Insensitivity

donnatu9122
donnatu9122 Member Posts: 6
edited February 2020 in General Cancer
I set up an appointment with my Primary Doctor. My husband told me that the dry spots on my back had turned black. I had him take photos of the spots. Indeed they needed to be investigated. The nurse took my weight, BP, and pulse. She told me the Doctor will be right with me. Never did she ask me to gown up. Then the Doctor came in and asked a lot of questions. He said let's take a look. He asked me to lift my shirt. The shirt would not lift high enough to see the spots above the bra. He said they were nothing suspicious. Then I showed him a spot low on my back that looked suspicious to me. He said, yeah that needs to be dug out. How does he know if any of the spots above are not suspicious. I can't believe they can't afford to offer me a gown. Luckily I am being referred to a dermatologist.

Comments

  • Dawsonsmom
    Dawsonsmom Member Posts: 99
    edited February 2020
    Sounds quite dismissive and I’m glad you’re seeing a dermatologist. I might be looking for a new PCP as well.
  • Bengal
    Bengal Member Posts: 518
    edited February 2020
    This kind of stuff is unconscionable. And we hear about it more and more. Doctors always seem to be in such a rush to just get you out of the exam room. I saw my dermatologist a few months ago and ran into a similar problem with clothing. I was, like, not to worry, I've been through 2 1/2 years of breast cancer treatment, I'm not exactly concerned with modesty. The shirt came off and he got a good look at my who!e back. It's up to us as our own best advocate NOT to let doctors get away with taking shortcuts. Our lives may depend on it! And if a doctor says "no problem" but you have a gut feeling there is, get another opinion.
  • GregP_WN
    GregP_WN Member Posts: 742
    edited February 2020
    I think that some people, in a lot of professions, get to the point where they forget what it's like to be the patient, they forget how to be compassionate, they take us for granted, and in a lot of cases, they are just riding their job out into the sunset.

    Sometimes it takes a good reality check for them to snap back to being the caring doctor that they probably started out to be. The healthcare system we currently have is partly responsible where clinics, doctors, and hospitals are forced to run us through like cattle getting our shots, in order to be profitable.

    I guess the ways to be profitable don't include being empathetic, compassionate, and kind.
  • donnatu9122
    donnatu9122 Member Posts: 6
    edited February 2020
    I will be writing a letter to the Hospital he is affiliated with. This needs to be in their face as an improper way to treat us. Profit is exactly what this is all about.
  • gpgirl70
    gpgirl70 Member Posts: 19
    edited February 2020
    Your PCP is your first line of defense with health concerns. My PCP was the one who ordered all the imaging and biopsies for my cancer diagnosis even though I had a clear mammogram 6 months earlier and a clear mammogram when I went in for breast pain. She then ordered an ultrasound which found the small breast tumor and then an MRI which showed the mass in my lymph nodes and my thyroid cancer. Most breast cancer does not present as pain and swelling. The breast pain did respond to antibiotics but she didn’t give up. I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for her because many doctors would have taken mammogram results and said that it was just an infection. Get a new PCP who listens and explains the situation. Thankfully you got a referral.
    I have lots of skin issues since I finished treatment but my dermo was able to tell me exactly what it was and why there was no medical reason to treat some and why others needed to be removed.

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