The Doctors Were Buddies

[Guest guest]

I am not pleased. I feel so bad for all who have been posting about their

negative doctor experiences, and I am fed up with these doctors who seem to

think they have 'better things to do' than treat us, their paying patients. If

we could treat ourselves, we would. But, we are unfortunately in their hands,

and we have to trust them to do what is right and follow along with what they

suggest, and we have to take the meds they RX, sometimes without them hearing

our input. It's a sad situation. And, if we do not follow their suggestions

they act even worse.

For the sake of new list members, let me backtrack a bit. I received a botox

injection in my neck, right at C6. The shot was supposed to be in my trapezius

muscle. Wherever the shot went it caused many problems for me.

Once the botox had taken effect, my arm felt like I had a huge suitcase

permanently attached to it, and it was just too heavy. 10 days after the botox

shot, I had blurry vision in my right eye only (and that still continues today),

I was feeling heart palpitations, and I was having a little difficulty

breathing. I was getting nosebleeds, and had tremendous head and sinus

pressure. I was also extremely disoriented, and having overwhelming (much

greater than usual) problems with my short term memory.

I tried contacting the botox doctor for advice, and he said all of my symptoms,

although they all randomly started at the same time the botox shot took effect,

that they were not due to his treatment, nor due to the botox shot. He told me

I must have some neurological issues and to see a neurosurgeon.

Well, I made my due-diligence appointment with the Neurosurgeon. I took the day

off from work, and drove 2 hours each way to see the Neurosurgeon who had me do

an MRI and return yet another day to his office, which meant another day off and

lots of tiresome driving. The MRI showed that nothing had changed since my last

MRI and the Neurosurgeon suggested I return to the botox doctor, since I was not

having any symptoms prior to the shot, and there were no neurological findings

to show that I should be having any problems.

I tried contacting the botox doctor, and he did not respond. I emailed, I

called, and nothing. I fiiled a formal complaint with the hospital asking them

to please just have him contact me. He still refused to contact me. But, I

continued to reach out to him with emails, and phone calls, and messages, etc.

After my 2nd complaint to the hospital, the botox doctor sent me a rude email

saying that it is impossible for the botox to cause any of my symptoms and for

me to go see an ophthamologist, again wiping his hands of proper follow-up or

exam. In his email he said that I should not be going out on the internet and

reading junk from chats and blogs, and allowing these things to influence me.

I return emailed him. I let him know that I did go to reputable websites. The

Journal of Neuroscience in April, 2008 (sounds reputable to me) had an article

about a botox study that showed that botox can cross over and into the brain

when injected close to the brain stem, which is where I received my shot. I

also commented about a study that took place in Italy at the National Institute

of Neurological Science in Pisa, and I extracted some quotes for him. I

received no response.

I didn't appreciate him accusing me of going to bogus websites, and I appreciate

even less how he refuses to treat my symptoms, botox-related or not. I went to

him for treatment, whatever needed to be treated. So why not just treat my

symptoms I am having? Why is he being defensive? I trusted him and his

explanations about the botox, and trusted that everything would be ok. All I

want is to understand why these things are happening to me, and only since his

treatment with the botox.

I went to the Ophthamologist. I had the appointment even before botox doctor

told me to make one.

The day of the appointment, I took the day off, checked in, paid the copay,

waited 45 min to get in, and then 20 min in the exam room. The Ophthamologist

came in and spent literally all of 4 min with me! Well, as it turns out, the

Ophthamologist was the botox doc's buddy. No wonder.

Before I could even say a word, the Ophthamologist told me almost word for word

what that other doctor emailed me. And then he threw in, " You're old, and old

people need glasses! What you have is just called getting old, and you should

go to the drug store and get yourself some reading glasses. And, don't be

surprised if you need stronger ones in a couple of years. "

What?

He did not review my chart with me, or address my concerns, or even listen to

what I had to say. He was mind-set on telling me that my vision blurry problem

is just my age! Which I think is nonsense. They tested my vision at 20/20.

Which means, that I do not have that problem they say. I am not saying I cannot

see. I am saying that my vision is blurry. Sometimes when things are close

(which he was trying to say was my only problem), but I kept trying to tell him

" No " that when the eye goes blurry it is both close vision, and, far vision.

All he wanted to say and hear was that my close reading vision was messed up.

I'm in a bad mood. I cannot get anyone to acknowledge my list of symptoms. I

believe that somehow, maybe some allergy or sensitivity that I have, or maybe my

neurological system is whacky somehow and the botox just played into it. I have

never had heart palpitations, or that kind of cannot breathe shortness of

breath, and all of the other things, the disorientation, etc, before. Not

these exact symptoms and not all at once. And, the article in the Journal of

Neuroscience said that it can cause disorientation, and blurry vision.

So, now what do I do? Who can I talk to? Where can I go to get my questions

answered? I guess I need some kind of brain specialist to explain how, if it is

true that the botox got in there, how long will it last, what can I expect. I'm

saying " if " it got in there. Or , if the botox did 'not' get into my brain,

fine, even better, but then what is causing these symptoms. Why will no one

answer me?

Oh, and due to the heavy pulling sensation and feeling of carrying heavy weight

with my right arm is still there. It's been three months. As long as I am

moving my arm, the pain and pulling sensation feels less. Like when you swing a

heavy bag along, it seems lighter than just standing there holding it. So, when

I know that I will be just standing around or sitting around motionless, I wear

an arm sling. This is to stop the pulling sensation in the back of my head.

The Ophthamologist took one look at the splint and made some comment about how I

am causing my own pain by wearing the sling " all the time " and that I am not

giving my arm a chance to exercise. But he had no clue about anything because

he didn't ask me. I have been painting everything in my yard, and the window

sills and everything to try to get my arm moving. I walk daily with my two

100lb dogs and hold and pull the leash every day for at least 40 min in the

morning and 40 min at night. That is exercising my arm. I also do my exercises

the physical therapist gave me for my arms, modified push ups and dips, and some

weight lifting and stretching and using the exercise bands. I have more toned

arms today than I did before the botox shot due to all the extra efforts I've

been doing to try to get things back to the way they were so I can feel better.

But, like I said, he would never know that, because he didn't bother to ask.

The fact that I was wearing the sling had nothing to do with whether I was using

my arm or not. But this doctor was just full of accusations and assumptions.

He had no intention of treating me whatsoever.

So, I am very upset. I wanted to cry, but I wasn't going to let him see that he

got to me. And, to think I took the day off from work, and paid for that. I

was sick to my stomach all day for the way he treated me.

I suppose I can go to a different hospital, and maybe see another doctor. But

the way my health insurance is set up is that I have to stay within the network,

and they are all linked by computers. So any new doctor can see what the last

doctor wrote, and it seems that no doctor wants to take over the responsibility

of what the botox doctor did (whether it was the botox shot itself or

whatever). And then they can all read how I have been already told by the botox

doctor that it can't be the botox, and then his buddy the Ophthamologist that it

is not the botox.

I'm starting to ramble. My frustration is blowing a fuse. As if I don't have

enough to deal with my usual and customary pains in neck/shoulder, hip and

foot. Now, I have to deal with all this drama.

I guess the silver liniing on this cloud is that all this frustration is

distracting me from my usual pains?

Tomorrow I'm going to the optometrist to see whether they have anything to offer

for my blurry eye situation. My upset with that, is that when I made the

appointment with the Ophthamologist, I was told that he would be doing my eye

exam and he would prescribe any glasses I needed. And, now I get to pay yet

again for another appointment because the Ophthamologist did not do any exams on

me.

Also, when I scheduled that Ophthamologist appointment they promised they would

dilate my eyes for an eye test, and they did not. The doctor refused. when I

asked the doctor why not, he says, " You don't need it. " But again, when I came

home and checked the internet, it said that it is good measure to have that eye

dilation test every few years. And I know for a fact it has been a few years

since my last test.

There is another website where you can rate doctors. I think it's called

Vitals.com.

Oh well.

Jade

[Guest guest]

Jada,

Wow, you have really received a lot of bad care from all these doctors! I am

so sorry that you have been treated like that. I wish there was some advice I

could give you because you certainly deserve so much better. Have you contacted

your insurance company to see if they have any ideas?

Please keep us posted on your situation. You will be in my thoughts and

prayers,

Becky in Illinois

[Guest guest]

Hello Jade ....

I am very sorry about your having to go through

this Medical care Snafu.

There are too many of these situations reported.

I remember the ER stories of recent times and now

think thrice before going to the ER. I do not care

to be hauled off to jail, to a mental facility, or

tasered.

I still suffer me acute tendinitis from levaquin

wrongly prescribed at Thanksgiving. I now

have " Hobbling Pneumonia " instead of

" Walking Pneumonia " .

Again, I am very sorry and wish you the best.

May God bless you.

donpat

>Jade wrote:

I am not pleased. I feel so bad for all who have been posting about their

negative doctor experiences, and I am fed up with these doctors who seem to

think they have 'better things to do' than treat us, their paying patients.

[Guest guest]

((((((Jade)))))) what a nightmare! I would seek out legal advice. My dad was

lawyer who handled medical malpractice. He once mentioned to me that legally a

doctor can not just drop a patient in the middle of treating them without

providing a referral. Now I don't know if the neurologist is considered a

" referral " , but his attempts to avoid your requests for explanations I would

think was unethical.

You can also file a complaint with the state medical board and even your county

medical board. If you can not get any satisfaction, you might consider seeing

if your local representative could be of any help. I would also file a

complaint with your insurance company about the incident and the doctor's lack

of support.

hope some of these suggestions is of help. Gentle hugs, Tami

---jade wrote:

> I am not pleased. I feel so bad for all who have been posting about their

negative doctor experiences, and I am fed up with these doctors who seem to

think they have 'better things to do' than treat us, their paying patients.