Posted
by Misty Nuckolls
December 17, 2008 at 1:36 p.m.
Babies Make You Stupid
Sure. It's the pregnancy. That's my entire excuse for acting with the intelligence of a boiled turnip for the past half a year. And now, to pay for it, I get to go through the fun and excitement of switching obstetricians five months before I give birth.So maybe I can't be completely blamed for having chosen to be cared for by a doctor whose intelligence I have no confidence in. It was just a vague feeling, at first; I don't care much for the practice my OB is in. The folks working there are all pretty friendly, and I don't mind any individual one, but most of them are just so . . . bland. I don't know, just creepy vanilla. I could probably ignore the all-soft-Christian-rock-all-the-time Muzak format, and even the overabundance of "Jesus loved the world THIS MUCH!" needlepoint masterpieces on the examining room walls--I'm hiring these folks to order blood tests and prescribe me medicines, not redecorate my kitchen. The whole deal seemed terribly gentle, at first, and refreshing after the huge round of arrogant jackass surgeons I’d last dealt with, but now I’m starting to miss those competent bastards.Because it turns out my doctor is an idiot. A vitamin-peddling, pyramid-scheme-investing idiot. First visit, when I told her I'd had gestational diabetes before, she tried to talk me into buying JuicePlus vitamins, which she all but swore would prevent the disease from developing a second time. That should have been my warning signal--a vitamin supplement will seriously block the hormones produced by my placenta that cause the condition? Let me guess, it will prevent five types of cancer and all diseases of the ass, too.So when I developed the G.D., I was given a lecture about how I should have been buying those supplements from the office, and did I want to go ahead and buy some on my way out this time? Frankly, I was too pissed off by learning that I had this pain-in-the-ass condition again to pay much attention to that, either.This week they call me to tell me I'm testing as anemic. No big surprise there, since I've been tired as hell lately. What they want me to do is stop by their office the next time I'm on that side of town to buy a couple of months' supply of a pricey supplement called "Hemogenics" that they also happen to sell. And then to top it off, when I asked them to prescribe me an actual FDA-approved prenatal iron supplement instead, they replied that they can only do that if I bring them a list of those supplements which my insurance will cover (which my insurance company says they can't or won't do over the phone, they can only verify prescriptions I call them with). Bullshit. You can't tell me that there's not at least half a dozen standard generic prenatal iron supplements that are covered by all but the most backwardsly asinine medical insurance that any OB worth their freaking KY can name off the top of their head. And then when I tried to find more information on these fruity overpriced supplements they're trying to push me into buying, I find out that at least one of them is a moron pyramid scheme.So what I'm feeling here is that my pregnancy hormones have been making me so stupid for the past five and a half months that I didn't realize that I was putting my prenatal care in the hands of someone who probably thinks that selling Amway is a solid retirement strategy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I feel like SUCH A MORON. And now, I get to be a really tired moron looking for a good OB.Maybe I can find a JuicePlus! supplement to increase my mental acuity . . .
and 4 others
Comments
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DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
You have obviously lost sight of the fact that scamway is a family value.But still, why would it be any doctors business what your insurance covers for prescriptions? (Rhetorically asked and answered).
stinkeyejones (Jessica Raab) says…
Lots of doctors sell stuff but I've never been blatantly steered towards buying their crap like the experience you've had. You might want to consider giving the Kansas Board of Healing Arts a nudge about the what this doctor is up to... While she's likely not violating that little oath she took, there is some question about whether she dropped her ethics off at an Amway rally and forgot to pick them up afterwards.Is she rendering these diagnoses because you *are* experiencing these things or is she steering you in this direction so she can sell you some snake oil and a perfectly good bridge from San Francisco? What happens if someone else- in her haste to win that free convention trip to Cedar Rapids- suffers serious complications or worse? But yeah, get the f out of there and fast.
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
Yep. Write a letter to the Board, and as much of a pain in the ass it may be, I'd find a new OB. As stinkeye said, it may not be a technical violation, but making a physician's practice a snake oil shop certainly calls her ethics into question. Plus if someone is actually hurt by the side effects of a non FDA-approved supplement that your docs pushed on them, you can help that person when they complain (or sue, depending on the severity of the problem) by establishing documentation of the doc's questionable competence.
lori (anonymous) says…
You can change practitioners whenever you wish.
mitzibel (Misty Nuckolls) says…
Thanks, folks. Stinkeye--there's little chance that she could be diagnosing me with these things just to sell me the supplements (the diabetes, at least, is really easy to confirm with a home meter). It's the non-FDA-approved bits that creep me out, honestly. Now, I don't think that said agency is a magical entity of wonder and light and absolutely no mistakes that has never even once made a decision based on some company's profit rather than the American people's well-being. But they do tend to weed out the most obvious crap. For instance, the iron supplement my doctor is heavily pushing on me is one that I've tried to find information about onlin, but the only reference I can find is some whackjob on a message board touting the fact that it corrects the aluminum deficiency most of us suffer from due to our modern diet.Really? Aluminum deficiency? They're worried about a pregnant lady not getting enough aluminum in her diet? Well, I guess early-onset Alzheimer's *would* make me a lot more likely to forget what utter retards they are and buy more of their miracle supplements . . .
leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says…
Misty, I was also anemic when pregnant with our daughter. The iron supplements made me feel horrible & pukey. I increased my iron-rich foods: red meat, nuts, spinach, and molasses (which I baked with a lot). You're from a family of hunters: deer liver is an excellent source. Good luck. And dump that doctor PDQ. (My last doc didn't bother to show up for the delivery, so the nurse delivered. All went fine.)
Mackadoo (anonymous) says…
I think it would be incredibly useful to go see your friendly neighborhood pharmacist. They will be able to recommend the right drugs for your condition(s) and be able to save you a ton of money if you let them know you're worried about cost. Doctors don't know shit about the cost of prescriptions, especially vitamins.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
Ewww. Sorry to hear about your experience. Definitely write that letter. And tell all your friends. I don't know if it would help to send a copy of the letter to where ever this doc has privileges, but it may be worth a try.
justthefacts (anonymous) says…
A doctor in Kansas is not prohibited from selling vitamins to patients. Maybe they should be, but they aren't. But they are prohibited from engaging in conduct that is a conflict of interest in regards to neglecting their patients health in order to line their own pockets. The problem will be proving that has happened (in your case or any). The quicker you find a new doctor, who can tell you (if they will - doctors are notoriously reluctant to 2nd guess each other - for fear someone will next do it to them) if you have suffered any real harm from the "treatment" of the other doctor, the sooner you will know if you need to write a letter or get an attorney.Here is hoping that she did you no real harm. It's a dream of too many people to win big med-mal cases. But they forget that in order for that to happen, someone has to suffer some harm. So I hope, for your sake and the baby's sake, the doctor you went to is just a nutty hippie who wanted to get you on board with the "natural" health movement. But if not, a letter to the Board of Healing Arts might help protect other people.