Medical Gaslighting

Outside The Beltway
1

Saw this interesting piece when looking up something else:

I once worked with a woman who blamed every bad outcome on her & other women’s lives with being female. Maybe when it came to bad experiences with the medical profession she was right.

At one point Mary had orthopedic pain, IIRC repetitive strain injury pain in a hand or wrist, that just wouldn’t go away and she couldn’t get answers or relief from any professional. She finally found one who, after talking to her & looking at such images as xrays, said he knew what was wrong and could fix it—and he did.

This article is oriented towards women and minorities, but another who doesn’t fit either description kept getting written off as having sciatica. Finally his father found someone he trusted who ran some simple blood tests based on family history & was diagnosed with pernicious anemia, advising his som to book an appointment with him.

Turns out Scott isn’t in pain from sciatica, but nerve damage from pernicious anemia, the failure to absorb vitamin b12, and now takes supplements & goes several times a year for infusions.

A black woman in my circle of acquaintance was left to sit in the E R with dehydration from vomiting. When she asked when she could be seen, she was crudely asked what controlled substances she was abusing.

I sat out the same symptoms in that same E R for several hours while patients going for follow up visits got seen first, but wasn’t asked about any drug abuse. Needless to say I don’t have a high opinion of that hospital.

More liberal voters in particular espouse universal health. Yet examples like mine, and the poor lady in the linked article, are what many physicians and nurses who are U S educated have to offer female and minority patients in particular.

Why do we want universal access to a system that dismisses the concerns of those deemed less worthwhile by the medical profession?

1 Like
2

I don’t mean to be snarky or anything, but you do realize that not all pain can be proven or be seen through tests, right? I’m not a minority, nor am I a woman, and I had an issue with medical. I guess they thought I was lying.

I was out for 7 weeks with severe back pain and numbness in my right arm and two fingers. Yet I only got paid 2 weeks. Did they do it because I’m a white male?

This was one of the times I was glad I’m in a union. I can tell the doctor to KMA, I’m not going back to work, and I don’t care if you pay me or not. I’ll be out until I’m ready.

3

Perhaps if we had universal access to the system and doctors were not reimbursed on a capitation basis (as most of them are now in our current system), we would minimize such issues.

Right now doctors have to see as many patients as possible in order to have a profitable practice. That leads to less time with patients than they probably need.

4

Is universal coverage going to change hearts and minds about female and minority patients?

Somehow I don’t think so:

https://www.racetoacure.org/post/systemic-racism-in-the-canadian-healthcare-system

The late Barry Goldwater said it perfectly: you just can’t legislate morality.

More turning to nonconventional, generally cash paid medicine, from marijuana dispensaries to traditional Chinese medicine, may be more helpful, at least for those pains that aren’t generally life threatening, like arthritis and migraine.

5

What I love about these practitioners is they’re more interested in helping you manage your pain than in condemning for everything from what’s beyond your control to choices you’ve made.

They’re often not dealing with third parties and genuinely want to help. My husband was quite impressed with the staff at a rural dispensary when I sent him on a run during migraine pain.

6

No but if you make it harder for people to fall back in those default heuristics, you might get improvement.

7

The medical professionals have probably heard every story in the book from people trying to get oxy scripts. This is what the medical establishment bending over for Purdue $$$ brought us.

8

Oxy is a godsend for those in post op pain. That is said from experience.

That particular drug shouldn’t be denied because some took it for pains and in doses it wasn’t prescribed.

Was the woman in the linked story looking for oxy? As her ovarian cancer was probably diagnosed at a later stage, she just may get it, and I for one wouldn’t have a problem with that.

I’ve lost my respect for western educated physicians over the years and have no problems at all turning to exercise and other schools of medicine.

1 Like
9

I agree with you. The ones who need pain medication for legitimate reasons are victims of the opioid scandal.

10

A major issue in USA medical, is the disconnect between Medical and Dental surgical costs. Mouth/bone infections, should be just as covered by insurance, as other surgeries, since these infections can affect other organs, especially the heart. The dental plans are okay and provide some coverage for major surgeries, but Medical Ins should also help cover these things. Many people with High blood pressure and Diabetes II are unaware how infections of the mouth can, over time, lead to these problems and requires the work of Oral Surgeons, not only regular dental treatments

11

UHC won’t address Doctors that ignore patient issues, dismiss individuals with chronic pain as drug seekers, etc. If anything I think it will make things worse.

1 Like
12

You obviously have never dealt with 2 knee replacements, and needing a 3rd and now 7 scopes for me, or for as my wife has had 6 neck and 2 back surgeries to repair herniated disks and a back fracture.

Trust me, neither of us get “high” off of our meds, if we are lucky we get some relief.

2 Likes
13

No, I totally sympathize with you and the others who have a legitimate need for pain meds. I’m talking about the abusers and the Sacklers (Purdue Pharma) who pushed it with a label saying it could not be addictive.

14

My apologies, I saw your post further down after I posted. Should have deleted but well, wife…lol

15

Having a piece of one tendon grafted to another is great fun :fearful:

Physical therapist told a police officer patient with the same injury he should have instead broken his ankle. That’s less recovery time.

16

Yep, when I was in HS I badly sprained my ankle, Dr said the same thing.

17

American veterans get something similar to UHC, and not only does qualify vary depending on what part of the U S one is served, it’s next to impossible to fire problem employee. Having once worked in one of these institutions, such individuals practically had to beg to be canned.

18

Yea it’s called the VA, I have used them only a handful of times. I was fortunate in that my wife had excellent health coverage, so I didn’t need them.

After the head of ortho told me “you don’t need surgery, the only reason the civilian Dr said you do is to get a bigger check”, I left and never have been back.

19

The VA is pretty much where the only expertise is medical malpractice.