Oh, please help... am i going nuts???

first, i hope i don't get too long with this but i am just beside myself. i had TAH/BSO on 8/20. i'm the one who called the office and the nurse wouldn't tell the doctor i even called. when i got to the office with an appt with the NP the doctor was shocked. the doctor did see me and said she would speak to the nurse,and said that should have never happened. she agreed i needed another catscan to see if the hematomas were still giving me problems. she's also the same doctor that told me she missed something when sewing me up and that is what caused the internal bleeding, hematomas and blood tranfusion.

well, i had the catscan last wed. fri they didn't have the results so i called again yesterday. the NURSE called back and said they were normal-that was it. i then proceeded to the office, which is down the street from where i live, to sign the record release. i said i wanted a 2nd opinion. oh, by the way, my doctor was in the office yesterday. am i wrong to think that just maybe the doctor should have called with the results and asked if i were doing any better? after all, it was her mistake that caused all of this. she has said she is sorry for the mishap more than once. at my last appt she said she wanted to wait to see me again until after the catscan. of course there was no mention of that yesterday.

i still have pain in the incision area and my back is just killing me when i stand for too long. i can't really explain it, but you just know when something in your body just isn't right.

please be honest with me. am i too high maintaince of a patient and i shouldn't expect any calls from my doctor on normal tests when she knows there were complications? maybe i am too sensitive. was it wrong to get my records for a 2nd opinion? maybe when she sees the request, she may call. gosh knows, the nurse never gives her my messages when i call. i just don't know where to turn. should you be feeling fine by now- 2 1/2 months later?
on the request form it did have a part asking why you were leaving the practice. i wrote that i wasn't leaving, i just wanted a 2nd opinion.

this is my 3rd surgery so maybe it's adhensions. i don't know how long they take to grow and i know catscans don't show up on them.

i am just so disgusted and feel as though that practice just thinks i should be better by now.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. i know i have now probably made my doctor very angry but what choice did she give me?

thanks for listening.
take care
kathy

You are not nuts. It is not your job to be your doctor's friend. It is your right to expect good care, and it's only sensible to seek a second opinion if you're not getting answers to your very serious questions. Some practices are too busy to call you routinely with test results, but when you're in serious pain you need to know your test results and what your next steps are.

If your doctor gets mad at you for wanting return phone calls or seeking a second opinion, she is in the wrong line of work.

I'm sending you big hugs and hoping you find answers. You deserve them.

Kathy:

You should not have to give any reason for requesting your records, and if a reason is demanded, "second opinion" should be sufficient. Any inquiries beyond that do NOT need to be answered by you.

I will tell you that the practice in the office where I work (cardiology) is that the nurses give out "normal" results, especially if no change in regimen is anticipated. We're a solo practice, and if the doctor called with every single exam or test result, he wouldn't have time to see patients! And we have a smaller practice than the average doctor, as we don't accept insurance other than Medicare. Even then, it's just too busy for the doctor to personally call.

That being said, it may be that your record keeps getting lost in the shuffle...that your doctor is seeing so many patients that she sees your chart, but doesn't "connect" it with you and your story? Not that it excuses the office behavior, but I know how easily this can happen when there's literally hundreds of patients, and several dozen each day needing information, screening, etc. I don't think that you're being too "high maintenance" as you put it.

You said something about a follow-up appointment...did you make a point of making that appointment when you went over to sign the release? You might also consider making the appointment, and stating that it's not necessarily for exam, just to talk and work out a plan to deal with your pain.

I'm sorry you've had so much trouble, first with your surgery, and then with your doctor. If you've not already, you might consider getting to know the practice manager. Sometimes they are quite useful at cutting through red tape to get you what you need in terms of care.

And it's not uncommon to have these sorts of pains after surgery...for some of us, they are attributable to "settling" of intestines especially, which CT (if done without oral contrast) may not visualize. I've got a whole new "kink" in my intestines, just since my surgery, and probably directly related...and when my intestines are irritated, my low back is what complains. Just a thought...

Good luck with finding your second opinion. It sometimes takes several tries to find the answers out, unfortunately. But I would look to some sort of intestinal issue first, before saying "adhesions" for certain.



Audrey