A Quack Doctor

I just had to share...
I posted a few weeks ago about this doctor I went to see regarding trying to get pregnant and he was just such a waste of space.  Well I have some 'disease' on my arm at the moment which is a nasty bubbling, blistering bunch of nastiness growing on my elbow.  I went to the doctor today and this was the converstaion.  It will probably take you longer to read it than I was actually in his office!

Dr: How can I help?
Me: (Holding up my elbow) I have this strange 'thing' happening here.
Dr: Yeah it looks like a bite of some kind
Me: No it's definitley not a bite, it's blister if you look at it
Dr: Yes, I think it's infected.  Probably Herpes or Shingles (gets out his prescription pad and writes me a script, hands it to me) Have a nice day.
Me: Huh?  Isnt Shingles bad? 
Dr: No
Me: Well herpes isnt great?!
Dr: Nah, everyone has it. Just take these 5 times a day for 5 days and come back if it doesnt clear up.
Me: OK (I should have said something here but I was so taken aback AGAIN but his rediculousness). 


So I left, confused and went to the pharmacy to get my drugs and hopefully this 'thing' on my arm will go away soon.  **Sigh**

They are both viruses.  What did he give you to treat it?  Unless he was suggesting a bacterial infection on top of a viral one?

If it is blistery and oozing with sort of honey colored crust it might be impetigo, which is bacterial. 

I've had doctors like that before . Bizarre.

I'm with bookgrl, I'd be curious to know what drug he gave you a prescription for.

He gave me Aciclovir.  I googled it and found it's an antiviral used to treat Herpes and Shingles.  I just found it frustrating that he didn't even look at me or check my glands or anything to see if i had any other symptoms to try to determine if I have Herpes or Shingles or something completley different.  My elbow hurts and has bubbles growing all over it and I'd at least like to know why...

So, if you take the treatment, and the nasty thing on your elbow goes away, how does that make the doctor a crap one? Sounds like a busy doctor to me. I think one thing you have to remember about British NHS doctors is that, over here, you're the patient and the doctor is the doctor. If you want a doctor who rolls out a red carpet and gives you a cup of tea and does 26 different tests and justifies every element of the diagnosis to you, and makes you feel all important, you have to "go private" and pay for it.

So, if you take the treatment, and the nasty thing on your elbow goes away, how does that make the doctor a crap one? Sounds like a busy doctor to me. I think one thing you have to remember about British NHS doctors is that, over here, you're the patient and the doctor is the doctor. If you want a doctor who rolls out a red carpet and gives you a cup of tea and does 26 different tests and justifies every element of the diagnosis to you, and makes you feel all important, you have to "go private" and pay for it.

As I said above, I would have expected him to try to determine what exactly is wrong and how I may have gotten it instead of just narrow it down a little.  I guess that's too much to ask in your opinion?

And it's funny you say that over here a doctor is a doctor and a patient is a patient.  When my husband went to see his GP about sinus problems, the GP did a little google search and then gave him a list of medications and told my husband to pick which one he wanted.  When I went to a GP to get migraine meds, he asked me what I wanted, I told him and then he did a google search to confirm that what I wanted was 'kosher' and then wrote me a script. 

I would hope that most people's experiences here, with the NHS, are a happy medium between this:

...you're the patient and the doctor is the doctor... 

And this...

If you want a doctor who rolls out a red carpet and gives you a cup of tea and does 26 different tests and justifies every element of the diagnosis to you, and makes you feel all important, you have to "go private" and pay for it. 

At least mine have been.  The first statement seems to assume that doctors are some kind of gods (they talk & we listen), which they are most definitely not.  When I visit my GP here (which is regularly for an ongoing condition), I usually have a brief, but friendly chat with him.  He listens to what I have to say and I have input into my own treatment.  I think that's the way it should be, shouldn't it?  My doctor in the US was the same way - but there wasn't any red carpet or cups of tea.

I really don't feel I was looking for very much.  Just him listeing to me and actually looking at my elbow before making assumptions would have been enough for me NOT to have thought him a quack.

I really don't feel I was looking for very much.  Just him listeing to me and actually looking at my elbow before making assumptions would have been enough for me NOT to have thought him a quack.

Hoping for your sake, that he was right & the treatment works.  But I don't think it's too much to ask for a doctor to listen to you - I fear there are a lot of doctors who really could use some remedial training on their people skills.  I think this used to be more of a problem in the past (judging from my mother's experiences - who was a nurse), hopefully that is changing - but I think those with the god complex are still out there too.

Well, when I go to the doctor I expect him or her to briskly tell me what's wrong and what I need to do. I don't take my car to the garage and expect the repair man to say "What do you think might be wrong?"

Well, when I go to the doctor I expect him or her to briskly tell me what's wrong and what I need to do. I don't take my car to the garage and expect the repair man to say "What do you think might be wrong?"

Hmmmm...but if you don't get a chance to explain what's going wrong, then you'd stand a good chance of getting ripped off, IMO.  I don't believe everything I'm told - even from a 'professional' - as being the god's honest truth.  I prefer to ask questions and get clarification, plus there is a lot to be said for bedside manner.  If you prefer the quick brushoff - good for you, but I don't think people are wrong to expect a bit more.  Especially when you are sick or hurting, a little reassurance can go a long way.

Well, when I go to the doctor I expect him or her to briskly tell me what's wrong and what I need to do. I don't take my car to the garage and expect the repair man to say "What do you think might be wrong?"

So you take your car to the garage when it's making a funny noise and want the guy to say 'it's your cat converter.  I'll just fix that for you and that'll be 400 pounds.  Have a nice day.' 
I guess that's they way for some...

I really don't feel I was looking for very much.  Just him listeing to me and actually looking at my elbow before making assumptions would have been enough for me NOT to have thought him a quack.

You weren't looking for too much. We need to be proactive about our health. I think good doctors listen to their patients and partner with them in their care. Doctors don't know everything and patients' shouldn't feel intimidated or rushed. It's YOUR body. You shouldn't ever feel like you need to compromise your standards.

Your doctor needs some help with his communication skills! Is he the only doctor in the practice? If not, don't feel shy about asking to see someone else next time.  Hopefully the stuff he gave you works though and it's just his bedside manner that's amiss not his skills as a physician.  I have found a lovely doctor at our GP practice so I always ask for her now and most times I'm able to see her.

So, if you take the treatment, and the nasty thing on your elbow goes away, how does that make the doctor a crap one? Sounds like a busy doctor to me. I think one thing you have to remember about British NHS doctors is that, over here, you're the patient and the doctor is the doctor. If you want a doctor who rolls out a red carpet and gives you a cup of tea and does 26 different tests and justifies every element of the diagnosis to you, and makes you feel all important, you have to "go private" and pay for it.

I have seen plenty of NHS doctors who have been a lot more thorough and reassuring than the one Lissa describes.  All doctors are busy. Some of them just have better people skills than others. It's not about red carpet treatment but sometimes, I think doctors forget patients are human beings not just a bunch of cells.