Do Doctors Really Listen to the Patient?

I have found a ENT who specializes in the ear and I think he does listen. I called his office Wednesday and ask for an appointment on short notice for severely compromised hearing in one year due to congestion. I got one the end of the day yesterday. He saw that the tube he put installed in January came out and the hole healed shut. So he ask if I wanted another and of course I did. He suctioned fluid out several times and put another tube in. What a relief. He does that the simplest way that I even had one done. He numbs the eardrum, makes the incision and pops the tube in. No discomfort after the procedure or the next day. I had one ENT who made me go to a surgery center and put me to sleep to insert a tube. It is a wonder insurance tolerates that much expense. On my follow up visit he said we will discuss the procedure to enlarge the Eustachian tube so I don't need to have tubes installed periodically. A family doctor would have said, go home, take Musinex and Flonase and maybe, just maybe would have prescribed an antibiotic. A previous ENT would have said, I will see you in 6 to 8 weeks and see how you are doing.

sorry to hear this. but don't stop there. find someone who will listen. they are out there. but you gotta keep trying. good luck, danny

Thank you for your encouragement!

It is a rare find to come across a physician who is knowledgeable, kind, compassionate and listens (and hears) what you are telling them. I don't see how most can go home and sleep at night knowing that they did not do all that they were trained to do and can be so cavalier. Most of all, they do not like to deal with complex cases that require expanding their differentials!

those ones are only in it for the money. they get paid whether they help or not. especially from insurances or Medicare and Medicaid. danny

I truly believe that if patients would begin submitting reviews of their experiences with certain doctors within the network and/or even Medicare that eventually they would have to take notice. But it would take a universal effort. I also feel that if the physicians became accountable to themselves and others physicians that would have an impact. I went 5 years with a Family Practice Dr not diagnosing a condition.....it took a new one who took over the practice after he/she left 10 minutes to spot an issue. Wonder if there was an incident report completed with the Medical Center. Probably not. Physician is still actively practicing. I'm afraid as I age I become more cynical!

yes i agree wholeheartedly with you. we need to stand together and make our complaints about the doctors who do nothing to the insurance companies and Medicare, Medicaid and the AMA i think. we've got to fight back against these doctors. whether female or male. i know there has to be hundreds or thousands of us who are fed up with them. because if we don't. we have nobody to blame but ourselves. danny5

Well here in Canada if you are unhappy with your doctor, too bad for you. We have thousands of people on a waiting list to even get a family doctor. I had made a comment to my GP about having to wait 6 weeks to even get an appointment to see her. Her response to me was “well maybe you should go and get another doctor”
I was completely not expecting that . My comment was not even made in any kind of a derogatory way..
So here in Canada what we got is what we keep , if not you do not even have a family doctor…

dorajak Would do exactly what she said and look for another person who has studied and gone to medical school. (having done this does not a Doctor make). She has already indicated she is not interested, empathetic and/or compassionate to your needs as a patient.