The best doctor is an airhead!

[puertorico2006]

I went to my doctor yesterday for the last series of my HEP B vaccine and I walked in and sat down and the doctor starts asking me how im feeling, said he was thinking about my case and started talking about treatment options and stuff because he thought a treatment would be good for me. I said i "I thought we were going to wait a bit and see how the numbers came back from my next labs to decide that" and then he opens up my medical record and says "oh im sorry i thought you were another patient"....so then hes says "what are you here for today?" "your last shot hemophilus shot and im here thinking i havent had my first hemopholis shot....I explained i had a HEP A shot and the HEP B...he said "oops" i wrote your hep a in the wrong spot ....I made a few mean comments to him but nothing too bad.....I know we are all capable of human error but he doesnt remember shit about what he does ...

He is supposed to be the best doctor on the island involved in research and clinical trials but i think i rather get my healthcare for free and meds for free (when the time comes) from a center because he doesnt seem worth paying the copay lol.....

Not the first thing hes done to make me dislike him ....sex lectures every visit (as if i dont have half the world reminding me daily), asked him a question and his answer was "i dont believe in that" without a scientific response.....then tries to pretend like he remembers who i am but is completely lost (i would think if you didnt remember your patients you would at least make a front and look at their file before entering the room hehehe he doesnt have the improv skills)..


anyways just venting a bit.....how would you guys have handled that? fired him on the spot and made him feel 2 inches tall? let it slide because no harm was done? ....or am i just being a drama queen? ;-)

[HIVworker]

Firstly that sucks. No way of getting around that.

In a one-to-one relationship like that where you would hope to rely on him in the future would not to be too aggressive but to calmly point out that it isn't the first time he has forgotten stuff about you and that you don't feel that he has been giving you due consideration. I would have reminded him that you are there to court his expertise and he isn't filling you with confidence that he is giving you due care - something he is paid to do. Something like that.

Most clinical people I work with are arrogant, so I understand your frustration.

R

[puertorico2006]

He is very arrogant lol....

I wasnt to agressive about it ...i did make a few comments but nothing that crossed any line for him to get upset...but i wanted to tell him something worst....i wasnt even mad at the situation just shocked wondering how someone so careless/forgetful ever becomes the best on the island lol makes me scared to see the other ones :-O

[HIVworker]

I think the answer is probably quite straight forward. He sounds overworked. It's not an excuse, but it might be a reason.

R

[jkinatl2]

You need to fire him.

He is dangerous to you. And his judgmental attitude does not promote honesty.

Seriously. Fire him. And report him, before he does some real damage to you.

[HIVworker]

But what are the other options on this island though?

[Life]

That would have done it for me.......  Nope no way....  You suck... See ya, bye bye...

I cant even imagine if I was knee deep in a OI or a failing med... Would I trust him??  NO WAY!

[jkinatl2]

Honestly, better to travel, and have less contact with physicians that have incompetance as your resource. He is a danger to you and to other patients.

On this issue I cannot possibly stress that enough. I have almost been killed several times by bad doctors. Your immune system simply lacks the resilience to suffer misdiagnosis and incompetance. This is, seriously, a life or death matter.

[dtwpuck]

I agree with jkinatl... fire him.  Compassionate understanding for the human failings of a doctor, and trying to work it out .... bah     It is not the job of a patient to counsel the doctor on how to do his job .  This is ridiculous.  Fire him and report him.  Find another doctor. 

[mjmel]

my 2 cents:
Some people are so smart they appear brain scattered or will seem inattentive or unfocused. Their brains work at an entirely different frequency than the general populous. This doc's patient load could be somewhat heavy and he doesn't recognize his individual patients as he should. That said, if you don't like the doctor and you have other options, then move on to the alternative. We on the mainland tend to forget that island living has it's differences. Some better; some not as good.
Have you spoken to him like you have spoken to us on this forum? Puertorico2006, have you been clear and forthright about what you find offensive or erroneous? Your post suggest you have not done so. It might be worth a try before you walk away. He has a reputation as being the best you say?
Some doctors are very knowledgeable in a clinical fashion but have no bedside manners. Speaking for myself, now, I need a doc with favorable bedside manners or else I don't open up to him/her. It would feel too much like being a number which is what I am to the healthcare provider but not my doctor.
Report him? This is not 5 th grade classroom. Report him for what? He has made no unwelcomed advances of a sexual nature. He placed data inappropriately in your chart........but that doesn't consitute grounds for a medical board to take action against him. It's not bad advice altogether but perhaps a premature course of action at this point.

[Miss Philicia]

Wait a minute.  Was this the first instance of him being air headed?  Maybe something odd was going on that day, and keeping in mind that he's supposedly "the best" ID in Puerto Rico I'd not fire him so quickly.

Sometimes a true genius can seem harebrained.  Keep that in mind too!

If he continues to be like that every visit, THEN I'd fire him.  Go ahead, however, and research other doctors to have as instant back up.

[redhotmuslbear]

Ditch the bitch and switch, honey!  Even if this was the first instance of the Space Cadet Doctor, the sex-negative bitchy attitude would have had me out the door long ago.  While a freen clinic may be more chaotic, you are more likely to be treated as a person with human needs.

[Miss Philicia]

I go to a free clinic now and I have to say it's not too chaotic, but it's all in how it is run by the front desk person and our Karen don't take no shit!

And my doctor is as good if not better than the private practice ones I had in NYC.  I think he may even be gay because Wednesday he called me "dear" -- kind of a give-away.  Cute too... from Lebanon.  Really knows his stuff.

Some of the folks in the waiting room can be quite scary though.  Quite.

[puertorico2006]

I do have other options I mean he isnt the only doctor that specializes in HIV....I guess the only reason he is considered the "best" is probably because he is involved in many research projects for new drugs and therapeutic vaccines and things, but with patients he is a failure (with me anyways)....I dont have a very complicated case of HIV infection anyways so i guess seeing any other competent person for the moment is not going to be any worse.

I cant wait to move to the US where i have a long list of good doctors to choose from (actually i really rather just because puerto ricos boring but both are good reasons hehe) ....

I guess in my next visit with my labs march 9 ill see if hes less airheaded that day but i think he is on his last chance (doctors dont deserve 3 lol....2nd is good enough).....I will say that im going to keep on eye on anything he perscribes me and probably discuss it here before i take it :-) (im sure some of you guys know from trial and error better than the doctors hehe))