As soon as I can get my prescriptions from this idiot I plan to switch doctors immediately.
this female was just horrible. Didn’t want to listen. Was argumentative about my conditions. Told me I look like I was a smart person and asked why I didn’t come prepared with all my prescriptions. I explained that all my prescriptions are out of date and since I was a first time patient why didn’t her office instructed me to bring them ? Keep in mind I waited 2 months for this appt via California medi-cal. I have not been to a doctor or endo in 2 years. Then she tell me to get a list of my prescriptions from my last pharmacy which was Walmart.
Now the Walmart fax is suddenly not working. Had to get very ugly with Walmart in order for them to send the fax to my doctor so she can call in the prescription before she closes. I go to Walmart only to find out they did sent the face to my doctor but now the doctor refused to fill it in lieu of me getting test results!!! Then why have me go through all this crap about find out what my previous prescriptions were if you weren’t going to fill it???
In the examination, I told her that I am experiencing sharp pains in my breast. … she just filled out a slip so I may get a mammogram…Never touched my breasts suggested it was the daily anxiety i had mentioned. She asked me how was I getting my insulin without a prescription. I told her I was getting Walmart insulin. Told me that she is a doctor and you can get insulin with out a prescription. I told her I am not a fool and yes you can get insulin of some sort without a prescription. This is why I am skeptical to go to a doctor that got their credentials from another country. They have no bedside manner and talk down to you. Not to mention the last time I went to a doctor of the same ethnic group it was a similiar experience. Don’t give me crap about diversity and such when you come to this country and do not adopt the culture in how to conduct health care with patients.
Gosh, Cristalyn, I am really sorry you had such a bad experience. Clearly this is not the right doctor for you, and I hope you are able to get an appt with a new doctor soon.
It is true that some doctors who got a degree from abroad are not always culturally acclimated. Some of them are very good though, I guess it is like everythng else - some good ones and some bad ones:-)
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your next experience is better!
your experience sounds a bit of a nightmare and hope you can find a better, more understanding doctor soon.
you would hate to be me. i live in spain and all my doctors are spanish-the horror! my gp right now is great. some people call her la doctora house, because she can be a bit like dr house from tv, just says it like it is, but i love her.
when i lived in nyc, my doctors were plain old american, israeli, pakistani and indian. all were individuals and all had good and bad points. dr carlton knew how to do card tricks-good, but really sucked at getting an IV in-bad. dr fruchter was the love of my life at the age of 5 and refused halloween candy-more for me and said the abcs with me while giving me shots, good, but moved back to israel-bad. dr shah was just good good good. he was from pakistan and had an awesome bedside manner. when i was in a car accident, he was one of the first to visit me in the hospital. he was my immunology resident working in another hospital.
i hope your bad experience with this “ethnic” doctor doesnt lead you to believe that only doctors with the same ethnic background as you are the only ones you can trust and will treat you well.
I think the existence of “clown doctors” can cross all ethnic backgrounds. I have had experiences with American doctors that were total fools when it came to treating the disease. But I have also had some really great doctors. I think both good and bad doctors exist from all over.
My standards for a good Endo are the same, regardless of where they are from:
Do they listen to my question BEFORE they formulate an answer? Or do they just spit out the same stuff they say to everyone.
Do they talk to me on the right level? No “diabetic baby-talk” please!
Do they understand that I have learned a lot in dealing with it 24-7 for longer than some of them have been alive. Can they answer what I need, instead of what I don’t need.
My mom used to lecture me when I was a kid. I don’t need that anymore. No lectures!
Are they willing to go to bat for me with insurance fights?
Are they up on “new”?
Can they think out of the box?
Can they treat me as an individual, and not like everyone else?
Do they understand that my target is not the same as the ADA’s target. Please don’t tell me my A1C is too low!
Please don’t ask me dumb questions like “How much insulin do you take?” I always give a dumb response - “Uh…it depends…”
@Eric2, I like your list. I had a gastro-intestinal doc ask me recently, once he knew I had T1D, “Do you experience any blood glucose lows or highs?” I said, “Of course, I have diabetes and use insulin! I have highs and lows every day!” I felt I was a bit rough on him, but I’m not his first diabetic patient and that question seemed ignorant to me. I know, I should just chill, but sometimes I speak my mind.
I’ve been helped by doctors of many ethnic backgrounds as I lived for 30 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, a demographic slice of the entire planet. My only requirement relating to ethnicity is that I must be able to easily verbally communicate. If the accent is hard to follow, I won’t continue. But I’ve detected no level of correlation between ethnicity and effectiveness. While I am male, given a choice, I tend to pick female doctors. Are woman better listeners? I don’t know, but perhaps I’m showing some prejudice in this.
My latest contact with a new and very experienced endo, I admired that he skipped the stock low warning that seems to creep out in almost every endo encounter. He was looking at my CGM reports and he could see that my exposure to lows was less than 3% of my average day. He chose, instead, to offer compliments and I liked that as I work very hard at monitoring/controlling my blood glucose levels.
I might need to clarify a few things here. When I say ethnic yes I am taking about somebody who is not native to this country (USA). By no means am I suggesting anybody is incompetent or didn’t deserve their medical degree. I am saying that coming from another country their mannerisms are something less than desirable or accommodating. Lots of American women will not go to a male gynecologist if they are from a middle eastern country because of they see how women are treated in their countries. I am tired of having to be the “understanding” American to others that chose not to assimilate to American hospitality standards. I am tired of having diversity forced upon me when results like this happen. I have worked with several people from Eastern Europe and it has been a super nice experience. Just because you are a doctor doesn’t mean I don’t know what I am talking about especially when it comes to my body. I don’t need multiples of degrees to explain science when I work with it everyday.
The ethnic group I am talking about is “Eastern European” specifically. Something else to add to this is that I am a female African American. This is something I always think about when I visit a new doctor. Are my issues going to be taken seriously. I told this person I was having sharp pains in my breasts. Not once did she touch them for lumps. She just told me to go make an appointment for a mammogram. She lectured me and questioned me about my occupation and told me that is seems like I am smart. WTF???!!! I wonder does she talk to her other Eastern European patients like this. Even though I was the first patient there I was one of the last to be seen.
Also if i make a ruckus or even started to question suddenly I am the “Angry Black Woman” for daring to challenge the doctor on their 2 sec prognosis. You can’t win…
I am sympathetic to your observation, but I do think we have to not place blame on ethnicity. The problem isn’t someone coming from Eastern Europe, someones ethnicity, their skin color etc. The problem is likely that “doctors don’t listen to women.” And while the problem may be worse for doctors who come from cultures which don’t treat women and men equally it is a pretty universal problem. You may well have had the same treatment with a US born Harvard trained doctor. In this difficult time I think it is important to demonstrate the things that I think make this country great. We should be inclusive and treating everyone fairly and compassionately. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but I do hope you can take this opportunity to make it a teaching moment to others.
Ok I’m a geezer female and not all doc’s listen to everybody and I’m sure there are some personality issues that just won’t work with all patients. The way I’m reading your post kinda indicates that your Doc might not be the only argumentative person in the exam room. As for your meds - having been around for a while I now don’t even turn up for an eye exam without a bag of my current prescriptions and over the counter meds even tho my health care file is linked via computer with all my providers. I do consider this my responsibility. As someone once posted to me in this forum - own your own treatment, This is your disease - why the hell should a new doctor be responsible for researching your meds? And I am going to give you crap about the diversity comment - it’s totally inappropriate and terribly unkind. Sometimes you get right back what you put out in the world.
Thank you…One of the best doctors I had was an Egyptian gentleman who has since past away. I am not trying to be decisive here but I am sure I am not the only one that has had this issue. Please notice I am simply talking about customer service that I was given. As a female, I am always a little apprehensive when I go to the doctor knowing my issues may not be taken seriously. Then to couple that with a person that doesn’t have in customer relation skills with different ethnic groups only compounds my situation. A further note is African Americans let alone women normally have bad reputations in other countries because of the media. Just like Asians are seen as being super smart. So I may be confronted with those prejudices also and perhaps why this clown doctor had to remind me she was a doctor. I promptly told her you can be a doctor but I am not a fool.
I am having pains in my breast immediately I am thinking this could be breast cancer. I also think about how breast cancer in women of color is far more reactive and aggressive than in Caucasian women. then this doctor cant see fit to even touch me? I have to begin to think why. The only reason why I went to this person is because of the issues I have had with insurance other wise I would have gone back to my original doctor that I have had for several years. I have no issue discussing ethnicity and I am not going to shy away from it because its uncomfortable and todays changing racial climate.
I do this as well. I keep an up-to-date document on my computer or my phone with all current medications (prescription, over-the-counter, and supplements) and the conditions they are used to treat. I bring this to all new doctors that I see (or even just specialists I’ve seen before but haven’t seen in a while). Doctors seem to appreciate it, it makes my life easier not having to remember everything (and usually remembering after the appointment that I forgot to mention some medication or condition), and it does tend to send a message to the doctor that I’m knowledgeable and responsible and they treat me accordingly.
@Christalyn - well, I really blew it. I knew you were African American, but I did not think/remember (because I am white) that doctors may poo-poo your symptoms because of that. Now you are ringing my bell and I am suddenly remembering all the research I read on that.
And yes I agree with you about being an old geezer! I normally write down all my prescriptions when asked or prompted to on paperwork…this never happened. I know all my meds by heart. It wasn’t till this Dr. challenged me on getting insulin a/o a prescription that I got testy. For the 1.5 years I have been going insulin from Wal-Mart sans a prescription. I don’t care who you are or how many degrees you have…if you cant at least listen to what I am saying but want me to listen to you because you have a degree is not the way for me. I am just as smart and savvy and could have gone to med school…
I think I know what the problem is…this Dr is an old geezer and If Will not be a patient
This is an unfortunate situation and I’m sorry you had to go thru this, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
I find it troubling that you frame this as an ethnic problem, as an African American I’m sure you have experienced your share of prejudiced treatment based on what you are rather than who you are. We should all be judged as an individual not as a member of an ethnic group. This is all more disturbing when we consider just how wrong ethnic stereotypes can be. No one should be judged on their sex, race, appearance, or even the accent with which they speak. I do hope that you are not doing the same with this doctor.
Whether this is an ethnic problem or not it is clear that you and this doctor are a poor fit. I think that you have made a wise decision to seek another doctor.
Thank you Stemwinder_Gary
… I don’t have a problem with different ethnic groups. I am a scientist and I have always worked with international groups of people in every job I have had since college. What you have to understand if you are of a certain ethnic group, I (African American) maybe the only person of my ethnic group (which is normally just grouped into being just American by internationals) they are ever see and its at work. Like having that “token” Black friend. I have worked several jobs being a technical professional where on first thought I am constantly seen as apart of the “cleaning crew” or in manufacturing. I waste a lot of time with these guys “proving” myself competent before they let their guard down to be a social co worker. Why is that??? I can only assume because of the media in our country and theirs. I normally have let people know what my position is which is normally seen done by a person that is international. I am the one that has to monitor their work for quality. If I don’t see quality I have to either fix it in the lab or I get to shut down your production line and all the workers go home. When production folks find out I am in that type of position they start treating me a little better knowing if I have to shut the line down…the workers pay check will be short.
Ethnicity also includes hierarchy and customs of the group. Something in one group can be considered offensive in another group. I was asked by a co worker from Serbia how many generations have my family been in America? One I found it offensive and two this is not conversation for the work place for me. If you are so curious then look it up on Wikipedia. I normally don’t have any of the issues that I have mentioned before with native Caucasian Americans. Please trust in the fact that this is my experience and you and others that have been kind to answer my post perhaps have been treated differently in the same situation.
When this clown doctor came in to the room I knew of their history and awards they had received. I gladly greeted them when they came in asked them to slow down to catch their breathe because I knew they had been busy. Something else I noticed is most of their other patients were people of the same or similar ethnicity. I naturally began to wonder if this person is use to treating somebody vastly different them the normal clients and somebody that is younger.
It actually scares me right now I am having pains in my breast and I have no reason why. I am thinking about going to urgent care even though I have scheduled a mammogram for late January ( this was the earliest appt). Like I said earlier when I get my testing done and I have my prescriptions …I am switching immediately
I remember bring meds to several doctors and they never looked at them especially if they ask you to write them down. It may depend on where you go… Since I was use to going to a very modern clinic all of this was kept on a computer. Plus I have a phone application. I will not be going to an old time clinic to get treatment. If they can’t keep their clinics up to date how do I know they stay current on modern treatment???
Thanks for being open enough to reply Chris…my geezer D experiences have taught me to be prepared for both my fails and others - think zombie apocalypse! Had you whipped out that NPH you might have been able to dial down some of the negative portion of the exam. I have been notified my GP is moving on this spring so I’ll be training a new primary soon…I’ll be hauling that bag O Meds along with my meter and (sigh) food log. I will have my current primary schedule fasting labs on her way out. I do this because I’m very low carb high fat and protein - easier to prove the benifits out before I have to dig in my heels against the recommended diet. As for the ethnic issue, I’m lucky to work with many immigrants and refugees - we all have to suspend our own bias in order to learn to work together, which always results in benifits I can’t anticipate - culture does inform our behavior but it does not have to define our actions with others. Sit down and write your issues with the entire exam, then put that letter away and edit it over the corse of a couple of days until it truly reflects the things you want to change for the next appointment. Send it to the new doc prior to that exam. I am hoping you will find the best possible care
I’m sorry Christalyn, it sounds like a sucky appointment and a huge waste of your time. Especially frustrating given how hard it’s been for you to receive any care at all.
My husband’s dad is from Eastern Europe, and he doesn’t have the greatest bedside manner. But his best friend in the world went to med school with him and is also from the same country and has a fabulous bedside manner. So I imagine there are folks of all types in all countries’ medical schools.
Now, I don’t know because I am not African American, but I can imagine there are more landmines when you are African American and seeking care. Studies have shown that some doctors hold inaccurate beliefs about African American patients and that African American patients tend to receive worse care. So if you get a crappy doctor who talks down to you, doesn’t listen, and wastes your time and even seems reluctant to touch you it’s really hard to tease apart if that behavior was specifically a result of their ethnicity on its own, their response to you being African American, or just the fact that they’re naturally rude. That’s a lot of stuff to have circling in the mind at an appointment!
Thank you @Tia_G It was a waste of time not to mention I had to take time off work for this. I travel 30 miles one way for work too. Thanks for mentioning the studies. I plan to get my prescriptions from this doctor and moving on. I can not deal with somebody that doesn’t think my opinion matters in my health care. I would at least think she would like to know that you can get (old school) insulin from walmart (not a flex pen) with out a prescription. They chose to argue with me about this. Since the time of the visit I have purchased more insulin without a prescription from walmart.
