[piano97]

Anyone ever go to medical doctor for a medical complaint and been told, or largely implied, that it's mental not physical? If so, what were the circumstances?

[SorryShaped]

What a useless "doctor" the first one was! Not acceptable. I hope you feel better soon

[Wild Coyote]

Wow.
I've not yet encountered something quite like this.
I am very sorry you have.

Good thing you followed up with the second doc.
I think I'd dispute the bill from the first visit.

Very sorry you have gone through this.
Please take care.

WC

[BipolaRNurse]

I once went to an urgent care center to have a broken toe looked at. All the doctor wanted to talk about was my meds and psych history...we dien't even get to the toe until later. Pissed me off.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

My family doctor is amazing. I found him when he was newly done with residency and told him up front that I didn't need a 2nd psychiatrist and that my psychiatrist in fact could trump him if there was a dispute (as there had been with a prior family dr). He took a while to learn to be comfortable with bipolar but now (12 years later) thinks I'm one of his easiest patients despite having a huge med list and multiple psych dxs.

The worst one I think is when I fell on the way into therapy when I was late and tore tendons and ligaments in ankle and slightly scraped my knee. They gave me no pain meds after a prolonged argument about getting a tetanus booster. I am severely allergic to tetanus shots and if one is unavoidable it must be given in an ER with both a crash cart and meds to then lower my BP from interactions of crash meds with my MAOI as I will go into anaphylactic shock.

They were so mad at me for refusing the shot and then not listening to a 10 minute lecture on crutch use (I'm an OT, I taught people how to use them) but the nurse refused to believe me that I knew what I do professionally and "OTs don't do that". Funny since I was trained and have done so.

There was also the ER where I went for high blood pressure caused by a med that I wound up with an LPN condescendingly telling me I wouldn't know the anatomy he was telling me about. The whole experience had been bad and I ended it by grabbing the form, signing it, telling him "Actually I DO know since I have a degree in biology and master's in healthcare" and walked out. His jaw may still be on the floor.

so many more come to mind.....but thank God my family dr has my back along with my pdoc.

[Under*Over]

Yeah. My one medical doctor is in the same place as my psychiatrist. When I go in I get looked at I feel like I get treated differently than i did BEFORE I started seeing the pscyhiatrist. Like Im exhaggerating or just need to be humored or somethibg. Its tough, and the obly thibg you can do is search around I feel until you find a doctor that isbt a total idiot.

Good luck

[Travelinglady]

Alas, some docs want to blame our physical disorders on our mental illness when they see it in our records. It's so sad. I had that with an emergency room doc one time. But not all docs are that way, thank goodness.

[Wonderfalls]

The only time I would trust an urgent care center anymore is if I already knew exactly what was wrong with me and what the treatment should be--and then you have to count on them to agree. One tried to send my brother home with a diagnosis of high blood pressure. Luckily he went to the hospital instead and was found to be critically ill with kidney damage. They kept him for a month. One time when I went to an urgent care (whatever they call them) the doctor there asked me to pray with him. Not the advice I was looking for. The only time one was useful was when they just gave me Vicodin, for something they couldn't treat.

[piano97]

Yeah the whole thing is bizarre. Even more so to me after sharing the experience and hearing from others. I need to focus on getting this better but when it does, I will want to review my actual records and see what the deal was with this.

Idk...I pay that sob to take care of my physical...and if he don’t...he’s fired.

[rwwff]

My current gp is part of the same clinic and suggested seeing a psych, but otherwise treats my physical as physical. The one I had previous was kinda the opposite of your comment though in that I complained about mental things but got no suggestion to do anything at all about it.

My primary is good, but he kinda doesn't get that I struggle with way more than depression.
However, there was a time I went to the ER because I couldn't hold down food. Not holding down food=not holding down meds so I was a little manic. Wound up hospitalized without truly needing it while the vomiting was not addressed until days later in IP.

[*Laurie*]

My GP told me I was having back pain because of my weight, but that the medication I'm on (Seroquel) causes weight gain, so.....and she shrugged. Stupid b i tch.

Oh, and when my pdoc put me on Lamictal the back pain completely stopped.

Useless GP.

My previous GP was pretty awesome. She tried to play "cool doctor," so she was kind of cheesy, but at least she didn't judge me for anything. She took me seriously and helped me a lot.

Now I have some new GP, who I'm going to meet on April 5th, and apparently she's decently overweight. Not sure how I feel about that, since doctors are supposed to practice what they preach... But maybe she's good. She's the only one I could get, though. Maybe that's why? lol.

Oh, and my dermatologist was a f_cking stupid b_tch. She kept giving me stares after figuring out my diagnosis. (I only wrote "depression" on the paperwork, but she figured out from the med list pretty quickly that it was more than "just depression"... She knew by heart what all the meds were.) Then she was internally freaking out and I could sense it. You know, like I was Hades' dog Cerberus.

Yes, for anxiety physical symptoms. On a number of occasions. Sometimes it's better safe than sorry, and when they confirm the "light-headedness", "pain in the arm", "constant indigestion", etc., could best be helped with anxiety control or a brown paper lunch bag, that usually helps in and of itself.

Again, the above could be something more concerning. My GP never made me feel bad/embarrassed in any way for having these things checked.

[cool09]

I would never go to a general practitioner for a mood disorder or Asberger's or other symptoms I have. They're not well-versed in using psychotropic medication.

[piano97]

The basic gist of things is I tore a muscle in my chest on last Friday evening, I lifted and removed a large couch thru my old house's narrow door. And yes, it was a slightly hypo surge of energy without much thought. I should NOT have been able to do it honestly.

I went to urgent care Tuesday (because my PCP was out of office and nurse told me to) for treatment, my left pec was swollen and pain had become very bad to where I barely slept the night before (not good in Spring when I already have been slightly hypo).

This was 4 days after injury. Swelling was moderate on a mild/mod/severe scale (per me. not even mentioned on the urgent care paperwork. Possibily high-end moderate. It's noticeable enough that standing in front of a mirror with shirt on you can clearly see the difference.

He gave me ultram (which helped pain A LOT), but the discharge paperwork said it was an emotional problem. Said it was costochrondritis, and that emotional problems are often the cause (keep reading, but my PCP on follow-up appointment said "I've never heard that before".

The first home-care tip was 'to find the source of my emotional stress. It may not be obvious. Learn ways to do with that stress".

Bizarre. 2.5 days later, I'm still swollen and no change with that, still having a lot of pain with certain movements and basically trying to not move my left side (PCP said "I can see how you are guarding your Left arm). Laying down and getting in/out of car were the worse pains. On range of motion when i raise arm, parts of the rise are OK, but there's a couple points on the rise where it's intense pain.

I went to my PCP on Friday, she said 'you tore a muscle/tendon' in your pec. Let's hope swelling goes down next few days, if not it could be more severe and would need an ortho consult/surgery. Ice, advil, ultram, etc.

I showed her the discharge paperwork and she was bewildered. She said "I've never heard of contochrondiritis being caused by emotional problems" And that the diagnosis has no swelling. That is actually how you rule it out...if there's swelling it's something else

. Again, the emotional thing WAS IN THE DESCRIPTION of the diagnosis. I showed her the home-care tip, the first time, was to find my emotional stress cause. Really really weird look on her face.

So I asked 3 times...are you 100% sure I'm not being axis 2, malingering, etc. Which I have NO history of. Zero.

She said again, you tore a muscle/tendon. This is not a 'mental' thing, at all. I'm swollen back towards my armpit. The diagnosis he gave me is sternum related.

Have now been taking valium also which makes that side less tense. So, I'm sleeping a little better each night. Try to stay upright and not on my sides.

Hope swelling goes down gradually. If not I completely tore something vs. a smaller tear that'll heal itself eventually. At best it's a moderate tear.

I don't have the energy now but when I'm better, I'm getting my records and will make an attempt to sit down with this dude and his staff to understand this.

I sat at home for 2 days feeling like a loser and that it was all in my head, when I tore a muscle/tendon. Totally wrong diagnosis. My left pec had been swollen for 4 days when I saw him (and it's 3 more days later now and still swollen). It still hasn't changed.

PCP said to check-in next week regardless.

Last thing I will say is the PCP discharge paperwork home-care instructions...the first item is

"Rest. Avoid lifting. Don't do any activity that causes pain".

None of those things, in any fashion, were on the urgent care list. The directions were 'to find out my emotional stress' and deal with it.

Crazy.

[Unrigged64072835]

My assigned PCP knows. She coordinates things with the pnurse for meds so there is no conflict. We've gone through a bit. I had a lot of health anxiety last year.

The other docs in the clinic, not so much.

I guess i'm really lucky. For the past 19 years i have just seen a medical doctor for my bipolar. I'm 51 and Canadian and it is common to get referred by a psychiatrist back into the care of a GP after several years. My GP was wonderful, it was a delight to see him! He recently retired tho so i am anxious about seeing his replacement. I've seen him twice already and he's been reasonable. He doesn't have the charisma of my old GP but i think he was once in a lifetime.

[Guiness187055]

My doctor always gives me dirty looks when she sees I am still on benzos

I’m reluctant to go to my regular doctor. He isn’t going to like the weight gain since I started lithium. I feel I’m disappointing him.

[Bipolarchic14]

Never encountered that fortunately. That kind of incompetence is something you would expect from a psychiatrist not a Physician.

[SorryShaped]

Originally Posted by key tones

I’m reluctant to go to my regular doctor. He isn’t going to like the weight gain since I started lithium. I feel I’m disappointing him.

Have you had your blood panels done? Lithium can cause thyroid issues. I'm a victim of it. It killed my thyroid. I gained 90 lbs in no time

Originally Posted by SorryShaped

Have you had your blood panels done? Lithium can cause thyroid issues. I'm a victim of it. It killed my thyroid. I gained 90 lbs in no time

Ugh, so sorry to hear that! That is pretty serious fall out. I’m guessing you’ve dropped the weight with all the exercise you do? Do you feel OK on thyroid meds?

I’m concerned that I’m up somewhere around 15-20 pounds. So far, it is OK, but I don’t think the pdoc ordered full panel. I will ask my reg doc to run it full panel for thyroid.

My pdoc approves of me dropping Seroquel to see if it helps. I was only on a low dose for sleep, but it was a b**** to get off just the 25 mg. I had to slice the pill in quarters. I just got off of it a week or two ago.

[SorryShaped]

Originally Posted by key tones

Ugh, so sorry to hear that! That is pretty serious fall out. I’m guessing you’ve dropped the weight with all the exercise you do? Do you feel OK on thyroid meds?

I’m concerned that I’m up somewhere around 15-20 pounds. So far, it is OK, but I don’t think the pdoc ordered full panel. I will ask my reg doc to run it full panel for thyroid.

My pdoc approves of me dropping Seroquel to see if it helps. I was only on a low dose for sleep, but it was a b**** to get off just the 25 mg. I had to slice the pill in quarters. I just got off of it a week or two ago.

That was 13 years ago. I am in my forties and weigh what I did in middle school now. More than dropped the weight. My dose of Levothyroxine has to be adjusted every couple of years and it's a very difficult adjustment every time. I never took that low of Seroquel. I started on 75, I think, for sleep and went to 150 a month later. I take 200 now, down from 300. I also weighed 275 when I started it. I was already losing weight when I started Seroquel though, but only Tony amounts per year. I didn't start exercise until last year.