Sure it could just be as he said; but how long does it take to listen to a patient's lungs or heart? 3 minutes? This quack just did some blood work, saw the eczema and decided he had better things to do.

I won't speculate on anything you could have, but the fact you are having chest pains and it's not a heart attack, suggests they do more tests or diagnosis. I would  demand a second opinion, call around to some of the other doctors and express that you need a second opinion not being admitted as a regular patient.

Even at 47, there could be congenital conditions, flukes of biology, really anything at any age. Don't let his tee-time get in the way of you getting answers.

I am a bit animated on this, I had a doctor who refused to x-ray my knee injury or address other injuries and brushed it off as me getting "older" at 26. My fractured kneecap healed, but still causes me occasional problems. Same happened when I had mild Covid, but I had diagnosed pneumonia complications; they were content with sending me away. As a result I have very low trust with Doctors.

[Seraphim]

1 hour ago, Skatterbunny said:

So I went to see my doctor last week with a few issues. I'm a very reluctant patient and have a major fear of doctors so me going in means I have something really wrong.

So he deals with my other complaints and then I told him that a few days ago I had been experiencing bad chest pains and it had hurt for approx 3 days straight and I am exhausted and feel I may have had a heart attack. He said ok let's do some blood tests. So I have them and went back for results today. He said this is fine this is fine your iron and cholesterol are fine blah blah then he said do you drink alcohol? Your liver function results are a bit low? I said nope never drink. He just said well it was probably just from your skin inflammation (I have eczema).. I said should I be getting that checked he said  no it's fine. I asked again about my chest pain and he just brushed it off and sent me home. Not once did he listen to my heart or lungs nor take my blood pressure. Does anyone else find that strange for a doctor ?? I'm 47 so I'm not too young to have a heart attack. I'm still very worried .  But its hard to find any doctors accepting new patients in my town. I'm too shy to say hey you didn't resolve my issue. 

Blood tests would show whether you had a heart attack or not . If you go into a hospital with a suspected, heart attack, they always do blood test to check initially . My father had a heart attack . My husband went in for suspected heart attack and they did blood work and said , no, you are fine. They did say it was a panic attack and he did have severe anxiety at the time . 
 

Do you have anxiety? Anxiety can cause chest pain if severe enough. 

[Seraphim]

[Seraphim]

Blood tests are used to diagnose hundreds and hundreds of conditions. 

[boltnrun]

I was having chest pains and was given an EKG and put on a heart monitor 🤷‍♀️ I guess it depends on the provider.

I had a doctor for years who didn't examine me, not ONE time. I changed doctors.

Can you contact your insurance carrier and ask for a referral to a different PCP?

[Seraphim]

2 minutes ago, boltnrun said:

I was having chest pains and was given an EKG and put on a heart monitor 🤷‍♀️ I guess it depends on the provider.

I had a doctor for years who didn't examine me, not ONE time. I changed doctors.

Can you contact your insurance carrier and ask for a referral to a different PCP?

I had a 30 second EKG about 4 years ago to check my heart because my blood pressure was very high. The wanted to check for heart damage because 4 people on my dad’s side died of heart attacks and my dad had 5 heart attacks and a triple bypass at 40 and an another one at 65. Thankfully, my heart is fine . 
 

People, can change doctors if unhappy , but I don’t think people put the stock they should in blood tests. They tell you A Lot about your specific and overall health. 

[Wiseman2]

5 hours ago, Skatterbunny said:

 I had been experiencing bad chest pains and it had hurt for approx 3 days straight and I am exhausted and feel I may have had a heart attack. 

Sorry this is happening. Contact your insurance plan and see what other providers are available. 

I don't mean to sound like a public service announcement, but chest pains and feeling like you're having a heart attack is something you need to call EMS for. 

Obviously they'll do a cardiac and complete work up there and possibly refer you to a better physician or cardiologist.

[Cherylyn]

Speak up while you're in the examining room. 

Or, make an appointment with a new doctor.

[Skatterbunny]

On 9/16/2023 at 1:02 AM, Seraphim said:

Blood tests would show whether you had a heart attack or not . If you go into a hospital with a suspected, heart attack, they always do blood test to check initially . My father had a heart attack . My husband went in for suspected heart attack and they did blood work and said , no, you are fine. They did say it was a panic attack and he did have severe anxiety at the time . 
 

Do you have anxiety? Anxiety can cause chest pain if severe enough. 

No major anxiety or panic  attacks at all. I have been under massive amounts of stress in last 7 years of life though.. major life events that I have struggled to deal with.  I at times used to get chest pains when really upset but these ones just feel different. I just don't look or feel healthy. The pain is back again today just dull but there still. I don't want to go to a hospital and wait 10 hrs to be seen if it turns out to be not much. I've also been gaining a bit of weight it feels like fluid maybe around my stomach and I have been rail thin my entire life. I put it down to middle age until my friend said it could be fluid if my hearts not operating at full health.  I wish I wasn't petrified of doctors and especially hospitals. Makes caring for my health hard. 

[Skatterbunny]

On 9/16/2023 at 12:06 AM, Coily said:

I find it very disturbing for a doctor to not even give a cursory exam if the areas of complaint. Sure it could just be as he said; but how long does it take to listen to a patient's lungs or heart? 3 minutes? This quack just did some blood work, saw the eczema and decided he had better things to do.

I won't speculate on anything you could have, but the fact you are having chest pains and it's not a heart attack, suggests they do more tests or diagnosis. I would  demand a second opinion, call around to some of the other doctors and express that you need a second opinion not being admitted as a regular patient.

Even at 47, there could be congenital conditions, flukes of biology, really anything at any age. Don't let his tee-time get in the way of you getting answers.

I am a bit animated on this, I had a doctor who refused to x-ray my knee injury or address other injuries and brushed it off as me getting "older" at 26. My fractured kneecap healed, but still causes me occasional problems. Same happened when I had mild Covid, but I had diagnosed pneumonia complications; they were content with sending me away. As a result I have very low trust with Doctors.

I thought he would have at least listened to my heart with a stethoscope and pretended to be a doctor. Lol.  Or checked my blood pressure?  How do they know my blood pressure wasn't sky high? The blood test lady never took it either. 

[Seraphim]

3 hours ago, Skatterbunny said:

I thought he would have at least listened to my heart with a stethoscope and pretended to be a doctor. Lol.  Or checked my blood pressure?  How do they know my blood pressure wasn't sky high? The blood test lady never took it either. 

If you went to a blood lab those people aren’t nurses , they go to school to learn how to take blood samples and use a Holter monitor and an EKG machine. They may know some things from working in a medical field but they are not trained for anything else . 
 

I understand I have a medical phobia as well. If you want specialized heart tests , the hospital is where you have to go. I know it is terrifying but the alternative isn’t very cheery. 

[Starlight925]

Change doctors, even if it means a drive for you.

Agree, that he should have listened more to your concerns.  Sounds like you got the "you're fine" brush-off, when clearly, you don't feel fine.

Just because someone has an M.D. after their name does not make them a kind, compassionate human.

I'm in this world professionally, and I see it every day.  There are amazing ones, and there are....shall we say, not so amazing ones.

Give this doctor the same blow-off he's giving you.

[Lambert]

Your health is your responsibility.  If you don't like this doctor, shop around for another one.  I am kind of in the same boat.  I have a doctor and I don't really like her.  Just a few little red flags IMO.  She recommended a treatment I have zero risk factors for.  Her office doesn't relay info from test results without my asking.  They can be kind of snarky when I ask questions.  I will stick with her if anything should come up, but I think for my next annual physical, I will shop around. 

That's what you have to do.  You have make an appointment and meet a new doctor-- every time.  It's a pain, but as new patient doctors don't just consult without seeing you.  So it can be a pain in the butt.  However, my previous doctor was GREAT and I hope to find another great one.

[Seraphim]

Here in Canada we have a doctor shortage . We don’t dare give up a doctor . It could take you a few years to get another one . In Ontario there is no real “ doctor shopping “ you have to call healthcare connect and they put you on a prioritized list and they will call you when a doctor has room . My doctor is three hours away. 

[boltnrun]

12 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Here in Canada we have a doctor shortage . We don’t dare give up a doctor . It could take you a few years to get another one . In Ontario there is no real “ doctor shopping “ you have to call healthcare connect and they put you on a prioritized list and they will call you when a doctor has room . My doctor is three hours away. 

That's crazy.  In the US if I want to change doctors I go on the website for my insurance company and pull up a list of doctors.  I can choose whichever specialty I want.  I then find the doctors who are accepting new patients which is about 75% of the listed doctors.  Then I call them and make an appointment.  There is usually a three to six week wait to get an appointment, but that's it.

OP, are you in the US or another country?

[Wiseman2]

4 hours ago, Skatterbunny said:

. I don't want to go to a hospital and wait 10 hrs.. my friend said it could be fluid if my hearts not operating at full health.  I wish I wasn't petrified of doctors and especially hospitals. 

If you call EMS and complain of chest pain, you won't be waiting around for 10 hours. In fact they'll take your vital signs in the ambulance and initiate testing and treatment asap. Please take care of your health and try not to let friends and lay people scare you or diagnose you. 

Also you'll be assigned doctors to follow up with upon discharge. Frankly it's better to be safe than sorry. Complaining about incompetent doctors or poor bedside manner won't do anything to improve your health. Address things promptly and try to find another provider.

[boltnrun]

@Wiseman2is right.  In the US if you call 911 and say you have chest pains or go to the ER with chest pains they will take you pretty much right away.

[Starlight925]

Great point, @Seraphim .  OP, not sure what the doctor shortage situation is where you live, so just as you don't leave a job without finding a new one first, same goes for your doctor.

I, too, am going through a doctor situation, similar to @Lambert.

I have an appointment with someone new this week to hopefully replace her, but I still have my appointment on the books with her.

Something new that I've been doing is ordering my own labs and keeping my lab account to myself, sharing with my doctor rather than the other way around.   There are ways to get deeply discounted prices with the major labs.  I also have my own blood pressure monitor, which is very inexpensive.

Our health is our own!

[Seraphim]

Just now, boltnrun said:

That's crazy.  In the US if I want to change doctors I go on the website for my insurance company and pull up a list of doctors.  I can choose whichever specialty I want.  I then find the doctors who are accepting new patients which is about 75% of the listed doctors.  Then I call them and make an appointment.  There is usually a three to six week wait to get an appointment, but that's it.

OP, are you in the US or another country?

What happens here is doctors go to medical school here where their education will be subsidized then they go off to the States where they make more money. 

[Seraphim]

2 hours ago, Starlight925 said:

Great point, @Seraphim .  OP, not sure what the doctor shortage situation is where you live, so just as you don't leave a job without finding a new one first, same goes for your doctor.

I, too, am going through a doctor situation, similar to @Lambert.

I have an appointment with someone new this week to hopefully replace her, but I still have my appointment on the books with her.

Something new that I've been doing is ordering my own labs and keeping my lab account to myself, sharing with my doctor rather than the other way around.   There are ways to get deeply discounted prices with the major labs.  I also have my own blood pressure monitor, which is very inexpensive.

Our health is our own!

My doctor orders my blood work every three or four months because I am diabetic. I also have my own blood pressure machine ($35 on Amazon) because I am on medication for high blood pressure . 

[lostandhurt]

You have to be your own advocate when seeking treatment.  If not you, who?  Don't be shy but do not be condescending either. Asking questions is fine but second guessing is not so if you have an issue ask for a second opinion and you will be refereed to a colleague. No need to find a new doctor, just ask for a second opinion.  Some doctors might get butt hurt but they will get over it.

  Doctors are big on covering their butts so if your doctor thought for a moment you had a heart attack additional tests more than likely would have been ordered.

I am curious if you thought you were having a heart attack when it happened why you didn't go to the ER right away.  Chest pains for 3 days is not something to wait for an appointment for.

Lost 

[Coily]

Going to an Emergency Room, or Quick Clinic attached to a hospital would be a good idea. BUT do not call EMS just to get blood pressure and vitals checked as a second opinion for your Doctor doing a shoddy job. Depending on where you are, You can get a massive bill for wasting EMS resources.

Also an ER is more likely to do a full work up on your vitals to rule anything and everything out.

[top bloke]

You should get a referal to heart specialist. Your doctor is an idiot. Ditch that scumbag. You havent had a heart attack or bloods would have shown it. Fluid around stomach or legs can be heart disease related. Left heart ventricle damage  or stress on it can cause it. 

I went to hospital on 2 occasions stress test and ecgs were fine but had 99% blockages which were found a few days later after was released from hospital being told I was fine. It was a local heart ct scan which saved my life on both occasions.  Go see a cardiologist your doctor isnt smart enough or thorough enough to rule out angina etc. Better to be safe than sorry

[Batya33]

On 9/17/2023 at 9:37 AM, boltnrun said:

That's crazy.  In the US if I want to change doctors I go on the website for my insurance company and pull up a list of doctors.  I can choose whichever specialty I want.  I then find the doctors who are accepting new patients which is about 75% of the listed doctors.  Then I call them and make an appointment.  There is usually a three to six week wait to get an appointment, but that's it.

OP, are you in the US or another country?

I'm in the US.  I called to make my appointment for my annual physical 4 month in advance.  First available with my doc is 6 months and another doctor would be 4-5 months. If I was ill likely a shorter wait time.