Health Care Rant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 26, 2008

Warning: This is a long rant about medical professionals so if you don’t like reading anything negative and sarcastic, please don’t waste your time with this blog entry.

It was Memorial Day in the US so our operations in the center were called off. I spent the day at home trying to rest up from the weekend company outing.  My wife and I just finished breakfast and I was on the living room floor trying to assemble the gas range stand she bought over the weekend.  It’s a simple matter really, four corner assemblies with wheels and 4 tubes which would serve as brackets.  They were to be inserted into the corners and was to be tightened with the included pseudo wrench tool. So there I was on the floor assembling it and as I was about to reach for one of the parts, I felt a shooting pain in my lower back, I felt like my upper thorax and lower thorax were about to come apart. My wife said she heard a popping sound. The pain was immense that I had to quickly lie flat on the floor. It quickly subsided but I took my time lying straight on the floor before even attempting sitting up.  The pain was fast to subside although I could still feel a slight pain as I was getting up. This had me worried. I’ve never had any serious injuries before and since this involved the spine I wasn’t taking any chances. I went to the doctor the next day and x-rays were ordered. I’ve also been neglecting knee pains which I’ve been suffering several months now so my knees were x-rayed as well.  I was able to get the results of the x-rays the next day and the initial impressions seems optimistic. My lumbar and knees appeared normal, no tears or misalignments.   It was recommended that I see an orthopedic surgeon as well just to be sure.  

I’ve been ignoring my knee pains for quite a while now. There was a time that the pain just came and went but the pain had started becoming chronic and it was really felt when I’m coming down a flight of stairs. Initial research would seem to indicate that this might be a case of PFS or Patellafemoral Syndrome.

 

It must be said that I always dread going to hospitals. Unless it’s to visit a new born baby. So just a couple of hours prior I was already feeling some anxiety.  The past couple of trips I’ve had to this big hospital in Makati, I just found the doctors just plain cold and would seem to rush you with a diagnosis. I’m not sure if it has something to do with my visit being covered by a referral slip from my health care provider. I’m not sure what is the state of medical education in the country but I think there should be a course on bedside manners. I know that there is suppose to be a cold, professional distance that needs to be maintained and that transference (i.e. be sympathetic) must be minimized. But......anyway.

 

So there I was waiting for the doctor. Clinic hours are from 9:00AM to 12:00PM and it was first come, first served. Wanting to avoid a long queue, I got there around 8:20.  The doctor got in around 10 o’clock (probably just played 9 holes).  I was the second patient in. (How’d that happen?) Doctor quickly asks what my complaint was, gives the x-ray results a quick scan, asks me if I eat a lot of beans, legumes and the likes, asks what the G.P. gave me, (I told him the doctor at Maxicare who is an acquaintance prescribed some pain relievers and that I’ve been taking Mobic for two days now).  It didn’t take five minutes for the doctor to diagnose that my x-rays are normal and that he doesn’t know my medical history and therefore he cannot say why I’m feeling chronic pain on my knees and that I should just avoid slouching and to continue taking the prescribed pain-killers. So I asked him, “ Doc, what do you think is causing my knee pains?”  And he said, “ I don’t know. Like what I said, I am not familiar with your medical history.”  Uhhh…shouldn’t we try to find out? Boy was Dr. Big Shot Orthopedic Surgeon in a rush. He late for a hot date or something, I’m not sure.  I’m no medical professional, but isn’t part of being a doctor to try and identify what is causing the ailment/pain of the patient then taking steps to remedy the problem.  I think I read that somewhere. (yes, you are detecting sarcasm in my writing tone.)  

 

The last time I went to this big bad hospital in Makati, I had a case of plantar warts in the sole of my right foot. Most probably I got them from the gym since I had a lazy habit of not wearing flip flops to the shower. So I went to Maxicare and got an initial assessment and was referred to this dermatologist in the hospital across. Same deal, over an hour waiting, less than two minutes to make a diagnosis. Doctor says “you got warts. They need to get cottorized. You need to have it approved by your health care provider. They’re P1000 per injection. Since there are around ten developing warts, you need to get an approval for P10,000.”  Wow. That was quite a mouthful and she finished the entire sentence even before I could finish putting my socks back on. “Are they painful?” I inquired about the injections. And the curt reply, “VERY.” Whoa. Really no candy coating there. Like a punch in the stomach. Goodness, if I’m dying please don’t let Dr. Big Shot Dermatologist Beeyatch give me the bad news.  Since I wasn’t really satisfied with the diagnosis, even disgusted, I opted to get a second opinion. My wife has a friend who is a dermatologist as well so we decided to consult him. That evening, I checked WebMD to do research. Now I must say that self-diagnosis has inherent risks and I will not suggest you do this.  But based on what I read, a simple drop of salicylic acid is the simple remedy. There was even an article stating that a simple duct tape remedy completely removed the warts.  What the heck, I bought a bottle of salicylic acid, followed the procedure I found on line and in less than two week, the plantar warts were gone. I guess the doctor recognized a billing opportunity.  And I didn’t even go for a second opinion anymore.

 

I got a couple more horror stories to tell, all from encounters with doctors from the same big bad hospital in Makati. I hate making hasty generalizations but a good bunch of the doctors I’ve consulted in this hospital are really nasty vultures.  I’m sure my experience pales in comparison with others, I can only imagine if this is the attitude, outlook and practice of most medical professionals in a premier hospital in the central business district, how about the other hospitals in other parts of the metropolis. I mean case in point is the case of the video taped surgery of the person who had to have a spray bottle removed from his rectum and how it was made fun of by the medical staff attending the surgery, even video taped by some medical students. In the United States, medical information is treated with the utmost confidence. They even have a law which strictly regulates the handling of medical information, its called HIPPA and it can have serious sanctions for violators.

 

It’s just sad.

 

So that this blog entry won’t be a complete rant, let me tell you about one of the few doctors that I’ve come across who really seemed to display genuine concern and care for her patients,  my wife’s OB GYN, Dr. Lilibeth Genuino. I always accompany my wife every time she visits her. Dr. Genuino is never in any rush despite the usual long queues in her waiting room. She really takes her time to explain things, go over in detail ultra sound results and answer any questions we might have. We’ve recommended her to several people including my wife’s brother, two cousins and a couple of office mates and they all have the same positive feedback. A very competent doctor and very patient oriented. My wife and I just adore her.