Info on doctors should give detaled advices

[antoinette]

I know doctors are supposed to be above us and care for the disease first. They should also be entirely honest about the truth, the doubts, the wrong directions that could be taken and why, and the wrong decisions made when these decisions seems the right one. The "bedside" manners are second or last in the list of their "duties". But that also involves an attention and perception of the patient who need them. The response could and should be different according to the patients estimated reaction. However, if the patient is"cool", does not ask stupid questions, or go in a frenzy of "Why me!", the doctors should respect the rules of telling the truth, all the truth and nothing but. No doing this will make a patient lose truth, and will initiate fear of the unknown.
I have proof though that some doctors do not do this. Does it mean that they are doubting or that they assume that all is not clear in a case, and it is protecting future discoveries, (medical or personal or presumed evolution of the case), and it invites the patient to do nothing, to make no decisions, to wait ... Wait.. For what? For new procedures, for the tumors to become inoperable, for the poor results to be explain by the extreme stage it came to the table, for the patient to die naturally before anything is done?
If anyone has survive this sort of scenario, could you , please, tell us, tell me!
I know a few cases where waiting would have made all the difference. Then why did they rush? And if they had made a mistake, why didn't they admit that although it was right to do it at the time, it may be a case needing extra care and no rushed decisions. Is the fear of malpractice stronger than the care of patients. Are malpractice accusations always ending in favor of the patients. ..or of the doctor's status?
Why is there not an active "jurisprudence" office where these cases would go rather than justice and courts. Where are patients protected, even from erroneous conclusion?
Where can we both, doctors and patients, communicate like members of the same specie?
antoinette

[ppearl214]

Hi Antoinette.

Gawd, I have been in those shoes.

Years ago, I had spinal fusion and lamenectomy (L4-L5-S1). No one bothered to tell me I had to learn to walk again. No one bothered to tell me the pains/leg numbness, etc as potential outcomes. I was 21, young, naive and didn't arm myself well at all with info. I knew my dr was top of the line and just trusted him.  In that time, I have learned that Dr's are not Gods, I learned that the nursing staffs are the ones with heart and will share info with you if you ask, but most of all, I learned that I need to take control of my medical situation, to arm myself with as much info as I can, to ask any and all questions (even if they sound stoopid to the dr's) as it's my body, my rights as a patient to have me drive my decisions and outcomes, not them.  To them, I am a number, a demographic to the facility in which they work... but, without me, their school or house loans do not get paid. I have learned to take control and never again let any dr dictate to me what to do, when to do, or how to do. It's my body, not their's and I will be the one to live with the outcomes 24/7, not them.

I so feel for what you write here.  Malpractice insurance/lawsuits have taken over in this country.  Patient protection, unfortunately, is in the hands of the courts, but in my eyes, we can prevent that from happening if people take control of their situation first before believing every word out of a dr's mouth.  If there are advocacy groups, I'm not all that aware of them.  I'm sure they exist (ah, Google is our best friend) but, for me, I think if given the opportunity (and not being in an emergent situation that split second decision is required), it's up to the patient to take control first and foremost.

Phyllis