Hmmm… Do our doctors REALLY care?....

Having worked closely in the Veterinary sector the best part of 20+ years (non-medical but surgery  videos, podcasts etc), I appreciate all the training that they – and Vet Nurses – do over many many years.

The same goes for all medical professionals. But lately, no doubt for many reasons… well in my personal experience anyway – Doctors seem to be sticking to a 5-8min consult (whether Bulk-billed or fee for service) and whilst still referring us for various tests etc to see what our health issues might be, they don’t really seem ‘connected’ to us, compared to many years ago.

Now I totally appreciate they are seeing a LOT of patients and to be ‘connected’ with every single one is pretty much impossible these days, but things seem to be getting a bit too ‘casual’ with regard to basic health as far as I’m concerned.

Personally I’ve had some gut issues over the past few months. No pain. All good. Just a ‘funny tummy’. Adjusted the diet etc. Doctors prescribed various meds, dietician consults etc. Nothing changed.

In frustration I ended up changing Doctors (3 in total at the same practice!) to see if there was any better prognosis.

Finally (4 months down the track with no change) I was referred for some blood & other tests etc.

So what is going on?... Well at the most recent consult with the Dr, I was told the blood-tests etc were all 100% ‘perfect’. So what could be the problem?

…. ??? … Yep – Silence. No answer. No suggestion. Just a ‘well let’s wait & see what happens’.

And in some ways, that’s OK and possibly all they can suggest with the results that came back. After all they’re not mind readers or clairvoyants.

But seriously… not ONCE was I asked… “what do you eat?, do you snack?, how much do you drink?, do you exercise?, are you stressed about anything?, do you live/work in a toxic/possibly dangerous location?”

Basically the consult was like…”well there ya go. Results are in. You are good to go, let’s see what happens!”

Hmmm… thanks. So if it turns out to be something a bit more serious than a ‘funny tummy’, what then?

 … I’ll let you know!

© 2023 - Brian Pickering