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Post by Cranky on Dec 4, 2017 19:10:13 GMT -5
Last Tuesday afternoon, I started coughing mid afternoon and by 8 that evening, the coughing was so bad, that I risked losing control of bodily functions (yes, too much information but I don't don't know how else to describe the severity). We're talking a cough that if I tried to suppress it, choked the air out of me so I had to cough to clear the passage.....and hold on to something while trying to get my breath back.
OK....this "cold" symptoms are not going away so Wednesday I went to the local corner clinic.
The "doctor" who is the hire of the hour in these places asks me if I have any blood in the phlegm. Well, yes I do. He wants me to go over and get x-rays IMMEDIATELY because it could also be a sign of lung cancer. HUH? WHAT? Are you kidding me? Now i'm going from severe flu discomfort into the twilight zone of worry. I'm fine on Monday but by Tuesday I got lung cancer? WTF!
I get home, calm down and decide to wait until Friday to go see my GP which I had an appointment with before all of this happened. I tell him the symptoms and about a bit of blood and he doesn't flinch. He's seen it before and it's from the severe coughing breaking small blood vessels in the throat. Nothing to worry about, it will go away in a few days. Lungs were completely clear with no gurgling whatsoever. So I don't have lung cancer. Gee, how comforting. He gives me a prescription for antibiotic and then we're talking about his desire to buy a...Porsche.
Meanwhile, I'm furious about this corner clinic quack who thinks that it's OK to throw the cancer word around like it just another cold symptom. I asked my GP if I should do anything about him. He thinks I should but warns me that it will be a waste of time. The quack will use the excuse that my description of the symptoms was the cause of his concerns. The fact that I had no cough or ANYTHING before Tuesday and severity on Tuesday was not a dead giveaway of cause and effect. Nor the fact that my lungs were clear and my throat was severely irritated.
Ahh...but there is more.....
Last night, I'm comfortably reading my tablet, symptoms subsiding....and up came a little cough. Accompanied by the biggest kick in the side that I have ever felt. Mule level kick! That little cough induced a lower rib cage muscle pull. Severe pain accompanied every sneeze and cough. The only upside is that I'm almost over my symptoms. This time, instead of visiting another corner clinic quack, I put an ice pack and take some pain killer. Still there, but more of an ouch then a mule kick.
Couple of takeaways from this miserable week.....
*How closely are these corner clinics watched and how well are they following guidelines? Are there guidelines worthy of the medical field or "best practices" jargon?
*I do not know who qualifies these foreign doctors and if they is any follow up. I can't imagine a Canadian trained doctor throwing nuclear level words like "cancer" without having a lot of evidence FIRST. Surely, any common sense doctor would conclude that from the symptoms that there was no call to even think, never mind tell a patient that he/she may have a potential life ending problem.
*I arrogantly thought that people who get addicted to pain killers are sissies that can't take a punch or two. Last night was a bit of an education of how much pain can be felt. I can't imagine how these people can live with the knock down level of pain each cough brought up. If that is their constant state, then I can see that they would resort to anything to manage the pain. And subsequent addictions. Pharmaceutical companies need to work a lot harder to come up with non-addictive pain killers then Viagra substitutes.
*Politicians need to be flogged mercilessly to keep their priorities straight. Health and education are the only two priorities that count. All taxation and spending should be focused on those two. In Ontario, taxpayer currently pay an extra couple of billion a YEAR on the sky falling "initiatives" that would be better spent on educating and employing more medical practitioners, more medical equipment and teachers.
Not a good week.....but it will pass.
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Post by blny on Dec 5, 2017 7:23:14 GMT -5
I managed to catch the flu a couple of weeks before I had my flu shot appointment. One week of brutal coughing - no blood though - followed by a second week of the worst fatigue I've had since mono. I had another two weeks of a persistent choke that was aggravated by eating and talking.
There's a couple of other people in the building who've had what sounds like borderline whooping cough, but is more bronchial. They haven't stopped.
I've found it hit or miss at walk-in clinics. Sometimes you get a quack. Sometimes you get someone decent. I don't need the dr often, but prefer my family dr obviously. Her practice is very busy, but does have 'emergency' slots throughout the day. If you haven't tried this, next time you need yours all of a sudden call at opening and see if they have an 'emergency' slot. It's worked for me a few times, and saved me from going to a walk-in.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 5, 2017 8:41:38 GMT -5
Well, glad it wasn't cancer just the same, HA ... still, you'd think the clinic doctor would've known better ... I mean, if he took x-rays and saw something he didn't like he could just refer you to the emerg, but to blurt out the "C" word right off the bat was just wrong ... that said, there are more doctors out there like him only I find they are fewer than the competent doctors I've seen over the years ... having said that, if you're concerned about the competency in some doctors then you wouldn't have faired well in the service ... doctors routinely get posted in, posted out, sent to different departments ... it's frustrating because every new doctor you see doesn't know you at all (like the guy you saw at the clinic) ... for those military doctors it's like having two careers in one; one as a doctor and another one as a military officer, and there's progression as an officer ... I had a similar situation about 30-odd years ago where the doc told me after an initial examination that I could have cancer ... is that right ... in my 20's, newly married, career underway, have yet to plan a family, etc ... get referred to a specialist and it turns out that it's something I can take care of without prescription drugs ... I still remember what the specialist told me ... "I think Dr So-and-So was just trying to save you some heartache down the road" ... maybe, but I never saw "So-and-So" again and I made sure my mates knew why ... fast-forward to 1999 ... a new regimental doctor has just been posted in replacing the older doctor who'd been there for just under a year (quelle surprise), only this doctor's reputation proceeded her ... she was a former Miss Ontario bodybuilder and when that got out, the guys couldn't book their annual medicals fast enough ... thing was, while morale went through the roof with the male soldiers she actually turned out to be quite incompetent ... so much so, that a few of my friends who had gotten their release medicals (prior to getting out of the service) from her, ended up getting a second examinations done by GPs (which were much more thorough than what she provided) after they'd been released from the service ... anyway, I wasn't trying to jack the thread on you, HA, but there are incompetent doctors out there and, as you found out from your GP, there are a lot of good ones too ...
Cheers.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 5, 2017 9:02:13 GMT -5
I managed to catch the flu a couple of weeks before I had my flu shot appointment. One week of brutal coughing - no blood though - followed by a second week of the worst fatigue I've had since mono. I had another two weeks of a persistent choke that was aggravated by eating and talking. There's a couple of other people in the building who've had what sounds like borderline whooping cough, but is more bronchial. They haven't stopped. I've found it hit or miss at walk-in clinics. Sometimes you get a quack. Sometimes you get someone decent. I don't need the dr often, but prefer my family dr obviously. Her practice is very busy, but does have 'emergency' slots throughout the day. If you haven't tried this, next time you need yours all of a sudden call at opening and see if they have an 'emergency' slot. It's worked for me a few times, and saved me from going to a walk-in. Our GP works the same way ... Mrs Dis got in a few days ago and I think she only had to wait a day for an opening ... Cheers. |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 5, 2017 14:10:11 GMT -5
I managed to catch the flu a couple of weeks before I had my flu shot appointment. One week of brutal coughing - no blood though - followed by a second week of the worst fatigue I've had since mono. I had another two weeks of a persistent choke that was aggravated by eating and talking. There's a couple of other people in the building who've had what sounds like borderline whooping cough, but is more bronchial. They haven't stopped. I've found it hit or miss at walk-in clinics. Sometimes you get a quack. Sometimes you get someone decent. I don't need the dr often, but prefer my family dr obviously. Her practice is very busy, but does have 'emergency' slots throughout the day. If you haven't tried this, next time you need yours all of a sudden call at opening and see if they have an 'emergency' slot. It's worked for me a few times, and saved me from going to a walk-in. My doctor is what one may loosely call a "friend". He will see me anytime BUT he cut his hours back to Friday and Monday. On Wednesday, the coughing was so severe that I made the decision to go over to quack central. My mistake. Apparently there was a flu mini epidemic around September in the GTA. Two months earlier then normal. My wife cought it, brought it home, offered it on a platter but my body refused to play along. This time, not so lucky. And she got mine now. She coughs AND gives me the evil eye at the same time. This is my first cold in a decade. Given my reluctance to get older, I wonder if this is just a one off dance like before or the beginning of more susceptibility as we get older. |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 5, 2017 14:31:00 GMT -5
Well, glad it wasn't cancer just the same, HA ... still, you'd think the clinic doctor would've known better ... I mean, if he took x-rays and saw something he didn't like he could just refer you to the emerg, but to blurt out the "C" word right off the bat was just wrong ... that said, there are more doctors out there like him only I find they are fewer than the competent doctors I've seen over the years ... having said that, if you're concerned about the competency in some doctors then you wouldn't have faired well in the service ... doctors routinely get posted in, posted out, sent to different departments ... it's frustrating because every new doctor you see doesn't know you at all (like the guy you saw at the clinic) ... for those military doctors it's like having two careers in one; one as a doctor and another one as a military officer, and there's progression as an officer ... I had a similar situation about 30-odd years ago where the doc told me after an initial examination that I could have cancer ... is that right ... in my 20's, newly married, career underway, have yet to plan a family, etc ... get referred to a specialist and it turns out that it's something I can take care of without prescription drugs ... I still remember what the specialist told me ... "I think Dr So-and-So was just trying to save you some heartache down the road" ... maybe, but I never saw "So-and-So" again and I made sure my mates knew why ... fast-forward to 1999 ... a new regimental doctor has just been posted in replacing the older doctor who'd been there for just under a year (quelle surprise), only this doctor's reputation proceeded her ... she was a former Miss Ontario bodybuilder and when that got out, the guys couldn't book their annual medicals fast enough ... thing was, while morale went through the roof with the male soldiers she actually turned out to be quite incompetent ... so much so, that a few of my friends who had gotten their release medicals (prior to getting out of the service) from her, ended up getting a second examinations done by GPs (which were much more thorough than what she provided) after they'd been released from the service ... anyway, I wasn't trying to jack the thread on you, HA, but there are incompetent doctors out there and, as you found out from your GP, there are a lot of good ones too ... Cheers. I would of thought that it would be impossible for a quack to survive a "closed shop" like yours. Surely someone higher up could pull rank and get a quack tossed out. I don't care what my doctor looks like, if anything, I would be suspicious of a sexy looking doctor. Diseases have no eyes. I wonder though, did higher ups think that moral is more important then health? Which if true, does not speak well of their priorities. |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 5, 2017 14:40:28 GMT -5
A thought about private clinics.
They survive on the edges of our medical system. Unlike truly private clinics in the US, ours are locked into a fee system. Because of that, they have to cattle herd and hire "qualified" doctors. Where it use to be that doctors would op to go into private care, the clinics are not paying as much as resident doctors in hospitals.
Which brings me to another issue. They don't want us to use emergency services unless it's a real emergency. Fine, but if you force private care into bottom feeding then I'm sorry, I pay the same taxes regardless and I don't want to wonder about quackery levels.
The health care system works but it needs some fixing.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 5, 2017 15:27:46 GMT -5
Well, glad it wasn't cancer just the same, HA ... still, you'd think the clinic doctor would've known better ... I mean, if he took x-rays and saw something he didn't like he could just refer you to the emerg, but to blurt out the "C" word right off the bat was just wrong ... that said, there are more doctors out there like him only I find they are fewer than the competent doctors I've seen over the years ... having said that, if you're concerned about the competency in some doctors then you wouldn't have faired well in the service ... doctors routinely get posted in, posted out, sent to different departments ... it's frustrating because every new doctor you see doesn't know you at all (like the guy you saw at the clinic) ... for those military doctors it's like having two careers in one; one as a doctor and another one as a military officer, and there's progression as an officer ... I had a similar situation about 30-odd years ago where the doc told me after an initial examination that I could have cancer ... is that right ... in my 20's, newly married, career underway, have yet to plan a family, etc ... get referred to a specialist and it turns out that it's something I can take care of without prescription drugs ... I still remember what the specialist told me ... "I think Dr So-and-So was just trying to save you some heartache down the road" ... maybe, but I never saw "So-and-So" again and I made sure my mates knew why ... fast-forward to 1999 ... a new regimental doctor has just been posted in replacing the older doctor who'd been there for just under a year (quelle surprise), only this doctor's reputation proceeded her ... she was a former Miss Ontario bodybuilder and when that got out, the guys couldn't book their annual medicals fast enough ... thing was, while morale went through the roof with the male soldiers she actually turned out to be quite incompetent ... so much so, that a few of my friends who had gotten their release medicals (prior to getting out of the service) from her, ended up getting a second examinations done by GPs (which were much more thorough than what she provided) after they'd been released from the service ... anyway, I wasn't trying to jack the thread on you, HA, but there are incompetent doctors out there and, as you found out from your GP, there are a lot of good ones too ... Cheers. I would of thought that it would be impossible for a quack to survive a "closed shop" like yours. Surely someone higher up could pull rank and get a quack tossed out. I don't care what my doctor looks like, if anything, I would be suspicious of a sexy looking doctor. Diseases have no eyes. I wonder though, did higher ups think that moral is more important then health? Which if true, does not speak well of their priorities. I can't speak for other servicemen/servicewomen but I thought the Canadian Forces was simply a dumping ground for a lot (not all) doctors who couldn't cut it anywhere else ... that's not to say the medics, nurses are in the same category ... I'm talking about RNs and combat medics ... because of Afghanistan the CF has a very strong core of combat-proven medics (and RNs) who I'd trust with quite a bit ... we have some battle-proven doctors, too, and that can't be dismissed either but in very general terms I wasn't overly impressed with the standard of CF doctors during my career ... the specialists I had no problem with, but the GPs weren't up to snuff IMO ... that's not to say everyone felt the same way, it's just my opinion ... Cheers. |
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Post by CentreHice on Dec 5, 2017 22:56:33 GMT -5
Glad you're feeling better, HA.
Been there. Brutal.
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Post by Cranky on Dec 6, 2017 15:20:19 GMT -5
I can't speak for other servicemen/servicewomen but I thought the Canadian Forces was simply a dumping ground for a lot (not all) doctors who couldn't cut it anywhere else ... that's not to say the medics, nurses are in the same category ... I'm talking about RNs and combat medics ... because of Afghanistan the CF has a very strong core of combat-proven medics (and RNs) who I'd trust with quite a bit ... we have some battle-proven doctors, too, and that can't be dismissed either but in very general terms I wasn't overly impressed with the standard of CF doctors during my career ... the specialists I had no problem with, but the GPs weren't up to snuff IMO ... that's not to say everyone felt the same way, it's just my opinion ... Cheers. Is there a program where the military pays for a doctors education in exchange for a set amount of service? Or is it an American thing? I know there is a push to make it easy for foreign doctors to practice in Canada but i would have a problem with foreigners in the heart of our military. I wonder if there is such a restriction? |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 6, 2017 15:22:18 GMT -5
Glad you're feeling better, HA. Been there. Brutal. Not a big deal other then the ordeal and the induced idiocy of the system. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 6, 2017 18:55:40 GMT -5
Is there a program where the military pays for a doctors education in exchange for a set amount of service? Or is it an American thing? Yes, we have it too ... I know a former signals officer (damn good one too) who applied for medical training and is now a fully qualified doctor ... I don't know which area he practices, but he has a good reputation ... I was telling you about the way it was when I was in, HA, but I think the process has greatly improved since I left in the fall of 2002 and I don't want to leave you with the wrong impression ... I don't know if there's a restriction or not; however, they'd have to pass their security checks ... having said that, we have some serving members in the community who might be able to provide a more contemporary picture on what's what with military medical services ... for instance, I'd like to know what happened to the doctors who operated on the injured coming out of Afghanistan ... where was that talent tapped from and where did it end up ... that said, there are still military doctors out there for sure and, to be honest, I haven't heard a lot of bad things about them ... some of them would have served with the field hospitals in Afghanistan and you can't replace experience like that ... I don't know what their pay scale is but they'd have to be paid quite well just to get them to stay ... nowadays the troops here at the base first report to their unit medical inspection room (MIR in my day) where they meet a medic (lots of combat experienced medics in the ranks thanks to Afghanistan) ... if it's something the medics can't handle, or aren't allowed to handle, they'll refer you to the regimental doctor ... it's at this level a referral is made to a civilian specialist, here in town, if need be ... that's a lot more efficient a system than what I came through ... a lot less convoluted, for sure ... Cheers. |
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