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http://www.omniture.com --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad August 7, 2006 Tales from the Crib: Doctors do a disservice By Jennifer Margulis Tidings Correspondent When we arrived for a 3:30 appointment, I asked if the doctor was running late. The clerk answered with a surprised smile, "Oh, no. He's on time. Have a seat." It took exactly an hour and fifteen minutes to be seen. In what other profession could you stay in business and be so late? If you show up an hour and fifteen minutes after class starts, you miss the class. If you're a pilot and you come an hour and 15 minutes late for a flight, you get fired. We weren't even given an apology, or an acknowledgement that we'd been waiting for so long. So not only were the doctors running inexcusably behind schedule, they seemed to feel no accountability for their actions. But there are bigger problems in today's medical system than just an astonishing lack of punctuality. Instead of treating us like active participants in keeping up the health of our bodies and our children's bodies, doctors often act like we're obtuse. The power dynamic starts from the first interaction. A doctor introduces himself by his last name and title, expecting to be called Dr. X, but inevitably calls you by your first name (or just "Mom" if you're in the hospital having a baby, which is even more insulting), establishing that he is (presumably) more educated, more knowledgeable, and more worthy of respect than you are. He acts hurried in your presence (he is, of course, because he's running an hour and fifteen minutes behind schedule) and treats your questions like petty annoyances. Even when you have a good, genuine, equal relationship with your health care provider, see what happens if you refuse a recommendation. Pregnant with my first child, I declined a pregnancy-induced diabetes test. I was aversely affected by sugar and I knew the test would make me sick for the rest of the day, if not the week. Since I couldn't eat sugar, I was on an ultra healthy no-sugar diet. A typical dinner was raw broccoli, green beans, a glass of skim milk, and a half a cup of plain organic yogurt. I wasn't eating this way to be virtuous. Small quantities of healthy high protein food and vegetables alleviated the overwhelming nausea I had. I exercised every day and lost weight in the first trimester. So when a nurse midwife ordered this routine test, I asked for more information. She got annoyed. I explained that I was severely affected by sugar and was eating none, and barely any fruit (except pineapple, which I sometimes craved). She told me the cure for pregnancy-induced diabetes was to go on a low-sugar diet, the diet I was already on. "You're going to buy yourself a C-section," she said angrily, detailing the myriad problems that would result in my refusal. My baby would be enormous and possibly malformed. I could die in labor. Because I refused a simple glucose test? It seems silly now but I left her office and sobbed. Eight months later my doctor (I switched practices) ordered an emergency sonogram. "For inter-uterine growth retardation," she said offhandedly. "You're measuring too small." After six and a half months of nausea, I felt so good I had started biking long distances every day, fast. "Could I be measuring small because I've been exercising?" I suggested. "Not a chance," she said, hurrying away to "help" another patient. We all have the same goal: good health. It's time for doctors to slow down, talk reasonably instead of using scare tactics, and not be so hurried and so prejudiced by their own preconceptions that they do not listen. It's also time for people seeking medical attention to insist on being treated respectfully and not assume that the doctors know what's right for them. Those providers have forgotten me--not one could remember my name. But their words, their insensitivity, their hurriedness, and their arrogance have had a lasting effect. Current Comments: So rather than singling out doctors, Ms. Margulis needs to clarify that her distaste for medical providers extends to nurse-midwives. That will muddle her argument, of course, since they are supposed to be more sympathetic than the arrogant male MDs. The part about "measuring too small" is also short on logic. It is simply her opinion versus the OB-gyn's, leaving it to readers to agree that she has been medically insulted once again. Steve Fabricant - Hanoi, Vietnam - Aug 8th, 09:00AM I have not had Ms. Margulis' experience with my Ashland physician, whether for childbirth (twice), the occasional annoying flu virus, or routine annual physical exams. He has always treated me respectfully and genuinely, and I know that I am left in the waiting room for so long because he's spending a few extra "quality" moments with each patient, as he always does with me, my husband, and our children. It's not helpful to generalize the profession when a few individuals are to blame. Jennifer B - Ashland, Oregon - Aug 9th, 22:36PM It seems that the author likes to generalize. I have seen this in past articles of hers and now here again. If you are not happy with your doctor, you need to be that much more proactive in your own health care. I have been very frustrated and angry at having to wait an hour to see the dr. but when it's my turn I know that I will get the extra time I need before he runs out to another patient. K.S. - Ashland,OR - Aug 10th, 09:47AM It's important to ask questions and be aware of a doctor's level of attention paid to us. As a parent, grandparent and a patient, I've had similar horror stories as Ms. Margulis. Not all doctors are the same, but many give standardized advice, seemingly without thinking. Example: My grandbaby's doc says we can't give him a bottle of pure water even when it's hot outside. I gave my nursing babies drinking water and it never hurt them. But this doctor insists it's wrong. Always Question Authority! D.S. - Ashland, OR - Aug 10th, 12:32PM I am sorry that Ms. Margulis has had bad experiences with the medical community. My doctors have always treated me personably. There are reasons doctors are not always on schedule. They do not discuss the reasons which include dealing with unforeseen medical emegencies and other unexpected events. As for the doctor questioning Ms. Margulis about potential intrauterine growth retardation, good for him/her. It is a dangerous condition. Ben ( [email protected] ) - Ashland, Or - Aug 10th, 12:52PM People were waiting in line to get into heaven. Seeing someone with a long, white beard and a stethoscope around his neck, someone asked, "Who's the doctor?" The person next to her answered, "That's God. He just thinks He's a doctor." Ron Elterman - Ashland, OR - Aug 10th, 20:29PM If I had a dollar for every time a doctor kept me waiting� The worst is being stuck in a waiting room with small children for over an hour. (A simple request: if the doctor is running late, someone let us know!) Patients are expected to treat our doctors respectfully. The author is simply pointing out that this is a two-way street�or should be. I'm happy for those who have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with all their doctors. I wish we all could say the same. Shari Strong - Portland, OR - Aug 12th, 22:48PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.