General Medical Fraternity Stressing Me Out

[Sighs]

@Sweetpea76 - we can choose any doctor we like and the DVA will pay the bill so we are lucky there, but it does mean dealing with civvy docs who have no idea re the military.

I think @FridayJones hit the nail on the head - its partly that he has NO clue what is normal and partly that he CANNOT admit to weakness.

Unfortunately that leads to the civvy docs dismissing his complaints. Eg:

Doc: We'll just do a scan of your neck.
Me: What about the burning sensation in between your shoulder blades?
Him: Well, yeah, but most people get that don't they?
Me: No. Remember you had an impact with a tree stump in a para landing?
Doc: What sort of impact?
Him: Well, I couldn't use my left arm for two weeks.
Doc: What treatment did you have at the time?
HIm: I was the section commander. I didn't report it. My lads carried my gear for me.
Doc: (with look of total disbelief on his face) Well, lets just do the neck for now.
Me: (Bursts into tears)

We have an appointment with a different doctor on 1 September.

 

[Friday]

Doc: (with look of total disbelief on his face) Well, lets just do the neck for now.

That total look of disbelief... Grrrrr. That's another reason I forget about.

Most of the time I don't give a f*ck if people believe me. There are times when I get a bit persnickety about it.

Dr. "You had a screwdriver through your thigh & you didn't see medical attention?"
Moi "We were flying out in the morning. I duct taped it."
Dr. Total Look of Disbelief
Me dropping my pants and showing the double circular scar from entry exit.
Moi "Right here."

Dr. "You walked on a broken ankle for 2 weeks?" TLOD
Moi "Yep." ... Sent for X-Ray with a very smug look on their face out to prove me wrong
Dr. "The edges of this break are completely rounded! You must have ground the edges down rubbing the bones together!!! That should have been excruciatingly painful"
Moi "Yeah. Like I said. I walked on it for 2 weeks." (Duh!) "I didn't say it didn't hurt!"

***
Kind of a f*cked up thing to hope for... But I hope the neck films are so f*cked up the doc gets a chubby and sends him for complete films!!!

 

[Sighs]

Changed docs. Basically told new doc's rooms to order complete films or we won't bother coming to see him. Should find out early next week what has been ordered.

I honestly think that what the military considers normal, civvyland just cannot get their head around!

 

[Sweetpea76]

They need to medicate us when we go in there with our vets... seriously.

 

[Purplemunchkin]

We each keep a notebook and compare them before appointments; both physical and psychological complaints and concerns get written down.

It's actually really interesting, and occasionally worrying, to see where the accounts differ.

Good luck with the new doc!

 

[Sweetpea76]

Good idea @Purplemunchkin ! An inside and outside observation of symptoms... we may just have to try that.