Absolutely, I relate to your experience. I used to encourage people here to learn all they could about their condition and to advocate for themselves at medical appointments because I thought being an informed, proactive patient was a good thing. When I was passive and didn’t ask questions, I simply trusted everything my doctors said—until I realized that approach wasn’t working for me.

Now that I’m more engaged and ask informed questions about my treatment, I’ve noticed a real shift. Many doctors don’t seem to appreciate it. For example, my new endocrinologist told me, “You’re trying to be the doctor,” when I asked a question about my care. I tried seeing someone else, but that endocrinologist refused to answer my questions or clarify her statements, telling me, “If you don’t like the way I practice medicine, then leave and find someone else!”

The problem is, finding a new doctor can take months, especially with a specialist. It’s not as simple as just leaving and finding someone better. It feels like my only options are to stop advocating for myself and stay silent, or have my health suffer while waiting for an elusive appointment elsewhere.

You’re definitely not alone in feeling this way.