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My Doctor will not listen to me

Dumpling
1 Recommendation

Hi,

I started a few months ago going to Duke Hospital. I complained of back, left leg including knee pain. My doctors are playing with me (I feel like they are) and testing areas that have nothing to do with why I hurt. They gave me cortisone shots in my hips a few weeks ago, no change in hurting area. Now they see that I have some kind of tears somewhere around where my pelvic and hip connect and they want to shoot me there also. If they had not mentioned these tears I would not have known the difference because I have no pain in that area. My knees are throbbing, my back is killing me and I can't get no satisfaction. Yeah, I know they are the ones who went to school and yeah I am the one who is hurting.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Cancer Surgery Advil Multiple myeloma Tramadol Pain Prostate enlargement Fibromyalgia Osteoarthritis Amyloidosis

25 replies

fish_server

Sometimes you can have something called referred pain where the place where you hurt is not the place that is injured.

Laura7

If you feel they are not listening than find someone who will. We pay their salary. I wish you all the best and hope one day soon you get some relief!!

Dumpling

The appointment is this Thursday. Do you feel that I should go? I am not looking for someone to take sides with me but to help me understand a little better. Isn't there such a thing as too many shots. Someone (who does not have a degree) said they will blow you up and in the end you will regret it. What you shared is something the Dr. was talking about. Thanks!

Dumpling

Hi,

Thank you for your reply Laura. This is the only issue I have with this Dr. She did put me on Tramdol 300 ER which allows me to go to work whereas before I was out of work for 3 weeks.

mickeygirl98

I am having the same issue. I just saw my doctor at Emory Orthopedics and Spine center in Atlanta, GA. Told me that my knee is all better and sent me on my way. Well, if my knee was better it wouldn't be throbbing. My foot is turning colors and I am in pain. Only if a doctor would listen to be and NOT be by the book maybe I would not be soo angry.

I asked the doctor about the pain I was in and he told me "take over the counter alieve". Well, if he looked at my chart he would of known I was allergic to alieve and all narcotic medications.

I am soooooooo frustrated at the moment. Not only am I in pain, but I work at a job that I HATE and spent money on something just for a doctor to show me out the door after only spending 5 minutes seeing me. I am still crying that I spent my money and time trying to fix my knee when I could of put more money torwards a bill. I am crying because the doctor would not talk to me about my problem and was a "BY THE BOOK" doctor.

Thank you for hearing my rant and hopefully I will find a doctor willing to listen to me and my pain.

Dumpling

I am sorry about your intense pain. Other than otc meds, what else are you doing for your pain. I can really relate to the throbbing knee pain and I sometimes prop my leg up and massage the pain area. I know this may sound crazy but it actually works for me. I apply as much pressure I can stand (without passing out ) in a poking kind of way.

Thanks for sharing, I hope you feel better soon.

mickeygirl98

Advil, Ice, Leg up and just doing stuff to get my mind off of the pain. I do massage the knee almost every day in the hopes that the pain will subside before the knee swells up like a balloon.

Thanks for caring and I hope you can find relief from your pain also.

dreamlady1931

I have been known to actually tell the doctor that s/he is not understanding my biggest concerns, or asking them why they don't seem to be answering my concerns about____________________(fill in the blank). Or, i've said, I am frustrated because this does not seem to be helping my pain. What can we do so i'll feel better.

I think that in our culture, we expect medical staff to be all knowing. I think that all doctors are NOT great communicators--either a personal issue or the fall out of our scheduling problems or because, we haven't been clear or clarify when we aren't getting what we need.

Give yourself permission to speak up. No one else can take care of us if we don't!. Give yourself to ask questions and question YOUR plan for treatment!
Mary

Dumpling

Thank you Mary for your suggestions. I will give them a try!

Thanks

Hindustani41

I have similar experience with U S doctors & specialists. I hurt my knee in 2007. They did not treat the cause of disease & gave me pain killers which caused stomach problem. After X-ray & MRI they diagonosed it as arthritus. I do not agree. Pain is where I hurt the knee on the bone. Any suggestions?

Dumpling

Hi,

How did you hurt your knee? My knees act like they want to lock up like they did today while I was in the store. It is very painful when that happens

Hindustani41

I suffer from prostate enlargement therefore I have to get up at night for passing urine. My bedroom is small therefore I hit the corner of night table three times in 2007.

fulviaschild

Hello,
My name is Terri and I was reading these posts and relate with everyone of you. I have been diagnosed with crohns ds, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. I have been seeing the same rheumatologist for years and I am getting worse. He keeps saying that it is the fibromyalgia that is causing the most pain and in the mean time some of my joints and disc's are changing .
So my husband and I made an appointment for Emory in Atl and I went there this week. I am a firm believer that if the doctor you have is not listening then get another one.
My mother was sick for years and had heart surg in feb of 08 for a mitral valve replacement, by june of 08 she passed away. The problem was that for all the years she was telling her primary dr. her problems and pains they just told her to lose weight or gave her another pill to take. In feb she had heart surg and never got better, finally the physician that was treating her said we are going to send you to Emory(end of may) because they didn't know what to do for her here. It was within the first week of being at Emory that we found out she had multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, she passed away june 15th, by the time a doctor started really digging to find out why she did not respond to treatment it was too late.
My point is that like someone else said earlier we have to be proactive in our health care, most doctors only look at the obvious and sometimes we need someone who will listen and dig a little deeper.
Sorry for such a long note but since my mother went through all this it taught me that no one knows your body better then yourself and if the physician will not listen,at least go somewhere for a second opinion, we are the ones paying them.
By the way the little lady next to the clown is my mother the night before surgery.
I hope you get the answers you need and i pray you get some relief and peace of mind.

Dumpling

I went by to my Dr. and had a "deep" discussion about my situation. She convinced me that I do need the cortisone shots. They may or may not help but at least I will know what is going on in that area. The pain is coming from my hips and going down my leg. So, I am to get the shots next Mon. I will let you know what happens. Who knows, maybe I will be able to run the marathon.

Dumpling

algia247

If your foot is turning colors you might have and infection some where or a blood clot . do they know your foot is turning colors?

Dumpling

Hi,
I think you answered to the wrong person. I never said anything about discoloration on my foot.

Anyway, how are you feeling today? I hope your day goes well.

thanks,
dumpling

razz51

Doctors by law have to address your pain. Point this out. Request a referral to a pain management center. It is possible it is referred pain. Take the hip shots, especially if they've found tears. Be nice but be persistent.

Dumpling

Hi Razz51,

Thank you for responding to my post. Requesting a copy of my films is just what i am going to do. I have a pain management doctor but have not been to see him for at least two years. Maybe I should give him a call and let him know that i am going to Duke so he can get in on it. #2- I have to drive almost two hrs to see those doctors which is very tiring, especially just to get a cort. shot and turn around. He could monitor the shots at the local hospital. what do you all think?
Dumpling

madwife

Well, don't go to Pinnacle Orthodaedics. Husband had surgery to repair meniscal tear and the doctor told him he'd be able to return to work the next day - he stands on his feet 12 hrs a day and doc knew this. The PA said he could drive the next day - even though he was taking narcotics!!!

Before surgery, he had an injection, etc - costing over $500, then had the surgery and now one month after surgery, had to have the same procedure he had before the surgery that was supposed to fix everything. These docs must think all we have to do is run back and forth to their office and pay the bills. Well, I have a feeling our lousy insurance isn't going to pay for this repeat of the same treatment he had before the surgery that was supposed to fix everything. Insurance company has already tried to say it should be a workman's compensation claim even though no accident report was filed because the initial pain came on gradually. What a mess.

madwife

Doctor totally ignored after surgery rehab even though his own web site has a detailed description of each week of therapy after a meniscal repair. My husband was told to do what ever he felt like doing after surgery - twoo weeks later he was in pain again, even though he was very careful and rested the first wk after the repair. Stay away from Pinnacle - they don't even follow their own standards as posted on their web site.

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