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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 11, 2009 - 07:02pm PT
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My daughter, a 4th year med student, told me today that the general concensus is that: docs that practice internal medicine know everything and do nothing; surgeons know nothing but do everything; psychiatrists know nothing and do nothing.
Probably some truth to it . . .
JL
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Apr 11, 2009 - 07:29pm PT
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Don't get me started....and I come from a family of Dr.'s, nurses, physio's and pharmacist. Dan had lost @ 25 lbs. when we checked him into a teaching hospital here with a great reputation. Dan was always fit so 25 pounds was huge. What did the internists do ...... no food for 5 fing days so their tests would be perfect.....PLEASE do no harm and treat THE PATIENT....
edit: sorry, guess i'm still venting. Along with your book learning, listen to the patient. Some are actually intelligent.
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Chris2
Trad climber
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Apr 11, 2009 - 07:57pm PT
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Fully agree. I do some volunteer work at a VA hospital. The doctors are rarely seen.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Apr 11, 2009 - 08:50pm PT
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OK...true story from just last year...
Our former family physician now lives in Uganda, and works with several people groups in pretty desperate situations (truly remarkable guy). Another friend of mine was there visiting him when said friend came down with a really gnarly eye infection of some kind. It was so bad that he was rapidly losing his sight. Even my highly capable (and meds on hand) doctor friend wasn't sure what to do. Antibiotics, topical stuff, etc., weren't doing squat. His eyes continued to get worse, and they were in a very remote area and needed to to continue with the village-to-village work they were doing. In one tiny settlement, an old woman looked at my friend's eyes, nodded slowly, and told someone to go find a nursing mother. A nursing mother was fetched, and showed up forthwith (what does "forthwith" mean, anyway?). The old woman gave her the nod, she (the nursing mother) leaned over my friend's face, squeezed a breast, squirted milk into his eyes, and the next day he was good as new.
I know one could have loads of fun with the moral of that story, but it is amazing what some people know (and makes you also wonder how they first discovered what they know: "Grandma, my eyes really hurt!" Grandma: "Hmmm...I just wonder... Edna, put that baby down and come over here for a sec!"). When it comes to medicine, it seems like you have to really leave room for the possibility of the validity of the unorthodox.
Have I drifted every so slightly from the thread for the sake of a good story? Quite possibly. I await my reprimand.
Edit: Okay, I've figured out how to fit this story in. My doctor friend holds no illusions that he knows everything. After having lived in Uganda for the last 8 years, he's more open-minded and humble than ever.
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Texplorer
Trad climber
Reno
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Apr 11, 2009 - 10:02pm PT
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George Burns smoked for years and lived to a ripe old age. Still this doesn't mean that cigars or smoking are good for you.
My point is that one case of milk in the eye doesn't mean that it is a real therapy. Many ailments will clear up on their own.
As for other comments above. Yes, you have a higher chance of receiving a bad bug in the hospital but where else are you going to go. Also, MDs are very valuable and their time is very expensive. You could have an MD around more often but then you would get a nice bill too.
Overall I would say just pay attention if you or a loved one is in the hospital. Keep track of the meds and procedures and make sure what is intended to be done gets done. If you don't understand why something is changed or what they are doing ask questions. They will usually take better care and think more about the patient when they know someone is watching. It shouldn't be that way but that is what happens.
my 2 cents.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Apr 11, 2009 - 10:07pm PT
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I...uh...wasn't actually going to suggest such therapy as the new routine...
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 11, 2009 - 11:21pm PT
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He wrote: "MDs are very valuable and their time is very expensive."
It's mostly here in the US that an astronomical price (ransome?)is put on MDs time. That time is indeed valuable - priceless is what I would say. It's almost obscene to put a dolar value on it, or IMO for folks in this service to complain about making only a hundred K a year.
JL
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James
climber
My twin brother's laundry room
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Apr 11, 2009 - 11:27pm PT
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I've had a few good doctors, a few bad doctors, and lots of mediocre ones. Some days they work well. Some days they work poorly. Like anyone else they are just people who happen to have an important job.
Growing up, I used to read and hear a lot of stories about faith healings...some woman with breast cancer or ovarian cancer or a man with heart problems being miraculously healed through the power of prayer. There's a lot of mumbo-jumbo to the business but the power of belief goes a long way in any healing process.
And the science of medicine is just another faith based religion.
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