I certainly wouldn't minimize the individual responsibility in making medical decisions. Doctors don't always know best. But, it's pretty easy to dismiss everything the doctor says with "well, I've done my own research". That's really scary, IMO.
I prefer to work with medical professionals as a team, where we both find the best treatments for a condition. My goal in seeing a doctor is that he can figure out things I can’t figure out for myself.
Most doctors appreciate someone who’s done their research. So I’m careful to note days of symptoms, I take my temp each day, etc., and also have noted reactions to different drugs in the past.
A patient that can give a decent history, onset of symptoms and can accurately tell you about prior treatment is a real treat. Sadly, that does not always occur.
AnthonyMartin wrote:
I certainly wouldn't minimize the individual responsibility in making medical decisions. Doctors don't always know best. But, it's pretty easy to dismiss everything the doctor says with "well, I've done my own research". That's really scary, IMO.
I prefer to work with medical professionals as a team, where we both find the best treatments for a condition. My goal in seeing a doctor is that he can figure out things I can’t figure out for myself.
Most doctors appreciate someone who’s done their research. So I’m careful to note days of symptoms, I take my temp each day, etc., and also have noted reactions to different drugs in the past.
A patient that can give a decent history, onset of symptoms and can accurately tell you about prior treatment is a real treat. Sadly, that does not always occur.
J.M.
Do I get points for telling the ER people about the grey market drugs I was on?
Josh wrote:
I prefer to work with medical professionals as a team, where we both find the best treatments for a condition. My goal in seeing a doctor is that he can figure out things I can’t figure out for myself.
Most doctors appreciate someone who’s done their research. So I’m careful to note days of symptoms, I take my temp each day, etc., and also have noted reactions to different drugs in the past.
A patient that can give a decent history, onset of symptoms and can accurately tell you about prior treatment is a real treat. Sadly, that does not always occur.
J.M.
Do I get points for telling the ER people about the grey market drugs I was on?
Some medical training would have been a great help to us in the Indian village, because we (and our books) were the only medical assistance for days travel in any direction. We could call in to the mission center, and talk to the mission nurse, but we depended a LOT on books like "Where There is No Doctor". The American Medical Association health book was helpful in making a diagnosis, but it almost always ended up with "See a doctor." The medical book written by Wycliffe Bible Translators included all sorts of instruction about how to perform various types of surgery - thing we were VERY thankful we never had to do. Stitching up deep cuts was the closest we got to 'surgery'. [Fortunately, the most severe case was a dog; it that had been gored clear into the stomach cavity. We certainly did not expect it to live, considering the leaves and debris we could not completely clear from the body cavity. (Do your patients ever try to bite you during surgery?) And it appeared to be in shock when the owner brought it to us. But it did live (until it was bitten by a snake a year or so later).]
Oh, but self-doctoring. We always brought antibiotics and malaria meds back with us, in case we came down with something 'tropical' after we arrived State-side. (Another couple almost lost their daughter because the US doctor insisted that they were wrong, that the girl didn't have malaria. So we were a bit paranoid about not being able to get the correct meds because of the failure of an American Doctor to recognized a disease that we ourselves had seen many times, but one that he had probably never seen in many years of practice.)
Judas Maccabeus wrote:Self misdiagnosis is unfortunately common too. Have you ever seen a fungating breast lesion? I have seen two in the past month. They apparently self diagnosed it as something else.
J.M.
I'm not involved in the medical profession and I don't doubt that self-diagnosis is often incorrect. I am happy for doctors, nurses and anyone in the medical field, really. I just don't for a second believe you all to be infallible.
Judas Maccabeus wrote:Self misdiagnosis is unfortunately common too. Have you ever seen a fungating breast lesion? I have seen two in the past month. They apparently self diagnosed it as something else.
J.M.
I'm not involved in the medical profession and I don't doubt that self-diagnosis is often incorrect. I am happy for doctors, nurses and anyone in the medical field, really. I just don't for a second believe you all to be infallible.
No one ever claimed we were. However we do have training and experience in our field, as well as the proper tools for the purpose.
I would not try to do a valve job on my VW. I might change a bulb, or do an oil change. There is some medical issues I will take care of myself.
Neto wrote:Some medical training would have been a great help to us in the Indian village, because we (and our books) were the only medical assistance for days travel in any direction. We could call in to the mission center, and talk to the mission nurse, but we depended a LOT on books like "Where There is No Doctor". The American Medical Association health book was helpful in making a diagnosis, but it almost always ended up with "See a doctor." The medical book written by Wycliffe Bible Translators included all sorts of instruction about how to perform various types of surgery - thing we were VERY thankful we never had to do. Stitching up deep cuts was the closest we got to 'surgery'. [Fortunately, the most severe case was a dog; it that had been gored clear into the stomach cavity. We certainly did not expect it to live, considering the leaves and debris we could not completely clear from the body cavity. (Do your patients ever try to bite you during surgery?) And it appeared to be in shock when the owner brought it to us. But it did live (until it was bitten by a snake a year or so later).]
Oh, but self-doctoring. We always brought antibiotics and malaria meds back with us, in case we came down with something 'tropical' after we arrived State-side. (Another couple almost lost their daughter because the US doctor insisted that they were wrong, that the girl didn't have malaria. So we were a bit paranoid about not being able to get the correct meds because of the failure of an American Doctor to recognized a disease that we ourselves had seen many times, but one that he had probably never seen in many years of practice.)
Yeah, I have seen a close call like this. Fortunately a friend of the family, who was a physician with mission experience intervened and they did a thick/thin smear, and what did they see........
Many non physician missionaries know far more about third world diseases than many American MDs. I had just such an experience in an ER, kept telling them where I had been, did not get treated properly until my gastroenterologist got in in the AM. Her first question “just where have you been this time?”