I have multiple medical issues so unfortunately, I have a LOT of doctors. I have two allergists including a mast cell specialist, two gastroenterologists, two neurologists…I could go on. I also worked in nursing before my health caused me to “retire” early. So suffice it to say, I came into this with a pretty good working knowledge of th…
I have multiple medical issues so unfortunately, I have a LOT of doctors. I have two allergists including a mast cell specialist, two gastroenterologists, two neurologists…I could go on. I also worked in nursing before my health caused me to “retire” early. So suffice it to say, I came into this with a pretty good working knowledge of the system as a whole and how to discern doctors bad or biased attitudes from the get go. I knew how to advocate for myself and was pretty guarded but believed my doctors at least cared about my personal case and health as a whole. I definitely don’t believe that about most of them now because of what I’ve been through with them. The majority have shown they are just bureaucratic hags and care more about policy than patient and I adjust my conversations accordingly depending on whom I’m seeing. It’s been such an eye opener and shame because some of these doctors I’ve been with for over 15 years and my primary care was actually my coworker for almost that long as well. Their “groupthink” has now only made me 10x more educated and more guarded about my care. Obviously I’m only human and I’m dealing with a lot but, I try not to let them get anything past me or manipulate me about anything. I’ve called my specialists out on their lies, one doctor literally told me because I wasn’t jabbed, if I caught COVID, there was nothing that could be done for me…despite the fact that monoclonal antibodies were abundant at that time. Yeah, I didn’t let that one go that day. No one brings the jab up anymore but, during earlier days I used to go prepared to each appointment with a binder of evidence and my particular talking points for why I’m not getting the shot incase they tried to divert topic of appointment. I shouldn’t have had to do this, I’m a patient who has anaphylaxis that has reacted to past vaccines, that should have been enough for them to accept no as an acceptable answer but, I just always went ready. I always bring notes to my appointments, I need them to remember what I want to talk about that day but I find that referring to them keeps doctor on topic too.
And after some 15 years of doctoring, has your health improved? This is what I cannot stomach about the medical system. You go into it with some medical issue and they want to keep you a patient for life never figuring out what to do to cure your ills. Hope you do find some solutions.
This is a bit of a loaded question. I was born with a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) for which there is no “cure”. However, for me, this treatment is more physical therapy approaches and avoidance behaviors. I don’t even have an EDS specialist because frankly, one doesn’t exist. I have Dysautonomia/POTS which is very common to develop in those with EDS as it damages nerves and autonomic system. That damage unfortunately is permanent. I also have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, again very common in those with EDS/POTS, and I also have Crohn’s disease. People like to use the word “cure” in disorders that will never go away but for the grace of God, but for which remission is definitely a more appropriate word and able to be achieved. It isn’t always achieved unfortunately but, you just keep working at it. I work more towards dealing with the root causes of my symptoms, food intolerances, chemicals, toxins, etc., not exposing myself to things that will flare my symptoms/disorders. The best I have been able to do is make sure my doctors understand that this is a two way street, they do not run the show and dictate what and or how I decide to treat things. I’ve been extremely disappointed with their COVID group think and lapse in help they’ve been for a mask related injury I had (long story), that’s where they are policy over patient but, for my disorders I’ve done mostly ok with my team on leading my care and working together for the most part as a team.
I am so sorry for your ills. I need to stop complaining. But, you are so astute. They have made you this way and you have great value to others because of what you go through on a daily basis. Wow. All the best to you. :)
To me, a frightening aspect is that -- except for Big Pharma, most of the staff are NOT in it for the money. I'm on three "primary prevention" medications, all generic. Nobody's making a mint off my statin, hypertension med, or the baby aspirin. The Covid-19 (EUA) products without exception, are paid directly by the government. Although sky-high drug prices are an issue, the worst problem in my opinion are the incentives and mandates influencing doctors. For example, Doc probably gets some type of incentive pay to keep Old Doorknob on the primary prevention "recommended" from CDC/WHO/FDA/etc. But those "suggestions" are often mandates, and Doc risks discipline, dismissal or even civil and criminal penalties. In many cases, what our medical care now consists of are decisions made by a committee far away that will affect thousands or millions, and underling doctors have little autonomy but instead feel forced to follow those "guidelines."
Ok but, let’s go with the vaccines, the problem is that physicians do get incentives from health insurance plans for giving shots. “Efficiency bonus” or “quality of care” bonus. If they get a certain percentage of their patients vaccinated, they get a bonus. I can remember the doctors in my office having contests to see who could rack up the most flu shots in a season. We nurses used to keep count. There was an article where a pediatrician tried to downplay these bonuses as a nothing burger because he said, insurance companies wouldn’t offer incentives to boost numbers of something that would hurt the well-being of children when they are the ones not only footing the bill for the vaccine in the first place, but would also have to foot the bill if the child became vaccine injured. That wouldn’t make sense they said. So, it’s not a conflict of interest, they’re saving lives they said. Ah….but they are footing the bill! They just aren’t calling them or admitting they are vaccine injuries. How many children are developing Crohn’s and POTS and ME/CFS and food allergies and countless other autoimmune and chronic issues that they now require long term care for that they will never tie to their vaccine protocol? I shudder to think. The COVID shots, now that the cost has been rolled over to insurance plans, will have these same bonuses however, I would not be surprised that even when the government alone was paying for them, insurance companies made an actuarial decision that they would potentially lower their costs so substantially (you know, from the winter of death and despair or whatever Biden promised the unjabbed) that they gave doctors bonuses for giving them. Physicians also do still get biased by drug companies to prescribe their meds. It had slowed down to the drug lunch/dinner by the time I left the office but, an article in 2020 said that for every $1 spent on a doctor, they got a $2.64 back in revenue for a 164% return in investment. In years past when they were actually buying doctors football game tickets and taking them out on the town so to speak, this number was a 200-1700% return. So it may only be a free meal, but when you rack up those free meals it’s still like getting a bonus. I used to love Panera and Olive Garden days. All they have to do is prescribe Lipitor and check no substitute permitted. I think that is happening way less now though. Too many consumers are aware of cost saving generics now and insurances have gotten a lot more staunch with their preferred drug lists. Yes, doctors also have specific guidelines they are told by their state to follow. Here in Maine we had the 5210 program for kids with posters all over the walls and gave each well child a free book. You’re not wrong about the premise that decisions are lots of times made for us by committees, boards, etc. looking at us as a collective rather than what is best for us as an individual patient. I have a problem when the doctors are so indoctrinated or set in following a policy that they will actually harm a patient or blatantly do what’s not in their best interest just to save their license or reputation etc. What’s the point of being a doctor then?
I have multiple medical issues so unfortunately, I have a LOT of doctors. I have two allergists including a mast cell specialist, two gastroenterologists, two neurologists…I could go on. I also worked in nursing before my health caused me to “retire” early. So suffice it to say, I came into this with a pretty good working knowledge of the system as a whole and how to discern doctors bad or biased attitudes from the get go. I knew how to advocate for myself and was pretty guarded but believed my doctors at least cared about my personal case and health as a whole. I definitely don’t believe that about most of them now because of what I’ve been through with them. The majority have shown they are just bureaucratic hags and care more about policy than patient and I adjust my conversations accordingly depending on whom I’m seeing. It’s been such an eye opener and shame because some of these doctors I’ve been with for over 15 years and my primary care was actually my coworker for almost that long as well. Their “groupthink” has now only made me 10x more educated and more guarded about my care. Obviously I’m only human and I’m dealing with a lot but, I try not to let them get anything past me or manipulate me about anything. I’ve called my specialists out on their lies, one doctor literally told me because I wasn’t jabbed, if I caught COVID, there was nothing that could be done for me…despite the fact that monoclonal antibodies were abundant at that time. Yeah, I didn’t let that one go that day. No one brings the jab up anymore but, during earlier days I used to go prepared to each appointment with a binder of evidence and my particular talking points for why I’m not getting the shot incase they tried to divert topic of appointment. I shouldn’t have had to do this, I’m a patient who has anaphylaxis that has reacted to past vaccines, that should have been enough for them to accept no as an acceptable answer but, I just always went ready. I always bring notes to my appointments, I need them to remember what I want to talk about that day but I find that referring to them keeps doctor on topic too.
And after some 15 years of doctoring, has your health improved? This is what I cannot stomach about the medical system. You go into it with some medical issue and they want to keep you a patient for life never figuring out what to do to cure your ills. Hope you do find some solutions.
This is a bit of a loaded question. I was born with a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) for which there is no “cure”. However, for me, this treatment is more physical therapy approaches and avoidance behaviors. I don’t even have an EDS specialist because frankly, one doesn’t exist. I have Dysautonomia/POTS which is very common to develop in those with EDS as it damages nerves and autonomic system. That damage unfortunately is permanent. I also have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, again very common in those with EDS/POTS, and I also have Crohn’s disease. People like to use the word “cure” in disorders that will never go away but for the grace of God, but for which remission is definitely a more appropriate word and able to be achieved. It isn’t always achieved unfortunately but, you just keep working at it. I work more towards dealing with the root causes of my symptoms, food intolerances, chemicals, toxins, etc., not exposing myself to things that will flare my symptoms/disorders. The best I have been able to do is make sure my doctors understand that this is a two way street, they do not run the show and dictate what and or how I decide to treat things. I’ve been extremely disappointed with their COVID group think and lapse in help they’ve been for a mask related injury I had (long story), that’s where they are policy over patient but, for my disorders I’ve done mostly ok with my team on leading my care and working together for the most part as a team.
I am so sorry for your ills. I need to stop complaining. But, you are so astute. They have made you this way and you have great value to others because of what you go through on a daily basis. Wow. All the best to you. :)
To me, a frightening aspect is that -- except for Big Pharma, most of the staff are NOT in it for the money. I'm on three "primary prevention" medications, all generic. Nobody's making a mint off my statin, hypertension med, or the baby aspirin. The Covid-19 (EUA) products without exception, are paid directly by the government. Although sky-high drug prices are an issue, the worst problem in my opinion are the incentives and mandates influencing doctors. For example, Doc probably gets some type of incentive pay to keep Old Doorknob on the primary prevention "recommended" from CDC/WHO/FDA/etc. But those "suggestions" are often mandates, and Doc risks discipline, dismissal or even civil and criminal penalties. In many cases, what our medical care now consists of are decisions made by a committee far away that will affect thousands or millions, and underling doctors have little autonomy but instead feel forced to follow those "guidelines."
Ok but, let’s go with the vaccines, the problem is that physicians do get incentives from health insurance plans for giving shots. “Efficiency bonus” or “quality of care” bonus. If they get a certain percentage of their patients vaccinated, they get a bonus. I can remember the doctors in my office having contests to see who could rack up the most flu shots in a season. We nurses used to keep count. There was an article where a pediatrician tried to downplay these bonuses as a nothing burger because he said, insurance companies wouldn’t offer incentives to boost numbers of something that would hurt the well-being of children when they are the ones not only footing the bill for the vaccine in the first place, but would also have to foot the bill if the child became vaccine injured. That wouldn’t make sense they said. So, it’s not a conflict of interest, they’re saving lives they said. Ah….but they are footing the bill! They just aren’t calling them or admitting they are vaccine injuries. How many children are developing Crohn’s and POTS and ME/CFS and food allergies and countless other autoimmune and chronic issues that they now require long term care for that they will never tie to their vaccine protocol? I shudder to think. The COVID shots, now that the cost has been rolled over to insurance plans, will have these same bonuses however, I would not be surprised that even when the government alone was paying for them, insurance companies made an actuarial decision that they would potentially lower their costs so substantially (you know, from the winter of death and despair or whatever Biden promised the unjabbed) that they gave doctors bonuses for giving them. Physicians also do still get biased by drug companies to prescribe their meds. It had slowed down to the drug lunch/dinner by the time I left the office but, an article in 2020 said that for every $1 spent on a doctor, they got a $2.64 back in revenue for a 164% return in investment. In years past when they were actually buying doctors football game tickets and taking them out on the town so to speak, this number was a 200-1700% return. So it may only be a free meal, but when you rack up those free meals it’s still like getting a bonus. I used to love Panera and Olive Garden days. All they have to do is prescribe Lipitor and check no substitute permitted. I think that is happening way less now though. Too many consumers are aware of cost saving generics now and insurances have gotten a lot more staunch with their preferred drug lists. Yes, doctors also have specific guidelines they are told by their state to follow. Here in Maine we had the 5210 program for kids with posters all over the walls and gave each well child a free book. You’re not wrong about the premise that decisions are lots of times made for us by committees, boards, etc. looking at us as a collective rather than what is best for us as an individual patient. I have a problem when the doctors are so indoctrinated or set in following a policy that they will actually harm a patient or blatantly do what’s not in their best interest just to save their license or reputation etc. What’s the point of being a doctor then?