I am so sorry that she is so incompetent.

I'm going to hijack your thread for a minute. This subject infuriates me...

My family doctor pulled this on me last spring and he lost all credibility with me.

Brief history is that I have a well documented history of blood clots forming in my right leg since the age of 18 brought on initially by birth control pills.

As a precaution with my pregnancy, I needed to give myself daily shots of Lovenox for the whole pregnancy and six weeks after. He knows all of this but it was my OB who gave me the referral finally because he wouldn't. This was almost three years ago.

Fast forward to last spring went back to him because my leg was swelling and causing me pain again he wouldn't refer me to my hematologist and pulled out a medical book and showed me the steps involved to get to a vascular surgeon since my doppler reading didn't show a clot at the time. The ultrasound tech told me that the machine could be wrong and suggested a vascular surgeon to have a study done on my veins.

Well, I had to get angry with him and he finally referred me to the surgeon and guess what? Chronic venous insufficiency, a perforated valve in my right calf, and several of my veins in the deep system have significant reflux...

Actually though all of my past doctors missed this simple study with the vascular surgeon and probably because I always had an HMO for insurance I found out.

I could have developed leg ulcers with this diagnosis and my skin would've been peeling off. My vascular surgeon couldn't believe I had never had a study done with my presenting complaints. She apologized on behalf of all of those doctors I saw through the years. She said there may have been a surgical option for me but since the damage was in my deep system there isn't at this time.

So, I indefinitely have to wear compression socks/hose which at my age of 37 and living in hot Texas is quite embarrassing and difficult. She couldn't guarantee me that the leg ulcers wouldn't some day develop.

So, my message is this, any doctor who pulls out a manual for any reason...run don't walk away from them.