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Posted 12/16/2009 12:26 AM (GMT -5)
OH MY GOSH... you guys won't believe what I went through with this "Neurologist".... I HATED her and I've NEVER hated a doctor of any kind in my life!!!!


She made me feel like the BIGGEST idiot~!!!!!!! First a bit of background.. I was tested for MS in southern california about 8 years or so ago.. I had a brain MRI back then and it came back clear.. I have had 2 more additional MRI's up here in Northern California, but neither one was related to my brain.. One was for a knee injury I suffered in Montana 3 years ago and the other was an MRI of my neck and spine done in 2005, and THAT'S IT...



Well, the first words out of her mouth when she came into the room were "SO, I'm the 4th Neurologist you've seen?" I was taken aback and replied to her.. "Well I'm not sure but I know I've seen ONE other one about 5 years ago..." I immediately got into a defensive mode and I could see my husband wasn't impressed either. Then she says.. "And I can see you've had MULTIPLE MRI's..." I didin't even know how to react to that one.., I mean, I've had only 2 MRI'S for my brain and one was 8 YEARS AGO... AND, she kept bringing it up how I've seen "Every neurologist around here, and had MULTILE MRI's.. " Why keep bringing it up??? It's not even TRUE~!!!!!



She made me feel like I was a "Doctor shopper" shopping around going to different doctors until I get the diagnosis I want.. OR a Hypocondriach... Either way, she made me feel like CRAP and hurt my feelings..



Then she's looking at my MRI on the light in the room with my husband and I.. and shaking her head every once in a while like she's not happy with something.. So I ask her what's wrong and she says.. "Well the Radiologist is saying he sees all this stuff in your report and I'm not really seeing much on these films.."



So she gives me a TOTALLY Thourogh neurological exam and says I pass... so she's not sure if I have MS or not.. she says I do have MS Symptoms but from HER exam and what SHE sees on the Films she can't be sure so she's has ordered me to have a spinal tap on January 5th.. that's the soonest she can get me in... Then I'll have to wait 2 more weeks after that for the results.. She even brought politics into things.. She was asking me who the presidents were from current time as far back as I could go.. When I mentioned George Bush, I called him 'Geoge Bush number Two" because his father was president first before him.. she said "Bush number Two.. that's how we like to refer to him around here" like he was a SH--- President... So she's obviously not a Republican...LOL...



The problem is I was supposed to have my Remicade day after tomorrow I don't know if I can wait 5 more weeks without either an infusion or surgery... I feel like I'm gonna be on borrowed time.... maybe I'll get lucky and my UC will stay in remisson for a while, but I just don't think she's pushing hard enough for me timewise considering my history with UC... Even my husband is pissed off... OH AND GET THIS.. I called my pharmacy when I got home because the owners are friends of mine and told my pharmacist friend the doctor I saw and what happened.. He told a girl who works there on the side who I saw and that I didn't like her and the girl replied.. "Oh my husband saw her a year ago and she is NOT a nice person.." Come to find out, this Neuro has a bad reputation around the hospital here.. My best friend is a nurse there and when I told her who I saw and what happened, she was not suprised.. she told me that she pisses off staff, patients and nurses all the time and has had complaints against her before because of her personality.. GREAT...



So I called my GP when I got home and had to leave a message.. I want to see a different Neuro ASAP!!!!! I don't think she trusts me and how can I trust her when she treated me like that....



SO.... I'm totally and completely disgusted.... Hmmph..... I don't feel any better now than when I woke up this morning... Unbelievable.. I can't believe I went through that.. I have never ever felt that way in a doctors office before.. even my husband is amazed... lol...



SOOOOO Sorry for the long post.. but I am just blown away and can't stop typing.... I could go on but I won't!!!!!
Posted 12/16/2009 12:54 AM (GMT -5)
Oh, Susie, I'm so sorry. That sucks you had such a terrible apointment. I'd honestly look into filing some sort of formal complaint against her. She really shouldn't be practicing if she can't act better around patients.

I'm SO glad you've already called your GP about seeing another neurologist! I was maybe a third of the way through your post, and I was already planning to suggest you see a different doctor! :)

((hugs))
Posted 12/16/2009 1:22 AM (GMT -5)
What a BIA!!!! When you're already freaked out about the possibility of having MS the last thing you need is to be treated like crap by your doctor!
Take a deep breath and then can her butt and find a new neurologist!!
Posted 12/16/2009 1:36 AM (GMT -5)
Off to find a new neurologist thank goodness...should you run into another like her, leave before your appointment is over, no sense wasting your time. Unbelievable but not surprising...I'm on GI #4 and that's partly due to horrible bed-side manners.

:)
Posted 12/16/2009 2:41 AM (GMT -5)
Yes, it was definately suprising.. I've never felt like that before and my husband hasn't either. And, I wasn't even exaggerating~! The part that sucks is that now I have more wasted days, waiting for this appt when I could have been seeing someone else. OH well.. So far so good with my U/C.. no sign of a flare as of yet and it will be 8 weeks since my first infusion on Thursday.. Let's just hope that my one and only infusion kicked me into a good long lasting remission... lol.. I don't wanna have surgery.. that is the most terrifying part of this whole mess!

I did see a pretty nice Neuro about 5 years ago, I'm going to ask my GP when she calls me tomorrow if she can refer me to him again.. AND, I want to see a copy of that MRI report myself... even if I might not understand everything, maybe I can get an idea of what the radiologist was saying in his report.... So back to square one, but I did have a GREAT learning experience today... lol..

I'm calming down now.. just started another fire in my wood stove and cleaned up the house again.. I'm quite the homemaker at night lately, especially after 10pm... LOL...
Posted 12/16/2009 7:12 AM (GMT -5)
I think that neuro and the rheumy I seen must've been related. I know EXACTLY how you feel because the bad rheumy I seen made me feel that exact same way. It is horrible when doctors treat you like you're wasting their time or that they make you feel like dirt. I believe it's time to do some "doctor shopping"!
Posted 12/16/2009 8:12 AM (GMT -5)
Wow, that's a pretty bad way to treat the person who's paying your salary! I'd likely have called her behavior right there on the spot, but that's me. I know you were hoping she'd be able to give you some answers even if she was rude.

Letting your PCP know was definitely the right thing. (S)he may want to reconsider making any referrals to that doc. I hope you have much better luck with a new neuro, Susie.
Posted 12/16/2009 9:43 AM (GMT -5)
oh my goodness how awful! I hate being treated like dirt! I had something similar a few months ago when I was 7 months pregnant, I was having a kidney stone, but the Nurse Practitioners in my OB's office thought I was faking it! Once I finally put my foot down did they do an ultrasound of my kidneys, sure enough I had a big one blocking everything! Now they feel stupid around me :)

I will say though, that most neurologists are jerks. It is very hard to find a nice one who doesn't treat you like that. My dad has perferal neuropathy (sp?) and had a very hard time finding a neurologist who didn't think it was all just in his head.

I hope your pcp will get you into your old neuro! I'm sure that'll be a mind easer! I also hope your UC stays in remission until after the wait! I would be on pins and needles!
Posted 12/16/2009 9:53 AM (GMT -5)
Doctors like that should be stripped of their licence. Sorry Susie for such an experience. Not that you already feel crapty enough. There is still someone else who makes you feel even worse. I ran across doctors like this.
Posted 12/16/2009 10:00 AM (GMT -5)
You mean you actually thought all this time that doctors were supportive?
Posted 12/16/2009 10:24 AM (GMT -5)
Hmm I guess I got lucky with my neuro! He is very nice, compassionate and thorough. Too bad you didn't live in MI Susie or I would send you to him!
Posted 12/16/2009 10:48 AM (GMT -5)
Huh, I may be the only dissenter here. True, sounds like she has a pretty bad bedside manner, but do you think she's qualified? It seems as if she answered your questions the best she could, & is planning to dig deeper, via spinal tap, into the MS question. Did you ask her about continuing on with Remicade? Funny, maybe it's just neuros- I had a seizure disorder years ago, & had the most god-awful neurologist- I really didn't like him! but, he was intelligent & qualified, so I stayed with him. Figured I didn't see him often enough to really matter. Aside from asking about seeing multiple docs & MRI's, it doesn't sound as if she did anything "wrong". I usually feel that as long as a doctor is able to give me the best care, who cares what their personality is like. Unless obviously, you'd be seeing that doctr like weekly. Why didn't you ask her about the Remicade though, I thought that was one of your main concerns??? Don't forget also, tapering off the pred makes one incredibly wacky! Maybe you took her a little too seriously. Anyway, I still hope things are ok- I'd go ahead with the spinal tap, as you may have to wait longer for one if you see another neuro. Then after you get those results, you can always take them to a new neurologist if need be.
Posted 12/16/2009 11:10 AM (GMT -5)
Well I was all in a fury until I read Eva Lou's post and she calmed me down a bit... LOL. I agree that being qualified and competent is most important. After all, my GI is a cold fish but after doing some research on her, I have a lot of faith that she knows what she's doing so I stuck with her.

However, your neurologist sounds over the top - talking about your "multiple MRIs" when one was for a knee, for crying out loud. I don't know. I'd still try to go back and see the neurologist you liked from 5 years ago. It is important to have a good rapport. You will be more likely to ask questions, especially questions that you feel are dumb but need to be asked. And you need to be taken seriously, not treated like a hypochondriac. Only you can decide if this neurologist is treating you like that or if you are overreacting due to tapering prednisone.
Posted 12/16/2009 1:18 PM (GMT -5)
Maybe it's perspective though...I mean, as far as being qualified I don't know, she sounds more arrogant and in my past experiances, arrogant docs make the biggest mistakes with patients...I think it's important to get a good vibe from a doc and it's not uncommon to find ones that know their stuff and have a good bedside manner. I've always looked at the ones that don't have a good bedside manner as being in it for the $$$ and not because they truly have compassion....just my take though.

:)
Posted 12/16/2009 1:23 PM (GMT -5)
How horrible...Glad you already are looking for someone else. I would too!! Like you need to worry till January...I would find someone who can give you e answers ASAP!!!!
Posted 12/16/2009 4:08 PM (GMT -5)
Gosh, Susie, you sure didn't need that!

I would switch whether or not this turned out to be a competent doc, because if this does turn out to be MS you need to have an ongoing relationship.

Also, given that you have several issues (UC, for instance) you need a doctor who is a good listener and to whom you can ask questions.

This woman sounds as if she might be related to the ortho I saw last summer (I posted in the osteoarthritis forum about him.) When I found a new ortho, he was not only more compassionate but in that compassion he focused on my issues - and immediately offered an alternative to try, to put off surgery. (The first one was like, Hi, here's my knife, lets' schedule.)

One thing I learned - I've had to find a whole new slate of doctors in the past year, as the two most important ones retired and I decided to no longer drive 2 hours (to where I used to work) to have my medical care.....:
Talk to the nurses! They have given me the best recommendations!!! You said your best friend was a nurse.... ? The nurses seem to know the "real" scoop on the docs!
Posted 12/17/2009 1:48 AM (GMT -5)
Once again everyone.. thanks so much for the replies and SUPPORT!!!!!

I called my GP today and requested a referral to another Neuro and she's totally fine with that and is handling it tomorrow. Also I spoke with my GI today and he CONFIRMED what I thought when he told me that she does have a reputation for her bad attitude and she has actually had complaints filed against her!!! WOWIE....

So now I don't feel so bad for seeking to go elsewhere.. Also my GI said hopefully the one remicade infusion I got will keep me in remission for a long while, and the scientists he spoke with and the higer up's he spoke to at the Remicade manufacturer did suggest I no longer receive Remicade or Humira... WAAAAHHHH!! He mentioned too that I should more seriously consider surgery.. GOD.. I'm so afraid of going through surgery.. I'm not really afraid of living with a permanent ileo, just going through the surgery to GET one.. lol...

Well... we'll just have to play it by ear and see what happens...

To make myself feel better I went out and bought a Christmas tree today.. I wasn't going to do ANYTHING for Christmas this year, but decided it would cheer me up and it worked! I got a pretty tree adn decorated it with LOTS of multi color lights and it's in my favorite room in my house where I hang out most of the time :) So I have my Tree, Wood stove, candles, internet and TV... lol.. I call this room my Remission room.. LOL.... Let's hope that hanging out in here keeps me there for a looooong time!!
Posted 12/17/2009 11:09 AM (GMT -5)
Good for you, doing something positive for yourself! That's how I felt last year... I wasn't going to do anything for Christmas, I just didn't have the energy and I just didn't care. But I forced myself to go through the motions and it did give me a bit of a lift.

I'm so happy you got a referral to another neurologist. Sounds like it was a good call, based on what your GI said. It shows that sometimes you just have to go with your instincts.
Posted 12/17/2009 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so glad you're getting to see another neuro, and I'm glad you got confirmation that the one you saw is a turkey-butt from your GI. It's nice to hear that from another doc, just so you get some validation that what you were feeling is correct.
((hugs))
Posted 12/17/2009 12:08 PM (GMT -5)
Good for you for standing up for yourself! It really doesn't matter how good a doctor is if they intimidate you or put you off so much you don't feel you can talk to them. Times have changed, and docs need to learn now that they really aren't God.

I hope your new neuro will be much more humane and can guide you through this.
Posted 12/17/2009 1:30 PM (GMT -5)
OK.. Minor setback...... My GP called this morning and said the soonest they can get me into another Neuro is January 6th... I had already scheduled a spinal tap with the Turkey-Butt neuro for January 5th... So.. After a loooong talk with my GP, we decided I should keep the Spinal Tap appointment just to get the diagnostic information and then after that, she can refer me to another Neuro if I still feel uncomforable with her. Also we have decided that I AM going to have a talk with her and let her know how she made me feel. Maybe I can get through to her, maybe not... either way, I win because either she will start being nicer to me, or I will go elsewhere with good diganistic information. She does have a reputation as a pain in the neck, not only with people with but other doctors and nurses as well..., but she is a board certified Neuro so she's probably good... Hmmph.... What a hassle....
Posted 12/17/2009 2:37 PM (GMT -5)
I had the opposite experience, my GI (whom I recently fired) has a very friendly bedside manner, and is quite a nice guy; BUT! he left me unsupervised on a 60 mg/day dose of pred for three months, and failed to diagnose the resulting steroid diabetes (my PCP successfully DXed it via email). Then went into denial mode when I confronted him with it.

I'd rather have a competent ***hole than an incompetent jolly good fellow.

I am fortunate that my PCP is not condescending, never talks down to me, is extremely competent, her diagnoses have always been spot on, is friendly and personable, and besides all that, she's drop dead gorgeous!
Posted 12/17/2009 2:50 PM (GMT -5)
Susie...it is best to clear the air with her. My GI doctor was soooo rude to me when I was admitted to the hospital last year. He had the nerve to ask me WHY I came into the hospital....duh...could it be the pain, bleeding and urgency and excessive bowel movements..OR my blood pressure being 218/110??? He could take his pick. This is a doctor I was seeing for ten years! I know what his problem was. He was pushing Remicade on me and I was refusing it..lol. He wanted me off the prednisone. When he left, my roommate said to me.."I would NEVER go back to that man again." However Sue, he IS a great doctor. While in the hospital his associate took care of me. Not because my GI was mad at me but that is how they run things in that practice. There are about ten GI's in there. Well, his associate told me I was NOT a candidate for Remicade being that I tested positive back in the 60's for TB. Anyway, long story short....after I was discharged I was going to stick with the associate but he called me and said that I had a long history with my regular GI doctor and he didn't want to cause if rift. I told him fine.....I would see my GI doctor. Well, when I went for my office visit I let him have it with both barrels. I told him I didn't appreciate his rudeness to me when I was admitted to the hospital and that if he had a problem with my not taking Remicade, so be it. Anyway, now I have my tail between my legs because I was soooo sick this past year with the ulcerative proctitis. I was retested for TB and it was negative!!! I started Remicade and am glad I did. We are both happy campers now.
Posted 12/17/2009 10:41 PM (GMT -5)
This neuro sounds like an all-around character who is spoiling for a fight. Sometimes these specialists get so isolated from reality and/or swelled with their own importance that they need an uppity patient to talk back & burst their bubble. I am surprised, though, that she carried on like that with your husband present, too. What an ego! (The "Bush number two" IS pretty funny as digs go-- new to my ears.) Maybe she's a frustrated stand-up comedian. I think I wouldn't want to deal with her on a continuing basis because she'd add to my fatigue. At holiday time it's extra hard to schedule with doctors-- so that might work in your favor, giving you some additional pause for thought about the best way to proceed. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
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