Advice on how to make Dr. stick to one issue?

[tonymoo]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York

I apologize in advance if people think this is a silly or minor topic but I could really use some advice. Similar situations have happened to me in the past but this one, from a few weeks ago, was the worst.

I needed to have finger surgery (to repair a really bad break). I did all the pre-surgery testing and showed up for my out patient surgery. In the pre-op area, they told me that one of my blood tests had come back a little off (blood sugar) and they needed to rerun it. They said not to worry as we would go ahead with the surgery because it had no relation and they wouldn't get the results til the next day anyway,

I asked them not to because if it didn't affect the surgery, I wasn't interested. They responded with a crack about this being a full-service hospital. We went back and forth a few times with each of us getting more and more serious. Finally it got to the point where they wouldn't do the surgery if I didn't let them run the test. I caved. No costs - insurance covers everything.

I'm not really mad at them although it did create an unnecessarily stressful situation. I understand they were probably afraid of being sued. I just wonder if there is some magic words or a document I could have signed to let them off the hook. To me, it seems that that was mine decision to make and I should own the consequences of that decision.

What I consider medical overreach is happening more and more over the last few years. I'm one of those individualist nuts and I want my medical care ala carte. My dental hygienist is mad at me because I refused to let her take my blood pressure; my GP is annoyed that I only come in when I'm sick and won't do an annual checkup; and my kids' pediatricians are not happy that I've told them I won't discuss any non-medical issues with them (no discussions about pools, outlets, paint, or guns).

Help. I want to live in the 1960's.

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York

I apologize in advance if people think this is a silly or minor topic but I could really use some advice. Similar situations have happened to me in the past but this one, from a few weeks ago, was the worst.

I needed to have finger surgery (to repair a really bad break). I did all the pre-surgery testing and showed up for my out patient surgery. In the pre-op area, they told me that one of my blood tests had come back a little off (blood sugar) and they needed to rerun it. They said not to worry as we would go ahead with the surgery because it had no relation and they wouldn't get the results til the next day anyway,

I asked them not to because if it didn't affect the surgery, I wasn't interested. They responded with a crack about this being a full-service hospital. We went back and forth a few times with each of us getting more and more serious. Finally it got to the point where they wouldn't do the surgery if I didn't let them run the test. I caved. No costs - insurance covers everything.

I'm not really mad at them although it did create an unnecessarily stressful situation. I understand they were probably afraid of being sued. I just wonder if there is some magic words or a document I could have signed to let them off the hook. To me, it seems that that was mine decision to make and I should own the consequences of that decision.

What I consider medical overreach is happening more and more over the last few years. I'm one of those individualist nuts and I want my medical care ala carte. My dental hygienist is mad at me because I refused to let her take my blood pressure; my GP is annoyed that I only come in when I'm sick and won't do an annual checkup; and my kids' pediatricians are not happy that I've told them I won't discuss any non-medical issues with them (no discussions about pools, outlets, paint, or guns).

Help. I want to live in the 1960's.

Did you have a question, or just this rant?

 

[ecmst12]

If your blood sugar is out of control, that puts you in need of additional care and puts you in a MUCH higher risk category for any surgery, not to mention dozens of other health problems. That IS something you need to be concerned about, and so does your doctor - it would be negligent for them NOT to follow up on a significant lab result even if it was NOT directly related to what they were doing - but in this case it WAS related. Doctors need to see the whole picture of your health when they treat you, not just bits and pieces.

Your doctors are trying to encourage WELLNESS and HEALTH rather than just treating illnesses; it is much more effective to prevent problems than it is to make them go away once they are present, and many SERIOUS health problems don't have noticeable symptoms until they are in an advanced state and affecting multiple systems. High blood pressure and diabetes are 2 such problems, they can be sometimes treated with diet and lifestyle changes if caught early, but if not, multiple medications may be needed and worse, irreversible damage to your heart, nerves, blood vessels, and kidneys could be done.

The medical care you get today is much, much better than you would have gotten in the 60's.

 

[tonymoo]

If your blood sugar is out of control, that puts you in need of additional care and puts you in a MUCH higher risk category for any surgery, not to mention dozens of other health problems. That IS something you need to be concerned about, and so does your doctor - it would be negligent for them NOT to follow up on a significant lab result even if it was NOT directly related to what they were doing - but in this case it WAS related. Doctors need to see the whole picture of your health when they treat you, not just bits and pieces.

Your doctors are trying to encourage WELLNESS and HEALTH rather than just treating illnesses; it is much more effective to prevent problems than it is to make them go away once they are present, and many SERIOUS health problems don't have noticeable symptoms until they are in an advanced state and affecting multiple systems. High blood pressure and diabetes are 2 such problems, they can be sometimes treated with diet and lifestyle changes if caught early, but if not, multiple medications may be needed and worse, irreversible damage to your heart, nerves, blood vessels, and kidneys could be done.

The medical care you get today is much, much better than you would have gotten in the 60's.

Thanks for the reply. So you're saying I'm stuck with it. What I was asking is if there was anything I could've signed that would have actually made the doctors comfortable not following it up.

I may not have been clear on the details. What really got to me this time was that the surgery would be over and I'd be home before they got the results and no, I can't see how it was my orthopedic surgeon's job to monitor my blood sugar unless it affected my surgery (which it clearly couldn't).

If they were treating me as an adult, they should have told me about the somewhat abnormal initial result and told me to follow up with my primary care doctor.

You stated much better than I could have what the doctors are trying to accomplish in terms of WELLNESS. I just don't want it. Is there any way I can turn it down and just use the medical system for the acute problems I bring them?

 

[Proserpina]

Thanks for the reply. So you're saying I'm stuck with it. What I was asking is if there was anything I could've signed that would have actually made the doctors comfortable not following it up.

I may not have been clear on the details. What really got to me this time was that the surgery would be over and I'd be home before they got the results and no, I can't see how it was my orthopedic surgeon's job to monitor my blood sugar unless it affected my surgery (which it clearly couldn't).

If they were treating me as an adult, they should have told me about the somewhat abnormal initial result and told me to follow up with my primary care doctor.

You stated much better than I could have what the doctors are trying to accomplish in terms of WELLNESS. I just don't want it. Is there any way I can turn it down and just use the medical system for the acute problems I bring them?

There's nothing forcing you to see a PCP. Of course, many specialists won't entertain you if you don't, but that wasn't your question.

Your blood sugar absolutely CAN affect surgery.

Educate yourself, please.

 

[Zigner]

Thanks for the reply. So you're saying I'm stuck with it. What I was asking is if there was anything I could've signed that would have actually made the doctors comfortable not following it up.

Then they get sued for malpractice. No, not gonna happen.

 

[ecmst12]

Yes, abnormal blood sugar could affect the FOLLOW UP CARE for your surgery, puts you at higher risk for infection and could cause problems with healing, so it's something they need to know. They might want to follow you more closely or prescribe prophylactic antibiotics. Your overall health is completely relevent to someone performing surgery on you.

You are free to refuse preventive care and make bad decisions about your health. But when you consent to treatment by a doctor, they need to treat you to the standard of care, not to your desires. You can't consent to malpractice or negligent treatment.

 

[startedone]

You are free to seek out a different facility.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Also free to attempt your own surgery on a broken bone that didn't heal correctly.

Gail