Friday, May 16, 2008

Condescending Doctors

I finally received my blood test results from last week, including the results of the thyroid test that I had been so curious about. However, the doctor didn't send me the actual test results like my gynecologist always did! Instead she just sent me a summary, with 'Normal' marked for each test I had taken. How condescending!

This was the first time I had seen that doctor. I chose her because she had written that she "encourage[s] a proactive role for patients to get involved with their health care."

To top it off, her summary contained what I think is a sticker she puts on everyone's summary, advising me to "Follow enclosed diet. Continue low cholesterol diet. Lose weight. Exercise daily." While that may be good advice for most people, it doesn't make any sense since we didn't discuss diet or weight and there was no enclosed information. Pitiful!

I called the clinic to ask for a copy of the actual test results. We'll see if they arrive!

1 comment:

Penny said...

Arg! Well, if it's any consolation, usually the system of lab reporting is clinic or lab-specific, not doctor-specific, so it's not really an indication of your doctor...except it would have been nice if your doctor had also called you. I suppose...are you new to the infertility bit? Not a lot of treatments under your belt? My experience is that you're kind of treated like a ruminant (ie, cattle) until you up the stakes. But if your clinic isn't treating you well, dude, move on, because the frustration is not worth it.