Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion List your great doc here! Is there a list for lousy doctors?

Just wondering because I've had quite a few. Most recent was a rheumy who decided I was making up symptoms after he prescribed Levaquin for me and I started having pain in the tendons of my elbows and legs. He basically fired me as a patient and now I'm way behind on Remicade.

little known fact about levaquin is it can cause tendon ruptures. Look up the side effects. I didn't know this my doctor didn't know it and neither did the pharmacist. I found it by looking it up on the internet.

I have known that about Levaquin for 4 years. I took it when they would not believe me that my tooth was abcessed into my sinus cavity.
Levaquin can also cause nightmares as can some of it,s cousins like floxin. But it can be a life saver for pneumonia, bronchitis, urinary tract infections.
Getting a good Doctor if you don,t the first time ; is like relationships in general, some work and some don,t and we just keep trying till we get it right. We should hold them to a higher standard because of their training, and perception that they have a calling to heal,
and that they are experts in their field.
If I hire an engineer to design me a building,
the building had better not be falling down in less than a year.
Best, Mike

There are exams that Rheumatologists do just to see if they can elicit symptoms from you that are fake. Some rheumatolgists go into the exam thinking you are a fake until proven innocent. I think that's sad. I know my brain is not what it used to be. I also get very nervous when I go into a dr's office anymore.
My last doctor said I didn't point to my sacroiliac joints correctly. I've had years of sacroiliac pain and I DO have moderate arthritis showing up on xray.
It's just sad what we have to go thru.

I really do think we should list the bad doctor's as it will help someone else avoid them. However, I had a dr who I saw about 10 yrs ago who was great at that visit. I visited him for a 2nd opinion, and he was awful, saying that all of my symptoms taken apart could be nothing more than a symptom of no disease. He then DID write down that I probably had a spondyloarthropathy, after he put me thru hell. His name is Dr Heinicke in Louisville, Ky.
Avoid!

The very first rheumotologist i met, without actually saying the words, accused me of making up my symptoms. She told me my problem was psychosomatic. She then went on to ask me about my family pet??? She was really concerned i had a dog at home?? And i got a gold start put on my medical record because i did own a dog...like WTF??? She totally controlled the subject and it had little to do with my physical complaints. I left that office hurt, confused and feeling really stupid.
Doctors are people. I try to be diplomatic but people can be very unreliable and often very fallible.
My personal doctor is ok i guess. He is a very busy fellow. works in a clinic where the patients outnumber the doctors a gazillion to one. He is a nice fllow and afrom what i can tell a good man, but...
I am not a member of his family, he does not have a personal interest in my case. He is frustrated too and doesnt have all the answers. He gets busy and losses focus on me.
What do I do? Do i blame him, get mad and take out the worst of my disease on him? Doesnt seem to help much...lol
It is my job to get him to listen. My job to get his attention and help me, im not that special that he should treat me like the King.
If he is too busy to hear me or too confused to be of help, then its my responsiblity to find someone who can help. Its a tough one but what can i do...
Anyone who reads my posts, may think im a little preachy but truth be told, im trying to keep myself convinced, not you, but i hope i do help you too
On a side note, the rheumatologist mentioned at the start, was coincedentally removed from her position, no longer a doctor now.(thru no contributions from me...but i was tempted).

I had been seeing a very good rheumatologist at Virginia Mason in Seattle, Dr. Gorman, since Oct 2006. Then she went on maternity leave and I had to see another doctor in her office. His name is Dr. Carlin. He was the biggest A-hole in the world!

I mentioned something about getting disability accommodations at the med school I will be attending in the fall and he told me that I didn't need any. When I was trying to explain or ask questions about the medication that was making me sick, he would cut me off and impose his opinions on me. I was so shocked. Then when he proceeded to do his physical check up, he would keep pressing in until I would scream out, "ouch." He did that one thing to test for SI joint pain and pressed down on my bent leg and hip, asking where it hurt. When I just pointed in the general area of my hips, he did it again and asked, "WHERE!?" I was like I dunno somewhere there, like my butt and hip. Then he said, "Do you want me to do that again?" and laughed. I thought that was straight up sadistic. I was limping that day and the next. I came out of that visit feeling much worse than when I came in. He also criticized my old rheumy's treatment plan and said that if I had seen him 6 months ago... that he would have done that and this and blah blah (talking to me about complicated mechanisms as if I was a colleague). Hello, I haven't gone through medical school yet and if I saw him 6 months ago I would not have returned!

I hope you guys never go see him. I agree. We should have a forum for rheumy's to avoid.

I imagine the list would be to long to post.

Well according to the first doctor I saw I had bursitis in my butt bones. The funny thing was (not really) I could no longer move my neck or put my pants on. He completely ignored everything else except my butt bones. Thank god I lived in Chicago and there is access to many different doctors. There are so many doctors that have lost touch with why they are suppose to be doctors, it's sad.

Alright, that does it! I am losin' it!!!

I saw the first post, and thought: whoa!!!!! The EXACT same thing happened to me..............

aka Dora in Nemo.........

I can add to that list. I have a few doctors - both Rheumy and Opthamologists. The first doc I saw in SF was for a foot pain I was experiencing, along with hand stiffness. He diagnosed me with a stress fracture - even though I had not experienced any kind of injury or "ouch moment". So I spent a few hundred dollars and 6 weeks in a walking cast. It wasn't until I had a 2nd flare up of Iritis that an opthamologist in SF diagnosed me with AS and chronic Iritis once I was tested pos. for HLA B27. But the first eye doc in SF passed off the iritis as something minor and put me on generic pred drops - which only made it so much worse. So frustrating. Then there was the "specialist" at Jules Stein here in LA that was so rude and mean I was in tears from his yelling at me during a routine office visit. Just because I blinked during a pressure check. Just becuase you are a specialist doesn't make you a good doctor. I am still searching for a good iritis specialist in LA, but I have found an amazing Rheumy in the LA area.

Thanks for listening and your support.

have any AS patients ever gone to the American College of Rheumatology conference? the next one is in October in Philadelphia

http://www.rheumatology.org/annual/index.asp

lousy doctor in CA - there are many. the worst was dr.austin. the last time i saw him he said "did you see the name on that front door, it has my name on it, we do things my way here..." that was in response to me asking him if my father could sit in on my appointment.

I'm Blossom (who started this thread) and did ya'll notice that Levaquin/Cipro/etc made the news a few months back because the incidence of tendonitis (and possible tendon rupture) was seriously under-reported in the literature. There is now a black box warning for this issue in the 'Full Prescribing Information'.

Seeeeeeeeeeee!!! naa-naa na naa-naa

I had this same thing happen..I had a doctor see me that seem wonderful on the first visit then on the second visit turned into a real jerk!!!!

Blossom oh my there should be when i spent years telling my doctor i couldnt move my neck i was told over and over it was tension well out of pure frustration i decided to see if i could relax so my sister and i came up with a plan get cookie drunk she will relax! laughs at the memory you see i dont drink never had and dont to this day except to see if the doctors were right
NOPE all it ended up being was a drunk cookie stiff neck and sick
my doctors reaction was well maybe you should find other stress reliefs,,,, nope found a new doctor!

I know what you mean!! i lay down to sleep and find myself all bunched up and tense. tell myself to relax and i get all comfy and find myself all bunched up again!!! ive figured THAT is my comfy!! lol. Doc gave me muscle relaxers to take before bed to help so not so much pain in mornings. dont help alot but sometimes it helps sleep.

Glad to find out i am not the only one who bunches up, many times i find myself bunched up at the shoulders and such, i agree it must be our comfy zone.. No longer drunk in texas giggles