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julietsierra -> RE: Are your Doctors in the Know? (12/21/2007 3:32:50 AM)
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The doctor I used to have was aware. This had some serious side effects that I am hesitant to put at it's feet yet see no other rationale for it.
I am one of those people who can have UTI's and never know. There's relatively little pain. I am also one of those people who could say "UTI" and get one. I've always been this way throughout my entire life. Consequently, I am very very careful about what I do. There are symptoms that I recognize and when they show up, regardless of a lack of pain, head immediately to the doctor's office.
Last year, I spent a lot of time heading to the doctor's office. I'd tell them each and every single time "I have a UTI." They'd ask if there was pain. I'd say no but that it's definitely a UTI. The doctor, not once during all that time asked for a urine sample. Often I asked if I should provide them with one. Every time it was "no, we'll take care of it here." Then, the doctor would do one of his little look-see exams and provide me with a prescription for something to get the flora back in line. Any discussion I had with him about the UTI business was nicely explained away. But I'd try the medication he gave and many of the few symptoms I had would go away - for a time. They always came back though. So, I'd be trekking into the doctor's office yet again.
Now what was strange about these visits - and I honestly didn't see them as strange at the time, was that each time, he asked "are you still with the same man? Still involved in all that.. other stuff?" And each time, I'd say yes.
At the end of August this year, I was sick - like 104 degree for days kind of sick. When I finally went in to the doctor's office, one of the other physicians in the office saw me. The very FIRST thing he did was to order a urinalysis. Within minutes, it came back as a severe UTI. In fact, he wanted to admit me to the hospital. Unfortunately, I had kids at home and no one available to watch them. He prescribed medication that this time were antibiotics. Even with those, it took me a week to bring my temperature down and two weeks to get back to normal. Evidently, according to this doctor, the UTI had travelled to my kidneys.
I had a lot of time to think during that time. And it occurred to me that the first doctor had always asked his questions as to who I was still seeing at the beginning of our visit. I've gotten the feeling that his level of care was based in large part, on his judgment of my activities. There's certainly no way to prove this, but in talking with a girlfriend of mine who used to have him as a doctor, I heard that she was always leery about him - that something just didn't sit right with her. And when pressed, she said she always felt that how thoroughly he cared for someone seemed to depend on what he thought of them.
Perhaps I should have been more aware. And that's really the point. I'll still tell the next doctor in my life but we're going to have a serious conversation about his abilities to put aside any personal feelings and beliefs in his care of me, and if that's a problem, I'll change physicians immediately. I'll also be demanding a whole lot more than I did with my original doctor. I just never thought I'd have to. Prior to me "coming out" to him about my activities, the level of care I'd received was always top-notch, so I just never conceived of the idea that I'd have to be that way with him or better yet, simply choose another physician.
So... by all means, tell your physician. But keep a close eye after that on how well he seems to be treating you and whatever is going on in your life.
juliet
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