Cocaine

[KimC]

Hey,

You won't believe this, or maybe you will.

I spoke to the vascular surgeon in Ft. Wayne who was going to eventually perform my aortic valve replacement and updated him on my cath, echo results and symptoms, etc.

He was very gentile and attentive, expressing concern about the chest pain, and then he began grilling me about cocaine use. He said that vasospasms were very common among coke users.

"OK," I said, "that may be the case, but I'VE NEVER TRIED COKE! My worst vice is that I drink two stiff cups of Starbucks daily."

He continued to grill me saying, "Kim ... c'mon ..."

I was so SHOCKED that I asked if he meant Coca-Cola! He didn't even seem to consider other causes of the spasms.

He's fired.

 

[MichyB]

Oh my!!! What a jerk! Get someone else.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Find a new doctor Kim! I was once accused of being an IV drug user because my veins are so constricted and they can't usually get a sample without poking me over and over. Boy did that comment make me mad That was the last time I visited that office. Because we are young...they are so quick to judge. Yep, Starbucks is the extent of my buzz too If I give up that 2 cup habit...bet my migraines would go away!

 

[Harrybaby666]

This Really Stinks!!!!

This Really Stinks!!!!

Hi Kim,

I AM TOTALLY SHOCKED!!!! I can't believe the treatment that he gave you...I hope your really going to let him have it...maybe even threaten him with a defamation of character suit? That was just going too far....I ran into somewhat the same thing when I was hospitalized 3 weeks ago...the cardiologist blamed my heart trouble on the carbonation in my soda...he even told me to "get on the wagon and stop drinking my soda..." Needless to say, after he saw my records, he came in the next day and profusely apologized...I hope things go better for you....Harrybaby666

 

[tobagotwo]

Too bad he didn't consider what it is about cocaine that causes vasospasms, to see if a similar, non-drug-induced causation exists for you.

He probably just got back from a seminar somewhere. You don't need to deal with anyone that easily led. He's the kind of doctor who will prescribe whatever drug was being sold by the last salesman who showed up at his door.


So, when did you stop using cocaine?


(Sorry..couldn't resist...Bad Bob! )

Best wishes,

 

[KimC]

BOB! I held the stuff in my hand in college but ran before trying it. I was scared that I'd like it.

 

[Ross]

So that explains that hole in the back of you nose. I see clearly now. You hid it so well too.

 

[Karlynn]

Jumping off of Al's list of crazy things doctors have told people about warfarin, I think we should start a thread of crazy things our doctors have said to us.

The start could be Kim's cocaine question and Harry being told carbonated beverages were the source of his problems.

 

[MelissaM]

Yep, there are some good ones. . .I was told stress was causing my recurrent fevers (ultimately diagnosed with endocarditis).

 

[JimL]

I recently went to my local GP, a real nice guy, and saw instead his physician's assistant. This guy claims he has assisted at numerous open heart surgeries, and he decides to listen to my heart. Well, he says, it's clear you didn't get a mechanical; is it porcine or bovine? Well, I says, I hear my St. Jude 25mm all the time....
The GP is the same one who three years ago now misdiagnosed by CHF has bronchitis and pneumonia.

 

[Harrybaby666]

OOOhhh Melisssssaaaa.....or anyone else...LOL

OOOhhh Melisssssaaaa.....or anyone else...LOL

Melissa,
You mentioned in your post about fevers and being diagnosed with endocarditis....and during my past doctors visits they have noticed that I have been having a low grade fever almost constantly...I was wondering if there was any special symptom that you had that led them to find that it was endocarditis and if the fever's played into that....I appreciate any advice you might have on this...Thanks.. Harrybaby666

 

[Harpoon]

Any doc that asks a question like that and simply won't take no for an answer needs to be replaced, quickly.


If he was that insistant, he should have taken a blood draw and tested for it!


"Worst" story I have about a quack doc (fortunately) is when I saw a 70+ oncologist for a physical for insurance purposes back before my tricuspid valve fell apart. He asked if I knew I had a heart murmor after listening to my chest (apparently ignoring the "zipper" from my first OHS performed shortly after I was born.)

I told him I had transposition of the great vessels and got the deer in the headlights look so I explained it to him. He wrote something to the effect of, "Patient describes pediatric heart condition which has been fixed." in his reports...

I guess I can't fault the guy too much, he was out of his league when I walked in the door, down on two fronts because of his age (probably never saw anything like what I had in med school cause it was ALWAYS fatal when he would have been in school) and his field of specialty.


I walked on out an oral surgeon once after trying to discuss my concerns over having a hearty condition and being put under sedation to have a few wisdom teeth removed in his office. He kept brushing it off even when I tried to give him my cardiologist's number to consult on my heart status.

Nope, that's not a good idea.

I asked my cardiologist to refer me to an oral surgeon. That worked out much better, though we ended up going under local which was.....



...interesting.

 

[MelissaM]

Harry,

Ask for a blood culture - this is the true test. In addition to the fevers, my symptoms included overall malaise, simply no energy to do much of anything, visual hallucinations, horrible dreams, night sweats, chills, amnesiac episodes, very extreme, localized pain (where emboli flying off the heart valve where getting stuck), achy joints. . .and, of course, a new murmur. All of these were dismissed until my short term memory totally failed. I couldn't hold a conversation and couldn't remember things with any sort of accuracy beyond a minute or so. At that point, they tested me for meningitis, west nile virus, lyme disease, put me in the quarantine room. . .and finally came up with the diagnosis of endocarditis.

The blood culture is a simple test that any doctor should be willing to perform.

Melissa

 

[Harrybaby666]

Thanks Melissa!!

Thanks Melissa!!

Thank you so much for your answer...I was just wondering because no one can seem to figure out why I have fevers as often as I do....Thanks for your help.. and Stay well...Harrybaby666

 

[JimChicago]

It might be a good idea too to after a while request your records from that Dr. to make sure he didn't wri9te down some false information like that in your record. It's been said now all one's medical records may be going into a centralized database.

One fo the worst Dr experiences I heard was of a friend who went in for bad headaches and her Dr. told her it was in her mind and what she needed was a vacation so she and her husband decided to go to Nova Scotia - before they left it turned out her headaches were due to an inflamatory disease that left her blind since it wasn't treated in time.

 

[Harpoon]

One fo the worst Dr experiences I heard was of a friend who went in for bad headaches and her Dr. told her it was in her mind and what she needed was a vacation so she and her husband decided to go to Nova Scotia - before they left it turned out her headaches were due to an inflamatory disease that left her blind since it wasn't treated in time.

A dear friend of my wife's passed away a little over a year ago from brain cancer, about 4 months or so after going to a hospital in Germany complaining of migranes while visiting his son in the U.S. military. He had been having migraines for a few years and was on some kind of medication for them, but the meds had stopped being effective against his symptoms and when it got to be too much he went to an ER...


Not to say headaches are always a sign of this, but they shouldn't be ignored outright like that, especially when they become "debilitating."

 

[tobagotwo]

It sounds like JimChicago's friend is a victim of you're-a-woman-so-it-must-all-be-in-your-head syndrome, still very much too common in doctors, and a real concern for women with heart disease as well.

I believe my mother has the disease JimChicago speaks of. I have a mental block, and can't name the disease, though. In her case, it is an offshoot of viral arthritis. Fortunately, her doctor took her seriously, at least partly because it's a fairly common follow-on to the viral arthritis. It hardens (literally) the arteries in the head, and can cause permanent damage to the optic nerve and blindness if not treated. She's been on high doses of steroids for it, which is almost worse than the disease, because of the damage they cause.

She is trying to wean off of the steroids, but it takes time, and the inflammation flares up and shows in her blood tests, so they are reluctant to move too fast. The bad part is that the steroids themselves will do her permanent damages, if she doesn't get off soon. It's sad and frustrating, as my mother has always been active, and wants to be out doing things. At this point, the steroids steal her energy, and she can only really do anything even mildly physical for an hour or so on any given day.

Ladies, don't let the doctors pooh-pooh your symptoms. When a doctor makes too light of your complaints, get in his face about it, and get an answer or get a new doctor.

Best wishes,

 

[McCln]

Kimc

Kimc

Glad that you fired the creepy jerk. He had no right to act that way and to practically accuse you of such a thing. I am sure I would come a creep that would accuse me of being a pot smoker after finding out that I was once a cig smoker. The nerve of that creep accusing you of such a thing. I am glad that you are going to get another doctor. I had one creep who took my blood pressure, who did not know how to read it, saying my blood pressure was 500 ov whatever. I felt the pressure going up as he talked gibberish. I wish a ton of luck hon in finding a better doctor soon. We all know about the bad things of drug abuse, but being accused when one is not a user is a horrible crime in my books. You keep hanging in there and you will find a better doctor soon.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[Abbanabba]

It sounds like JimChicago's friend is a victim of you're-a-woman-so-it-must-all-be-in-your-head syndrome, still very much too common in doctors, and a real concern for women with heart disease as well.

Don't even get me started..!!!


Kim -
What can I say? What a jerk! I hope you've since found someone who is prepared to take you seriously and actually listen to what you are saying.

Best wishes
Anna : )

 

[Nancy]

Wow, Kim-

You sure have had some real problem doctors.

Sounds as if all the docs who treat people with dignity, compassion and good medical knowledge have departed from your area of the country.

My prescription for that doctor is to have him take a drug test himself. Docs can be addicts. Would be good to know how he does with that.

Don't allow yourself to be victimized one more minute. You have a known heart problem. You need to find someone who will take you seriously and help you with a proper diagnosis. That guy is really the bottom of the barrel.

Fire that jerk and find a good person, maybe a woman cardiologist would be a good idea.