Bad medical advice / practices

[PoetPhilosopher]

Have you ever seen any bad medical advice or practices given by real doctors?

I have two stories:

1. I was prescribed a pill which was wildly expensive. I was told that to get it cheaper, I could "import" it from another country. However, upon doing my research, I realized that all the import pills were scams, and you might get the pills for one-twentieth the price, but they would be fake pills, or at least not following proper standards.

2. When I went to see about Hormone Replacement Therapy, I was told by a friend that if they ask me about my sexual orientation, to put down "bisexual". I was told that some offices follow an older model of care, where to put anything else can hold up the issue and lead to additional questions. Sure enough, a main question I was asked was about sexual orientation.

 

[SalixIncendium]

My daughter had DSRCT, a rare sarcoma, in the plural lining of her lung. The prognosis at the time was only 35%.

The oncologist's treatment plan was 3 high dose regimens of chemo (CAV) to shrink the tumor, resect the tumor, and then treat with radiation. Unfortunately, the tumor, after the chemo regimens, had not shrunk to the oncologist's satisfaction, so he opted to do 2 more regimens. Unfortunately, after 5 regimens of CAV, she went into liver failure, so at that point surgery wasn't an option. After a few months, her liver recovered, but the cancer has metastasized to both lungs.

I strongly believe that has the tumor should have been resected first, or at least after the three regimens of chemo.

But that's why they call medicine a "practice," I guess. If there was one thing I learned after spending a year and a half in a hospital, medicine certainly isn't an exact science.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

My daughter had DSRCT, a rare sarcoma in the plural lining of her lung. The prognosis at the time was only 35%.

The oncologist's treatment plan was 3 high dose regimens of chemo (CAV) to shrink the tumor, resect the tumor, and then treat with radiation. Unfortunately, the tumor, after the chemo regimens, had not shrunk to the oncologist's satisfaction, so he opted to do 2 more regimens. Unfortunately, after 5 regimens of CAV, she went into liver failure, so at that point surgery wasn't an option. After a few months, her liver recovered, but the cancer has metastasized to both lungs.

I strongly believe that has the tumor should have been resected first, or at least after the three regimens of chemo.

But that's why they call medicine a "practice," I guess. If there was one thing I learned after spending a year and a half in a hospital, medicine certainly isn't an exact science.

My grandma, who had cancer, once took chemo. She was an advocate of chemo being quite safe, and she told my family, "The reason why I'm taking this is to show others in the family that it's safe, and that they can trust it."

Regardless of whether chemo is better or worse for a person who might be in a bad condition (I'd say it really depends), my grandmother ended up dieing after chemo. So these days, I think some of my family is actually a little bit suspicious of chemo.

I'm not really that suspicious of chemo myself should I ever need it, but given that my family can be a little skeptical anyway, I'm just saying that it wasn't exactly an experience that promoted the idea of chemo to them.

 

[ChristineM]

I had a gall stone, simple op, go into hospital in the morning, return home mid afternoon except ...

They had a cancellation and called me in 2 weeks early, great i thought except*. The surgion didn't turn up in the morning so my op was postponed until afternoon.

The surgion slipped with the scalpel and sliced my large intestine in two.

Simple op turned into a 7 hour life saving panic including the head of surgery and 2 other surgions.

I died 4 times on the operating table.

Rather than going home in the afternoon i spent 10 days in intensive care on a platic mattress and unable to move

Plus 4 days on a normal ward before they let me go home.

That left me with a 14 inch scar across and down my stomach and back problems you wouldn't believe, requiring opium based tablets to dull the pain.

For the next 6 months i was in and out of hospital, around monthly because of various problems with the surgery. One of the surgions enjoyed telling me i still have 5 lives left.

They called me back for another op to clear up the mess. 3 hours on the table, a parallel scar alongside the 1st and 3 days in intensive care later i signed myself out of hospital because my back could stand no more.

There followed 3 weeks of daily nurse visits and several visits from my gp. And around 5 months recovery before i was able to take my daily walks again.

This was 4 years ago and i still have weeky kinesiotherapy on my back

* And the real ****er, i was supposed to meet with @Polymath257 who was visiting France on the day of my first op.

 

[ChristineM]

Footnote.

I no longer need to take pain killers several times a day. Now it's once or twice a week. And ive just haf one.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Several years ago, I had been to multiple psychiatrists who either misdiagnosed me or rushed medication prescriptions on the first session without doing so much as a single session of talk therapy. I was on the verge of giving up when I went to the fourth psychiatrist (and fifth doctor, counting one psychologist). I told her the medications from which I had just withdrawn after an arduous and difficult taper had made me feel much worse, and feeling worse than how I was feeling was somehow possible back then.

So, instead of asking me questions or trying to diagnose me again, she repeated the misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and prescribed three antipsychotics in high doses and said that my condition would become chronic and untreatable if I didn't take them. I told her I wouldn't take them and would start looking for another doctor as soon as I walked out of her clinic.

My later doctors told me that only one of those antipsychotics at that dose could have done irreversible damage to me, possibly including irreversible movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia and tardive akathisia—especially because they were based on a misdiagnosis and would have worsened my condition.

I'm thankful I saw more doctors immediately instead of following her prescription. I'm now completely medication-free and following a thorough, extensive therapeutic regimen based on DBT and CBT. I know medications, including antipsychotics, save many people's lives, but that prescription wasn't for me (as confirmed by multiple doctors since) and would have significantly harmed me.

That experience confirmed to me that medicine, while being the best tool we have for treating our ailments, isn't perfect, and it also taught me that persevering and taking responsibility for getting help and seeking to get better are crucial no matter how hard things get.

 

[ChristineM]

This one is not a bad doctor but perhaps incomplete disclosure and it a wee bit icky.

My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2017. The oncologist was marvelous offering several recommendations. The one we chose was robot surgery, less invasive with a better outcome. Only the 6th time in france (now regular). His surgery went well and he was up and about the hospital with a couple of days and home in 5 days.
There was little difference in him other than needing the toilet very often and he couldn't gain an erection. Both problems had solutions and all was well.

He had 3 monthly blood tests, one test showd an rapid increase in PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels meaning the cancer was back.

The oncologist recommended a course of hormones and radiation treatment. He passed hubby on to the radiologist. Treatment began, 30 sessions, one a day for 30 days.

The result was good, very low PSA and 4 years now and no problems. Except.

The radiation burnt his bowels and bladder so badly (which we were not told about) that without medication he continues to leak urine. And needs to take a daily industrial strength laxative to enable his wastes to pass his non working intentines and bowel.

But he's still here so thats a bonus.

 

[ChristineM]

I have lived enough years to understand that medicine is a living science where the human factor is of great importance.I have vision problems. It all started with ordinary myopia which progressed. I really didn't like glasses and started wearing contact lenses. All this was a prescription from my ophthalmologist. But now I was diagnosed with the initial stage of cataracts. If someone is not aware of the problem, you can read the article - https://myvisioncare.org/blog/all-about-cataract/ This is much more serious and will most likely require surgery in the future. I am not a doctor, but I have a strong belief that my lenses were chosen incorrectly. It's a pity that time can't be turned back.

Cataract surgery is a doddle. I got a piece of shrapnel in my eye many years ago. It was removed but i was told i may develop a cataract... I did. Last year i had surgery.

Awake through the op with just a local anaesthetic. It took longer to get from the ward to the OR than it did to perform the op.
There was no pain but i had a great deal of fear, i remembered the pain of having that shrapnel in my eye. But no fear needed.

Although i could see through the repaired eye it was covered to keep cold air out and instructed not to get my eye wet for a week.

All the best

 

[Secret Chief]

I can't remember why my wife had gone to see the GP but his advice (I jest not) was to stop eating pork.....

...which was odd really, all things considered.

 

[ChristineM]

I can't remember why my wife had gone to see the GP but his advice (I jest not) was to stop eating pork.....

...which was odd really, all things considered.

Also vegan?

 

[Revoltingest]

I died 4 times on the operating table.

Have you considered starting a religion?
"ChristineMianity"?

 

[Vinayaka]

Have you ever seen any bad medical advice or practices given by real doctors?

I have two stories:

1. I was prescribed a pill which was wildly expensive. I was told that to get it cheaper, I could "import" it from another country. However, upon doing my research, I realized that all the import pills were scams, and you might get the pills for one-twentieth the price, but they would be fake pills, or at least not following proper standards.

2. When I went to see about Hormone Replacement Therapy, I was told by a friend that if they ask me about my sexual orientation, to put down "bisexual". I was told that some offices follow an older model of care, where to put anything else can hold up the issue and lead to additional questions. Sure enough, a main question I was asked was about sexual orientation.

Yes. I lost 4 molar teeth due to a dentist, a doctor's and a root canal specialist's misdiagnosis. I think that half the time they're just making educated guesses. One ENT guy listened to me for a whole 2 minutes, wrote a prescription saying, 'this'll take care of it, guaranteed' ... I was so sick 3 days into it I quit those meds. Another ENT doc put me through a series of tests, and solved the problem.

My family doctor is retiring, and I hope I can find one as good as him. He laughs when I tell him I hate doctors. Great guy and great doctor.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes. I lost 4 molar teeth due to a dentist, a doctor's and a root canal specialist's misdiagnosis. I think that half the time they're just making educated guesses. One ENT guy listened to me for a whole 2 minutes, wrote a prescription saying, 'this'll take care of it, guaranteed' ... Another ENT doc put me through a series of tests, and solved the problem.

My family doctor is retiring, and I hope I can find one as good as him. He laughs when I tell him I hate doctors. Great guy and great doctor.

In my recent dealings with a vast array of medical/dental
types, I've been impressed with their thoroughness,
explanations, choices offered, & consultation.
It appears that there is great variation in quality out there.
How do you know who's good?
I recently decided to find a dentist closer & in network.
I picked a guy that my Endodontist uses.
A nearby oral surgeon uses him too.

 

[Vinayaka]

In my recent dealings with a vast array of medical/dental
types, I've been impressed with their thoroughness,
explanations, choices offered, & consultation.
It appears that there is great variation in quality out there.
How do you know who's good?
I recently decided to find a dentist closer & in network.
I picked a guy that my Endodontist uses.
A nearby oral surgeon uses him too.

Indeed there is great variation. We have a 'meet and greet' with a potential new family doctor tomorrow actually, and another in April. (Here it's difficult to find a family doctor who is taking new patients. My retiring doc tried to sell his patient list, or however that goes with regard to finding a replacement, but couldn't.) I will be asking some pertinent questions for sure. My current doctor has a sort of gruff bedside manner, which really has nothing to do with the quality of care. If you're ever watched Doc Martin on BBC you'd get that.

 

[Secret Chief]

Also vegan?

Vegetarian at the time. Nothing like getting all the facts first eh?
We still wonder what the advice was meant to achieve.

 

[VoidCat]

When I was a kid i was prescribed clonidine supposedly to help with sleep.


I had low blood pressure at the time. So I passed out while taking it.