Communication A Two Way Street
Posted on March 5, 2009
Last year I fired my Ob/Gyn. I had asked him to run a simple blood test for me and he declined. I wanted to check to see if my prolactin levels were still elevated — due to my pituitary tumor. He asked me if I was planning on getting pregnant to which I responded, no. It’s not that I don’t want to be pregnant again, it is practically impossible without medical interventions, something my husband won’t consider doing again. Because I wasn’t “planning” on another pregnancy he thought the request for the test unnecessary. However, when my tumor was first diagnosed our RE recommended that I have an MRI every 6 months to check its growth. When I asked for the blood test it had been 3 years since my tumor was diagnosed and I had yet to receive a follow-up MRI. I didn’t think it was an unreasonable request.
Is this a silly reason to change doctors? Maybe. But it is my opinion that I have a right to know what is going on with my health, my body. I recognize that doctors don’t want to run unnecessary tests, but this is something that probably should be checked every year or at least every other year.
I suppose it was more than the denied request for this test. One year after the birth of my twins he had made a comment about my weight. I was still heavy from my pregnany and I wasn’t one of those lucky ladies that lost all her “baby” weight breastfeeding, in fact my body was holding on to all that weight – it sucked. Anyway, he lectured me about how I needed to loose those extra 20 pounds (beleive me I would have loved to) and that I obviously wasn’t exercising enough. I was irritated but went back for my annual exam one year later.
In the new consumer driven market, I would think more doctors are going to see patients leave for better care or more caring doctors. See Julia’s comment on the How Integrated Are You? post. Truly, if you lack compassion for your patients you are in the wrong profession!
But it is not just the doctors that sometimes communicate poorly with us. I know that I’ve been guilty of not sharing all of the facts or relevant details around my health with my doctors. However, I am an open book now. I now know that they can do a better job of assessing my issues if I give them all of the facts, even the details that I think might be insignificant. Although they might not always pick up on those details…a recent illness of mine proves they are not infailable as my doctor missed the start of Shingles, even though I pointed out the bumps on my face during an exam. Oh well.
Just like with your marriage; communication is the key to a successful relationship. I forgot to apply this logic before we experienced infertility. I am now a much more educated health care consumer and require my providers give me all of the relevant facts, or even the details they might think are insignificant.
What steps are you taking to ensure you receive good care?
» Filed Under Doctors, communication
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