I am required to have a physical by a corporate appointed physician every year. This is the first year for me. This physician performed all the normal stuff (hearing, vision, vitals, weight, etc). I found nothing odd about that at all.

Once all the tests were done, the physician proceeds to go over all my paperwork. He gets to the section "previous surgeries" and, with a Gasp, he says, "I see you have had a mesenteric bypass. Oh, it was only 2 yrs ago." I reply, yes sir. Then he proceeds to say, "I need to inform you the mortality rate for that surgery is very low and are not usually successful. You will most likely have more problems"

I wanted to fall over. I could not believe what I just heard.

Yes, a mesenteric bypass is very rare for a woman of my age (45) with no previous history of vasular problems. But, for crying outloud, why would a medical professional that doesn't even know me or my complete history make such a statement?

I replied, "I'm quite special. My surgeon had my "fathers hands" guiding his. I am quite thankful to be on the right side of the grass."

He proceeded to try to diagnose the reason I had this surgery. He didn't even know what the mesenteric artery was.

When you have surgery of any kind, it is traumatic to the patient, emotionally. This physician really upset me.

Not 15 minutes after I left the office, my surgeon's office called me to schedule my yearly exam.

He's watching over me again!

Hope I didn't bore you too bad. Thanks for listening.

OHhh man,
I would have ripped him a new one.
I am so sorry he was such a dipstick to you, actually he gives dipsticks a bad name- big ol jerk.
Sheesh.

HUGS!!

I think I'd complain to someone in the corporate office personally. I think it is unprofessional for someone that doesn't know you or your history to try to give you information. Every surgery and person is different and all of that needs to be factored in.

Go to your surgeon's visit and listen to what he says, he knows your body much better than this other doctor.

In my experience there are very few doctors--medical profressionals that have any sense at all when it comes to patient care. They may get the science and can write prescriptions and order tests but they truly lack sense--apologies in advance to all who venture here that do have sense with their medical degrees. You are a rare exception in my world.

K8, I have a cousin who didn't know that trains could go both directions on the train track until she was in high school... She's now a Doctor.

I think that often (not always) people that have book smarts (are great in their fields and such) often lack common sense.

Doctors famously lack bedside skills. I hear it's something they're finally starting to teach med students.

My daughter and I had a lot of interaction with doctors from her birth, and I have been blessed with extraordinary doctors who were both informative AND sensitive. Maybe it's a pediatrician thing. I have had some truly awful experiences with a few, though. I had a doctor tell my husband to take our daughter and wait in the waiting room so he could talk to me about her upcoming care because I was the one who was going to do it anyway, and I'd pay closer attention if my daughter wasn't distracting me. REALLY? My DH and I were both hot under the collar over that one.

As a previous post said, it would be appropriate to send an e-mail to your corporate office who hires this guy and let them know that you felt his comments were abrupt, insensitive, and not useful because he is not familiar with that very specialized part of your care. He can't get better if no one complains.

This is the first time I have had a medical professional be so "un" professional. I am totally beside myself.

I even voiced my oposition to having a "corporate" physical because all it really takes is a signed release to receive a copy of your last physical from your primary care doctor.

It really makes no sense to be put through this stuff.

I don't want to sound like a whiney brat, so I am going to wait a day or two and then send a note to our corporate office.

I have never heard of a "corporate physical" before. Is that a standard thing in your industry? That doctor was def. rude!

Reminds me of always having to explain why I take a certain medication. It is mostly associated with condition A, but can also be used to treat condition B, which is unrelated to condition A. I have condition B and not even close to having condition A at all, but even when my forms state medication X for treatment of condition B, they'll say, "oh, I see you're on X for condition A" and I'll respond, "No, I don't have condition A, the X is for condition B" and they'll say "oh, yeah, it says that right here." Ugh! The last time that happened was the freaking anesthesiologist right before I had an extremely large (size of an American football) ovarian tumor removed a little over a year ago. He didn't even wait for me to respond, went right on starting to talk about the problems that condition A could cause for surgery, including making it MUCH more high risk and increasing post-op problems and I had to interrupt him with "I don't have condition A!" I was already extremely nervous about this surgery and having my anesthesiologist basically tell me that he had barely skimmed my medical history did NOT make me feel comfortable.

Sorry, that was long!

I said all that to say: I'm sorry you had to deal with Dr. Dique!

...someone has to graduate at the bottom of the class...

YOu know what they call the medical student who graduated but made all D's?

DOCTOR!

Well I got brave and contacted our medical department.

A letter is being written to the doctor and I will be contacted on the outcome. (Whatever that means.)

How 'bout this classic--I had a standing appointment with my arthritis doctor, I was on an every six months schedule--and I had my next appointment booked. I got sick in the meantime. I got an appointment, I got off work, I got someone to pick up the kids. I get downtown, park, hobble up to the office to find the office had moved out East.

Oh my goodness! That's shocking!

Surprise! Surprise!

Holy cow! Some doctors can be such jerks and on the behalf of my profession, I extend my sincerest apology. I know it doesn't make the experience any better. It just irks me when doctors behave like they are God's gift to the world. Unfortunately, they often behave this way with most everyone, including colleagues. [/b]

It is always a shame to hear about collegue with poor bedside skills. It competely makes sense to me for him to discuss your mesenteric ischemia history, make sure you aren't experiencing any othe related issues, and to ensure that you have the proper followup with your regular PCP if needed. However, it sounds like he tried to do this in a rude and inappropriate manner. Sorry you had an upsetting appointment.