Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Doctor Deaf

I didn't take this advice. Bob seemed unwilling and quite frankly his fur tickles my nose so I stuck to regular tissues despite getting through a box a day for the past couple of days. Of course it has to be the aloe balm ones as my nose is sore enough as it is, a sure sign that the 'slime monster' has come back for another party bash in my head. This time he has bought reinforcements in the shape of Headache Horace, Achey Al, Temperature Teena and Coughin' Colin. Actually, Colin was already here, I guess he never really left when I was ill this time last month. It appears that my bronchi are inflamed somewhat and this is playing merry hell with my asthma and I'm wheezing like a pair of old bellows.

All this prompted a return visit to the doctors which is somewhere I hate to go. I've never been fond of medical people due to a couple of negative experiences when I was younger, including one when I was getting headaches nearly everyday only to have the doctor write 'HYPOCHONDRIAC' on my notes. I know that he wrote this as years later I took a look and saw it there in capital letters. The thing is, soon after he wrote this I was eventually diagnosed with migraines.

The doctor I saw this week reminded me of that doctor. I tried to explain that I have had a cough for about a month, and that I had just got much worse but he was not listening. He had read on my notes that I have asthma and that was all he could hear. I tried to explain that I no longer considered myself asthmatic as it never bothers me unless I am ill but all he would do was say my asthma was playing up. I then asked if I could have an airomir inhaler as it's difficult for me to use a normal one at the moment. He refused saying they were too expensive (why do I pay my National Insurance contributions?). I left feeling very frustrated and discontented with the whole experience.

So here I am, off work and pretty much sofa/bed bound. I am bored beyond belief but my head hurts if I use the computer too much. I am working on an Edinburgh post at the moment which I hope to have finished soon, meanwhile I have a photo of an orangutan on my photoblog if you feel like taking a look.

19 comments:

Dianne said...

the worst thing to have when you're sick is an asshat for a doctor. Been there!

sorry you're ill again. the kitten is adorable, your sense of humor is still fine, loved the illness names

hang in there, it will get better

here's a joke for you
what's the difference between God and a Doctor?
God doesn't think he's a Doctor.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Ugh. You need a new doctor, all right! No one should treat you like that.

Hang in there and feel better!

Bobkat said...

Unfortunately, the way appointments are handles at my surgery it's very difficult to see the same doctor every time or to even choose who you see. Next time they suggest this guy though I am going to ask for someone else!

Thanks for the well wishes both :)

Sleepypete said...

Hope you feel better soon and kick this bug that's kept you down for far too long ...

I've got a longstanding distrust of doctors too :-) They earned it through lack of belief in the various injuries I've picked up over the years. Things like the damaged groin due to bowling a little faster one year - the one that has a tendency to make it slightly awkward to walk ten years later !

And there's a couple more longterm minor things like that too. I've just settled for the old time honoured rest and "don't be stupid" cure now ...

Dunno if it'll help but one thing caught my eye in the new Maplins earlier, simply cos I didn't think it fit in an electronics shop. A Nebuliser ! Wasn't expecting to see that there, I noted it because it might be useful for my sister (also has asthma) to have one handy.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Well, I just hate that you are having a Bad Time, once again....Like you said--The cough never left...And I have been hearing here, across the pond, that people are relapsing much more than they used to...It's like it never went away in the first place!
I hate that doctor! I mean....See, this is what is wrong with The Medical Profession today....Maybe it was ever-thus, but, the incompetence and disinterest is really kind of scary becauxe things can be over-looked so easily. It seems like Doctors make up their minds about something before they really "know"....! UGH!
Well, I hope you feel better, in spite of that stupid doctor not really giving you the help you need!

Going over to see that sweet animal now.....

kenju said...

I'm so sorry, Bob-kat, and I hope you'll soon be well, inspite of that doctor!

Anonymous said...

I wish I could offer advice besides the usual "Get well." I suppose buying your own inhaler is out? (Don't worry. I won't go off on a rant about publicly funded health care.)

Do rest up and get better.

Cheers.

Bobkat said...

Alas, the way health care is set up in the UK, I cannot get hold of an inhaler without a prescription. This would mean paying to see a private doctor and then paying for the inhaler which is a little on the costly side.

Anonymous said...

Any chance you are allergic to the cat? Daughter had the same symptoms. Finally went to an allergy clinic and they said the cat was her problem.
We both cried, and made sure the kitty had a good home. After a good cleaning to get rid of all the cat dander she got better. Five minutes after petting a neighbors cat her nose began running and she began to cough.

Bobkat said...

Thanks but no way. I have lived with Bob for 17 years now with no problems. It's definitley a bad bug I have. I am sorry you had to get rid of your kitty though.

Anonymous said...

Hey, BK! I trust you're on the mend. I'm not really here from Michele's as I'd visit anyway. I'll let someone more interesting pop in from there.

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I feel for you. I had pneumonia for several months last year and every time I went to the doctor, he acted like it was a major inconvenience. Yeah, well, not being able to breathe normally is a bigger inconvenience! I hope you feel better very soon.

Smiler said...

Sorry to hear you've been sick for so long. That's already difficult enough to deal with, let alone having to deal with a pig headed and unsympathetic doctor. I highly dislike doctors and the medical system for similar reasons as you. I don't think anyone's ACTUALLY written "hypocondriac" on my file but considering none of them treat me seriously at all, they may as well have. We have a social health system here as well and also don't get to pick our doctors. I had a month-long migraine in my early 20's and went to see all kinds of specialists to hopefully help attenuate the pain. They just said the "headache" was bound to stop "eventually". Then I went to see a neurologist this year who had me fill a short questionnaire and immediately confirmed I'm a migraine sufferer. Finally someone who paid attention, but having to wait almost two decades to find someone to confirm what I already knew is just beyond absurd. All this to say that I feel your pain sista...

When I saw the pic of the kitten in the tissue box, I thought you were going to tell us you'd adopted a little young one. That would just be yet another coincidence for you and I since I'm seriously thinking about getting another kitten, probably very soon unless I chicken out again because worried that Fritz and my landlords won't like it (very probable).

Sorry about the ridiculously long comment. Hope I haven't bored you to death! :-)

Anonymous said...

BK sorry to hear you're not feeling well :( Sometimes the docs just aren't that much help. Maybe a swift kick to the trousers would have helped him? :)

Hey, I've finally posted a ride video. If you get a break from Headache Horace, pop over and I'll take you on a 5 minute motorcycle ride near my house here in the states.

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Argh! Doctors annoy me when they're like that. I once had a Doctor tell me a third of all headaches go undiagnosed... I can see why with an attitude like that! Thankfully I saw another doctor shortly and was prescribed a low dose of some kind of anti-depressants and my headaches were sorted! I actually wonder if I've got HYPERCHONDRIAC written on my file too!

Chrissea said...

Here there Bob-kat - visiting again from Michele's. I so hate Doctors and how they are just so set in their ways and "see" only what they want... How much of it is expertise and how much is guess work? I think I'll be a Dr. next week... Yeah, I could do it! (LOL)

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I have been there with those pesky doctors who think they know your body better than YOU do. That DR who called you a hypochondriac needs a good slap on the wrist or two! I've just been diagnosed with a rare and rather mysterious illness after literally 15 years of searching, and I'll bet that nice little nickname is written in a few charts of mine somewhere, too. I wish I had kept a list of all the bad docs I visited and could call them and tell them what a terrible, possibly fatal mistake they made by NOT LISTENING.

Hope you feel better, and I hope that cute little kitten is not the source of some of your sinus troubles! Looks too snuggly to keep at arms length.

Michelle sent me to virtually beat up your doctor.

Moon said...

Man, I am so sorry u are STILL sick and worst now! What a jerk doctor! I hate those who DON'T listen! If they did, they would be much BETTER doctors at the end of the day!...
Reminds me of a few yrs back when I took an ambulance with the handicapped client that lives here...to the hospital, after he had a fall. This man is blind, mute, and severely mentally handicapped...he fell in the day, and after I got him up, he walked to his seat, ..as day went on, he moved less and less, bear in mind he doesnt cry, or talk, or complain...he just got worse, and a cpl hours later, when he got up he just slowely slumped to the floor, and curled up like a baby, and I knew something was VERY WRONG.. by this time I figured he had either a very hurt ankle or hip...so called an ambulance...once there, doc said, he wasnt complaining of pain, so he was ok yada yada...I begged them to just take an xray!! to be sure, I knew the client had just shut down...to deal with it, the only way he knew how...took me 20 mins to convince doc to JUST TAKE A BLOODY XRAY!... so finally they did, ...his hip was broken! totally! needed surgery ... GO FIGURE!...the doctor atleast had the balls to sheepishly come back and tell me I was RIGHT! I just replyed..that it didn't give me any pleasure to know that but glad they finally decided to listen.

kenju said...

MIchele sent me back to check on you, Bob-kat, and I hope you are feeling better!!