Ever had one give a completely different diagnosis and treatment? Are they as bad as mechanics?

Doctor's opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, most of them stink.

I had an Endocrinologist tell me to go home and resume taking my Synthroid, when he had a letter from my GP saying I was having severe difficulty, and bloodwork showing that my Thyroid was extremely over-active.

In other words, he wanted me to go home and take a drug that would kill me.
He specialized in Diabetes, didn't know fuckall about thyroids, to include how to interpret simple test results that I understood easily.

I sure have. The other doctor in the primary care Physician's office.   (No, you are fine. Go home and rest for a few more days, then come back and we will try another med.)

My wife pushed hard to an Ear Nose & Throat office and got me there two days later. I crashed in his office. No measurable blood pressure and in the ER 10 minutes later. An eight day stay with the first few days fighting sepsis. (It seems they were very concerned about the ear infection getting into my brain... and my kidneys failing. Go figure.)

BTW... I change primary care Doctor as soon as I got out of the hospital!!!

Strangely enough none of my doctors have managed to kill me.  I also have good luck with the Post Office.  YMMV

Doctors are human.  

This may come as news to you.  It probably will to the doc as well though.

My friend went to an orthopedic doctor that wanted to do surgery on his back.  I told him to get a second opinion, and he did.  The second doctor told him to start walking a mile a day.   Twenty years later, my pal is fine, still walking.  No surgery.  



Another friend had 2-3 surgeries on his back.  Lots of back problems that were not resolved.  

His 19-year old son was going to Physical Therapy school, and got him a $100 orthopedic pillow.  The pillow fix him up - no more back problems.  



I got a rash and went to two doctors.  The dermatologist just gave me some prescription goo ($100/tube) to put on it.  

The rash came and went occasionally.  I started watching what I ate, and noticed that the rash appeared after eating anything peanut-related.  

Now I've figured out that I'm allergic to peanuts and soy.  

Yes I had a doc tell me my Asthma was all in my head.

Turns out I have Severe Asthma and some COPD.
COPD is the third leading cause of death in America

There are specialists for a reason.  See someone who specializes in whatever body system is errant.

Strangely enough, the Endo I referred to in my post practices in Ames.
Arrogant prick that couldn't read a simple test result and come to the conclusion that I was ill.
Worse than that, he thought I was wasting his time and told me to go home and do something that would make me more ill.

I had a doctor tell my parents that I'd never walk or talk.

That doctor was incorrect in his prognosis.

The need for a second or third opinion implies the condition is not your typical run-of-the-mill problem.  Differing opinions would be more likely than not in such situations.

I fucked up my shoulder to the point it would just kinda pop out whenever it felt like.





GP - "You just pulled a muscle, maybe had some subluxation in the joint, it's nothing serious. Ice it and take some advil for the soreness, you'll be alright in a few days."





Me -





The next day, visiting a physical therapist my coach recommended to me - As he was gently lifting my arm and checking out it's range of motion *POP!* "Without surgery, there's not much I can do for you with this loose of a joint."





Me -

 

I had a neurosurgeon tell me that my son (18 months old at the time) needed surgery to cut down a subdural hematoma (bump resulting from forceps extraction) on his skull because kids would make fun of him when he got older.  I told him to pound sand.  Now, he's 7 and the hematoma has been completely unnoticeable for at least 3 years.

The "You're ugly too!" line has gotten pretty tedious.



But seriously, I suffered unnecessary health problems over a period of years because of bad medical advice.  If you have any inkling that your doctor is mistaken or has some kind of agenda that is not consistent with your best interests, don't hesitate to get another opinion.  From a DIFFERENT doctor.  

Always get a second opinion if it's even half way serious. I have +/- 40% vision loss in one eye forever because of not getting one.

My friends brother went to the local hospital complaining of chest pain  The hospital doctor told him he had a stomach problem . He was sent to an internal medicine doctor who told him he was having a heart attack. He died  the next morning in the shower of a heart attack . Doctors fail .

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Same here I had suffered for years because of Lazy doctors not
listening and providing the wrong treatment or no treatment at all.

A joke my current Doctor told me:
Doc: what do you call the guy who graduated dead last in his Medical School class?
Answer: You call him 'Doctor'....

There has to be more to the story. Any ER that gets a chest pain patient is going to run a 12-lead EKG and cardiac labs, which would show the MI. Further, the IM Dr. would have sent him to the ER if he was having a MI, not home so he could die the next morning in the shower.



That said, there is nothing wrong with getting second opinions. Medicine, while a science, is not always cut-and-dried, and Drs are human too.

We are currently doing such with our infant daughter and some issues she has.



 

I had a 'Doctor' who had been 'treating' me for chest pain,SEVERE cough,congestion,shortness of breath,fever tell me.When I went back for the 4th or 5 th time he said QUOTE: There is nothing wrong with you. End Quote. I went home and called the nearest hospital (75 miles away) and the nurse said "My god,I can hear you wheezing over the phone.You get here ASAP....we WILL get you in to see a Doctor."
  I spent 6 days in the hospital with double pneumonia and suffered permanent lung damage.

simple solution: don't go to the doctor

One of the first sentences in our current anesthesia consent form is something to the effect of: "I understand that medicine and anesthesia in particular are not an exact science."

Pretty much the point where I am in life.  My dad was a Dr. (General Practitioner) back in the days of when Drs. still made house calls.  Specialist pretty much did not exist back then.  Today if you go to a foot Dr with a broken finger he cannot help you and will tell you your toes are fine.  I had back surgery in 1995 and was doing pretty good.  Got rear ended in 2001 and hurt my back again and for some reason my right leg would just collapse out from under me for no apparent reason.  I was sent to a Neurologist for an exam and was flat out called a liar and that I was just trying to file a lawsuit.  Turns out this Dr specialized only in M.S. patients and if it turned out you didn't have MS then nothing was wrong with you.  This was the first time in my life I seriously considered murdering someone.  I was pissed at being called a liar to say the least.  !0 years later and after having to give up fishing for those 10 years because I tended to fall out of boats, my leg nerves have finally started working most of the time and I can walk halfway decently again.  Specialist are what has ruined the medical profession IMHO.  A good GP is very hard to find these days.  I am at the point that I hope someday I just don't wake up instead of having to go to the Dr and I have many health issues currently that need looking into.

They said similar about my twin sister, they were wrong.