Some doctors can increase HA?

[jumpwomble]

Just thought I'd post in greater detail about my ENT appointment a few days ago. By the time I went, my symptoms had cleared up but I decided to go anyway since I'd already secured the appointment and I was also scared to death that the symptoms would come back (humming noise, some hearing loss in left ear). My GP had already told me it was just otitis externa, inflammation of the ear canal, and prescribed ear drops but after finishing the course, I had a bad day of symptoms returning but they gradually resolved a day later. I was in two minds whether to go along to this private consultation or not as it would cost me and I was unsure whether he could detect anything or not, but decided it was best to go for peace of mind.

I'd been nervous about this consultant because the last time I saw him many years ago, he had been spectacularly dismissive and not in the least bit sympathetic or reassuring. This time it was the same. :ohmy: Since my symptoms had resolved, he could see nothing wrong with my ear. He just took notes and made a poor attempt at casual chit-chat. He didn't even try to explain why I had the recurring symptoms until I pressed him and then he gave me a possible explanation as to why the symptoms took some time to resolve. He also expressed some surprise that my ear was relatively clear of debris, which can often result from infection. He also made some other casual remarks that I have now forgotten, since I was pretty nervous. It's possible some of those remarks, in hindsight, might have been reassuring, but I can't recall them! :( I didn't have a friend in with me after all, I brought one along and let her wait in the waiting room.

Then he said, since I said I was having a "good day", he would send me for audiology tests for my hearing, just to check the state of my hearing and my middle ear. I was a bit annoyed by this because as a private patient, this would cost me a fair bit extra, but I went along with it... He murmured that it would form a good "baseline" record for my hearing. Well I did the tests and everything was perfectly normal. When he looked at the results, he didn't even deign to see me again, just got his secretary to wave me away after charging me a big bill for consultation!

Anyway the way the consultant dealt with me was pretty bad, for someone inclined to have somewhat obsessive anxiety thoughts, one could interpret what he said as him wanting to get some results in case I returned to him with recurrent hearing loss in the future. He didn't reassure me of any conclusions, he was just very dismissive. A friend told me I was just reading WAY too much into what he'd said, but of course, once it has been said, it is difficult for me to get it out of my mind. :(

Anyway I'm upset at having had to pay for the extra test, as well as wondering WHY he ordered them in the first place... was he just being careful/thorough, or was he also trying to add a few extra quid to my bill since I was seeing him as a private patient?? I hate to be so cynical but it was what it felt like... :weep: Or did he order them because he thought it was possible it wasn't just a simple infection?

Someone please tell me I'm being over the top here.

[robin321]

I agree that some Dr's can increase our anxiety. They have a degree in medicine, and are very smart. But they don't get the same kind of training in dealing with people. And they are overworked, and see too many patients.

That being said, I think it is good your symptoms lessoned. And good that he wasn't concerned. Dr's have to be concerned about misdiagonsing because they could lose their license if they miss something. He prob did the test just to cover all bases since you were there. I don't think it was a money grab, although it may have felt like it.

I hope you feel better!

[Anxious lu]

Hey hun I totally know what you mean. At my surgery you just see who's available some doctors are great the last two I've seen we're amazing and sent me for tests and took me off my pill.. They were shocked other doctors hadn't done the same..

There is one doctor there who when you talk to him he just goes hhhhmmmmm yes hmmmmm .. I'm like hmm to me sounds like you don't know what I'm talking about or your considering something really bad.. Something as little as a hhhhmmmmm can effect health anxiety sufferers majorly as we read Into everything. One doc I had was so nice he rang me out of work hours at 9 at night to give me my test results same day as I was so anxious. (lovely man)

I'm sure he just wants to be as thorough as possible with you in the long run a the mor thorough the test the less you will obsess over it in the future x

I have also found some try to be casual or crack jokes to ease tension or awkwardness but when your terrified your just not in the mood for it and think they are taking the mick. Mental issues like anxiety I guess are hard to understand unless you have yourself experienced it. X

[almamatters]

Hi I do not think you are being over the top, I would react the same especially if I was paying for private. I think when you have health anxiety you need extra reassurance ( I know I do) and it can be very disheartening when doctors etc appear to be dismissive. I'm afraid I cannot help but ask question after question to try and get reassurance,which dismissive doctors must find particularly irritating but this is the only way I am able to accept what they are telling me. I'm glad at least your tests were ok. :hugs:

[jumpwomble]

Almamatters, yes, he was VERY good at getting me out of his office though, LOL... before I could open my mouth to ask any more questions, he packed me out of there so I could do the tests. I'm glad I got at least ONE question in!!!

Anxious lu, I completely understand what you are talking about re: the hmmming and hawing. The more they go "hmmm", then my mind goes into overdrive - like, are they thinking and seeing some bad stuff that they aren't telling me yet??? And so on and so forth. I don't really think doctors are aware of the impact of what they say/do on their nervous patients. I remember one time a doctor referred to something on my eye as a "funny little thing" when he knew perfectly well it was a corneal abrasion - perfectly harmless but just a right PAIN at the time, lol! It did make me worry what he could have meant.... honestly, if he'd just said it in a reassuring way, it would have saved me hours of worry!

Anyway despite all this I can't help feeling fleeced... if I had to pay so much, I'd like to be at least reassured! lol. I think the doctor felt he had reassured me when he hadn't... maybe they need to start sending some doctors to sensitivity classes? ;)

[Anxious lu]

Ha it's not funny it's like 'this so called funny little thing is Really bloody hurting!'

I found a lump once in my abdomen and have numbness in my top left leg when I wear tight trowsers and the joint sometimes clicks and after googling was convinced I had a Tumor on the nerve. Told the doctor and it was only gristle but when I related it to my leg her just laughed and said 'these things happen'..

These things happen?! Do they Realy? I'm not convinced lol.

Sorry you feel fleeced hun that's not right. Why do you have to pay don't you get NHS? Or is it a seperate thing?

[jumpwomble]

Hi Lucy, I could have got an NHS consultant but I would have had to wait ages, and I said I was willing to pay to go private just so I could get it over and done with, or else the anxiety was just taking over my life!!!! So I thought it'd be worth it. :( In a way, yes I did get seen within a week, but no, the consultant's demeanour wasn't different from what you'd expect from an overworked NHS doctor with too little time. I'm not at all sure that I'd have been given those extra tests on the NHS though! It did seem a little over the top at the time, although like the others said, maybe he just wanted to make 101% sure that everything was OK in case he got sued....lol. Still, he could have taken time to explain things (at the rate he was charging) and reassured me, but noooo. He just wanted to run those tests and move on to the next appointment.