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S/O: bad doctor stuff...
Using WCIB to protect my medical history.
I recently got some kind of really bad rash on my chin that wasn't going away, so I went to see a derm. It was to the point of being humiliating, calling off work, etc. it was so bad. Since it takes so long to get a new patient appt and I had never seen a derm before, I decided to just see a physician's assistant to get it over with asap & get on some meds or whatever.
The PA walks in the room, takes one look at me and says, "Yep, ya got herpes. Don't know how ya got it, you just did. Don't worry, lots of people have it. But there's no cure and it will never ever go away, and you'll probably have to deal with breakouts like this forever. And you can't kiss or have oral sex anymore, just so you know. (writes Valtrex script and then walks towards the door...) Well have a good night, I would love to be a fly on the wall at dinner when you get to tell your husband!" I left and cried in my car.
Two rounds of Valtrex later it wasn't gone. Turned out it wasn't even kind of herpes, didn't even look like herpes to me, and it was some kind of bacterial thing which went away with antibiotics, but I had to deal w/ the breakout for weeks because it wasn't getting treated properly and then I had to wait for more testing weeks later. I feel like PA should have done the tests first and def before telling me I have some lifelong incurable virus. I ended up scarring from the rash getting worse over time, which could have been prevented if he would've taken the proper steps in the first place.
Was this PA way out of line or am I over sensitive? Would you say something to the derm about it?
Re: S/O: bad doctor stuff...
I think it was unprofessional if not malpractice to not test it right away, especially considering that's a lifetime on meds issue. It would have made sense to me for PA to say it looks like herpes, do a test, but have you start on the Valtrex in the meantime while waiting for the test results.
Can the derm do any type of treatments for the scarring? Like laser treatment? (which should be free given their error).
Wow. I'm with the other ladies- completely unprofessional & put if line, especially the comment about telling your husband.
I like alli's idea if seeing if they can cover help with the scarring, or something along those lines.
Do I think she was rude, unprofessional and out of line? Yes.
The only thing is that a lot of Dermatology is knowledge from experience. They see the same rash over and over and know what it is. HOWEVER, in a case where they are talking about a potentially life long illness, yea I think she should have been a little more clear. If she were diagnosing you with a yeast infection - I wouldn't expect them to test for it, kwim?
I think you can call and complain, for sure.
This is so unprofessional, and frankly it reeks of malpractice. To not even run a simple test to determine the cause is neglect. I think you should definitely ask them about course of remedy for your scarring and make sure that they cover all expenses.
Something very similar (but on a less life-long illness happened to my husband). Just after we were married DH started having issues urinating. He went to his doc and after a urine test the doc told him that he had chlamydia and that he obviously got it from me. DH freaked out on me and accused me of everything under the sun. I was so shaken I didn't know what to think. I called my OB in tears and asked he to come in because obviously I would need a prescription for antibiotics as well. I went in and I tested negative for all STDs.
At that point I accused DH of everything under the sun, because if he didn't get it from me, where did he get it from?
Two weeks later his problem still hadn't resolved. He went back to his doc who took a second look at the first test. He then realized that he had read it completely wrong and that there was no infection and no STDs. He apparently should have done a swab, but never did because he was sure that it was chlamydia.
So in the end, NO ONE had an STD. DH filed a complaint against the doc and I sent the bill for my OB visit to his office. He paid it and we never heard anything from him again.
This plus more. Their should be Member Complaint forms at all offices now. It was a law passed that passed and had to be complied with by end of 2011. I would ask for one. Or if you have a Member Services department, you can file a complaint there as well.
I agree. I see enough eczema to treat it, but I don't get allergy levels on every kid with eczema.
PA's legally have to work under a physician. Many PAs are great, but if you have concerns, definitely ask to also see the supervising physician.