OT Wait it out or hope a doctor can help? (2025 Update)

Some doctors take into account what drugs cost, what insurance you have to pay for them, discuss that with you, before writing a prescription. Others just write, maybe in part based on points for a trip to Hawaii.

And if it's a new drug and you're not on an insurance plan where it will cost you a known, fixed amount, you can shop around at pharmacies to figure out what the prices are. There is usually a big difference. Here Costco is almost always the lowest cost or at least very close to the lowest. But there are exceptions.

In Brazil they offer free trips to Europe if you prescribe untested drugs. All expenses included. Under the alias of "attending a convention". The pharmacies get a bribe for collecting the names of the doctors on the prescriptions. I always avoided prescribing anything that is not tested or expensive. Wonder why I never got the "prize"? :) []'s

Shadow snipped-for-privacy@dow.br wrote

He doesn't. And the physician didn't say that he should do that either.

But is more hassle needing the shoes off.

But with my ankle artery impossible to find...

Yes, that's why I made that comment, it was silly to be even considering gout given that there as none of the attack effect so common with gout.

And there was no blood test result involved at that stage, presumably because he realised after I made the comment that it was unlikely to actually be gout.

I forgot to mention that he isnt just any old GP, he is the one that does most of the child birth in our town of 20K people. Has quite a reputation amongst the ambos for his level of alcohol consumption according to an ambo neighbour of mine.

Sure, but when the test showed I didn't have that, she should have been suggesting that I give up alcohol consumption and should have ordered an ultrasound. It was my normal GP that eventually did that and that proved it was just gallstones.

It took a number of very severe gallstone pain episodes before anyone even considered gallstones which is pretty bizarre given that gallstones are so common.

I only saw that second GP because I needed a prescription for the very severe pain and my normal GP wasn't in town at that time, away for some reason.

The other very striking thing initially was that the very severe pain went away completely when sitting in a particular position on the bench in the hospital ER.

With 20/20 hindsight, that should have been a dead giveaway, but wasn't for some reason.

No she wasn't, because she didn't order an ultra sound, just decided that it must be pancreatitis,

But makes no sense to not do the obvious check, an ultrasound, to see if its actually the much more common gallstones and to tell me to stop using alcohol.

In theory, but clearly those two are significantly lacking there,

Neither of them are crooks.

No he wasn't when I asked him about the ankle pulse, nor when I had seen a comment that consumption of grapefruit interferes with clopidogrel and I asked him if the same applied with limes given that I make my own lime and lemon marmalade. He was shocked that the GP was still prescribing me that that long after the heart attack. The GP has himself had one only a little before me in time.

I continue to use my regular GP even with those obvious deficiencys, mainly because he's quite skilful with minor skin cancer surgery and the only other one in town that does those is a skin specialist who is so grossly disorganised that you can easily end up spending most of the day in her surgery. She has this bizarre approach of actually treating a number of people simultaneously with them in separate rooms and her charging from room to room treating each one in bursts.

Dunno why they tested that.

All they did was an MRI of a specific (I can't remember what part) of my kidneys. Apparently they were working fine.

But they have more melanin than caucasians?

Why do you say that? They're cats and parrots.

They play fine with each other, it's quite amusing to see a parrot get the better of a cat 5 times its size.

I don't.

The what? I thought that was a 60s hairstyle.

The meds weren't helping.

The trouble is medical "science" hasn't invented a cure for 90% of illnesses.

F****ng hell, $63 million to one doctor!

Most diseases have a strong genetic component. Medicine would have to change who you are to "cure" you.

Which is why good doctors treat symptoms, correct physical injuries and try to promote a healthy lifestyle so you can live a longer, happier and more productive life..

When did you last have smallpox, polio, the plague, whooping cough, diphtheria, tuberculosis, leprosy, rabies, rheumatic fever ? When did you last see someone die of non-melanoma skin cancer ? Tertiary syphilis anyone ? All gone. Unless you are very, very stuuuupid.

(I'm not talking about the crooks that promise miracles - they're as bad as religion). []'s

We have GM food....

So they've got rid a of a handful, but there are thousands more we can't fix.