Doctors should admit they don't know
Last year I got very sick. It started with a normal sickness: fever, headaches, loss of appetite, heavy breathing, and sore throat. Then I developed a random rash over my body after a week. A day after that, I had a swollen lip, eyelid, wounds in my mouth and growing white spots on the inside of my cheeks.
This had never happened to me before, and I was scared.
I went to the doctor on three separate occasions, throughout the span of 5 days. I had suddenly developed a rash on my legs and knees. This was not normal, and I knew I should have this looked at as soon as possible. I went to the emergency GP, scared, asking if they could let me in without an appointment. It was at the beginning of their opening hours, and there was no one in the waiting room. Thankfully, they let me in, and I felt relieved when they called my name. I expected an examination, perhaps even some sympathy, but what I got instead was a speech by the doctor stating that "this is only a place for genuine emergencies", and that "other people, with actual emergencies need it more". Quickly, she explained that I had just developed a rash due to my illness and that it was very normal. She did not look at the rash, nor did she ask any questions about my illness. I was out of her office within 5 minutes.
The second time, I went to the doctor because I had developed wounds and big white spots all over my mouth and on the inside of my cheeks. The doctor took one look and brought another guy into the room, who started stabbing my mouth with a wooden stick. "Yeah, it hurts right", said the other doctor while lightly laughing. He tore off a piece of my flesh. He proceeded to give me a prescription without telling me what it was or what I had and sent me on my way.
It was only the last time I went that I got a doctor who examined me, asked questions, and then simply said: I do not know what this is. He took pictures of my mouth and rash, got some more opinions using a specialised forum, and the next day he called me to tell me I needed to go to the hospital.
Neither of the first two doctors took my situation seriously enough to figure out that what was going on was more serious than a simple rash. The first one did not do anything, and the second, while he did enlist the help of someone else, merely guessed what was happening and gave no further advice on what to do if it did not work. Intelligence is a thing that almost all doctors have in common, but wisdom is a rare gift indeed. And it is in not knowing that the last doctor was actually able to help me.
Unfortunately, this is not the only time something like this has happened. Numerous people struggle with being taken seriously by doctors. I remember going to the doctor for chronic knee problems, being told I just needed some physical therapy, and then somehow the question popped up of whether I am on birth control or not (why is this all doctors talk about with women?). My knee is an entirely different issue on its own, and it took me six years to finally get an appointment to have it checked out again by a professional (I had my appointment yesterday at the hospital, yippee!). The same amazing doctor who examined me then, when I got sick, examined my knee and told me it was a good idea to have it checked out. It is doctors like him that make me have faith in the Dutch medical system again, and that make me feel like my concerns are real.
It is so easy to get caught up in what we believe is right due to our expertise, but sometimes all we need to realise is that expertise does not make us omniscient. Yes, some patients may present more dramatically than others, but it's better to take them seriously and conduct an in-depth analysis than to let someone walk around on a knee that does not work properly for 7 years.
Have cool thoughts? Send me an email!