What Happened to Doctors?

Posted by stumpedandgrumped @stumpedandgrumped, Mar 7 12:30pm

This is a bit of a rant, so I apologize in advance. But I believe that Long COVID has shone a light on the failings of the medical community generally.

Doctors are, at the most basic level, troubleshooters. Their job is to identify a problem and then determine an appropriate course of action. They share this basic concept with lawyers, IT professionals, and even car mechanics; they all use the same basic framework to find answers.

A lawyer who accepts a case is bound to do their best to find the correct path forward. They cannot simply send you to court with a 'best guess' on the law; they have to spend time researching your issue. If they miss law or fail to prepare, that can be their career done.

IT professionals are the same. If you bring your computer in for repair, they don't spend 15 minutes with you, hand yo ua disk, and tell you to schedule a follow-up if the issue persist... they have to dive into the issue, figure out what is causing it, and provide a fix. Sometimes they're wrong, but they're bound to do their best to solve things.

Then... there are doctors. A typical Long COVID pattern:

You pop in for 15-30 minutes. If you have a good doctor, they've done the reading; they know what your issue is and have reviewed the notes you've provided. If they're mediocre, you spend 10 minutes explaining your issue (never mind the notes you provided) and another 3 waiting for them to take notes. Then, they either give you a guess and send you off, refer you, or tell you to lose weight because something something health.

Your symptoms continue. You go back. Repeat the process, the doctor has to catch up. It becomes clear that between appointments, they've not thought about your issue at all. It takes your inquiries to make progress, you spend weeks waiting... and you end up doing your own research, using your doctor as a way to get the referrals because "something something professional." The referrals shrug, say "not my area" and leave you hanging. As soon as you failed to trigger their specialty, they write you off.

Eventually your doctor either runs out of ideas or refuses to consider re-tests. You're still suffering, but they figure you are walking and talking so... not priority. So, you're left with starting anew with a new doc, running your own experiments, or giving in and hoping your body eventually recovers on its own.

To be clear, this is a failing of the entire medical profession. Doctors should be held to the same standards as lawyers: When you take on a client, you take them as they are. You do not get to stop until you have answers. And they should not be the ones having to spearhead the effort.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

dloos | @dloos | Mar 12 12:20pm

In reply to @joanland "Fortunately I've had a much more helpful response. Within about the first two minutes, my new..." + (show)

Joanland,
That’s wonderful, and rare.

chele7 | @chele7 | Mar 12 3:00pm

In reply to @joanland "Fortunately I've had a much more helpful response. Within about the first two minutes, my new..." + (show)

I’m so glad you are finding actual help!
If you feel comfortable sharing, what is
your neurologist doing with you that’s
proving helpful? Understand if you don’t
want to share specifics. Thank you.

joanland | @joanland | Mar 12 4:52pm

In reply to @chele7 "I’m so glad you are finding actual help! If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your..." + (show)

Hi Chele7, First thing the doc did was go over meds that I'm on; she agreed what had been previously prescribed. She added Cymbalta, an SSRI, because there is some indication that in long-COVID/Chronic Fatigue serotonin is depleted. Unfortunately, I found out I couldn't take Cymbalta, not even at the lowest dose available. I had insomnia with halucinations and then diarrhea. I 'm just now recovering from that drill so at this point, we've tried one med which didn't work, not for me.

chele7 | @chele7 | Mar 12 5:52pm

In reply to @joanland "Hi Chele7, First thing the doc did was go over meds that I'm on; she agreed..." + (show)

Thanks for taking the time and energy to reply.
I’ve tried a couple SSRIs myself and couldn’t tolerate them either. I’m glad you have a doctor that is at least knowledgeable about LC and willing to work with you.
Hopefully you WILL find some things that help. Good luck!

cprgrossman52 | @cprgrossman52 | Mar 13 1:43pm

I HEAR YOU AND TOTALLY AGREE. DOCTORS IN GENERAL NOWADAYS SEEM TO BE LAZY, UNINTERESTED IN INVESTIGATING ROOT CAUSES, I DONT REALLY HAVE TIME FOR YOU, BRAINWASHED BY DRUG COMPANIES, HERE'S A PRESCRIPTION, NOW PLEASE DISAPPEAR BECAUSE I DONT REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER.
SOMEWHERE IN MEDICAL SCHOOL THE PROFESSORS & TEACHERS ARE JUST SKIRTING BY WITH BASICS AND FORGETS TO TELL THAT FUTURE DOCTOR THAT EVERY PERSON THEY SEE IS IN NEED OF A TRUE DIAGNOSES, NOT A HALF ASS ONE.

felidaej | @felidaej | Mar 13 3:38pm

I can so relate to this, as it has been my experience for the past 4 years with long COVID. I have had to let countless doctors go (I maintain that I am still alive BECAUSE I cut them loose), and start over/re-educate new ones, which takes energy and bandwidth I really don't possess.

You are not alone in wondering what has happened to doctors. I wish I could have my IT professional, or my lawyer, or my amazing veterinarian, for that matter, at the helm of helping me navigate this debilitating disease that has devastated my life. Maybe then I might have hope of recovery.

joanland | @joanland | Mar 13 3:58pm

I would like to recommend to all long-COVID patients to check out the website for research on long-COVID and other post-viral-infection syndromes. It is at http://www.solvecfs.org, with the CFS standing for Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome. This webside is a research hub for long-COVID, CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) which is the name of post-viral-infection syndrome in the United Kingdom. Good Look to all of us!

joanland | @joanland | Mar 13 5:45pm

In reply to @cprgrossman52 "I HEAR YOU AND TOTALLY AGREE. DOCTORS IN GENERAL NOWADAYS SEEM TO BE LAZY, UNINTERESTED IN..." + (show)

I´m so sorry you haven´t found medical help. It is out there. Wishing you the best in your search for care.

stumpedandgrumped | @stumpedandgrumped | Mar 14 3:29am

Mayo, who claims to be the go-to for difficult to diagnose issues, seems to believe that a "comprehensive" review of a patient asking for help consists of a few minutes of skimming followed by a form letter rejection. I suppose I should not be surprised... Mayo is best served by selecting cases that will be easy wins versus actually... you know... doing medicine.

I especially appreciate being referred back to the doctors who have utterly failed to assist. Thanks, Mayo! You're as garbage as the rest of them.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 14 8:13am

In reply to @stumpedandgrumped "Mayo, who claims to be the go-to for difficult to diagnose issues, seems to believe that..." + (show)

@stumpedandgrumped, It sounds like you’ve taken the appropriate steps to seek care at Mayo Clinic. It is disappointing to get that letter. You might find the helpful tips in this related discussion useful:
- Can't get an appointment: Any tips on what to do? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cant-get-an-appointment/

Unfortunately some departments at Mayo Clinic have more requests for appointments than available openings.

Are you looking for a Long Covid Clinic?

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