Not All Are Equal:

Before everyone gets upset - I am not talking people but professionals who treat people. We just naturally want to trust our doctors. We need to be discerning about our treatment and ask questions if there is any doubt. I have three personal examples where I naively followed a doctors advice and shouldn't have. 

One, when I was the claim manager of an office in Gainesville, FL, I had these headaches and went to my doctor who referred me to a specialist. The specialist listened to my problem and concluded (no tests) that it was a small vein in my head that was contracted so I needed Rx to relax it. Sounded reasonable to me at the time and I took the Rx and the next day I woke up in the hospital. I had no idea how I got there or what had happened. Turns out that Rx was the cause and I was told it should never have been prescribed to me. My secretary diagnosed my sinus problem and told me what to get and it worked and my problem went away. Turns out that Rx was highly dangerous and any doctor should have known better. 

Two: my urine had a red tinge to it and I went to be checked out. The doctor concluded I was dehydrated and my organs were being dissolved and I needed to be hospitalized and given fluids (again no tests). As I waited to be admitted Carol and I were talking and we decided that it could be the fact that we had been eating beet greens and beets. I grew some beets and they all ripened at the same time so we were eating them in quantity so as not to waste them. I walked out of the hospital and stopped gorging on beets and beet greens and the problem went away. 

Three: I went to a recommended urologist who decided (without any tests) my problem. She preformed biopsies to verify her guess which was okay. She then took three times the number of biopsies as normal to confirm here opinion. They were negative!  She then gave me an Rx that nearly crippled me. When I researched it I found out that one of the side effects was joint problems and I could hardly walk. Then 6 months later without ever consulting me she scheduled me for more biopsies and I decided that was enough and never went back. Other doctors told me the urologist was extreme. 

 I have other examples but I am more cautious now and do not accept treatment that is suspicious without question. I have found out that not all doctors are equal in professionalism. My advice is if your gut tells you something is questionable - ask questions and if the answers don't sound right or if you don't get answers get another opinion. From hard earned experience that is what I do.