Posted by Racer on November 26, 2006, at 1:25:56
In reply to Your physicians? Racer and Adrift, posted by ElaineM on November 25, 2006, at 17:00:28
Oh, dear...
Let's see, how can I say this without sounding completely and irredeemably CRAZY? Doctors are a triggering topic for me, because I've had a lot of bad experiences with them. While the worst of those experiences have tended to be with pdocs, GPs have contributed. My current GP has been informed that I have a history of AN, and that I am currently seeing a T who specializes in EDs, but I don't think she's all that up on the implications. For instance, the first time she saw bloodwork on me, she told me that my cholesterol was high and I should avoid fatty foods! I told her that it was most likely an artifact of my ED, and that I still don't eat as much fat as my RD recommended, but I wasn't sure she quite got what I was saying. She's nice, though, and I am trying to learn to trust her. It's hard for me to do so, though.
In terms of medical treatment around my ED, I didn't get any. My gyn ordered a DEXA scan, which showed pretty significant bone density loss, but other than that the only treatment directly related to my weight that I received was nutritional counseling. I had to ask my pdoc to refer me, because he was entirely uninterested in recommending any treatment to me. I tried to get help from the GP I was seeing then, but his eyes glazed over as soon as I said the words "eating disorder." My pdoc at the time told me he didn't bother refering people my age for treatment, because as far as he could see, there was no point. If we weren't recovered by this point, we wouldn't. How's that for helpful?
My current GP, despite the fact that she is not particularly knowledgeable about EDs, is very helpful, and she seems to listen to me. I was upset by something that happened with my previous GP, and my T gave me the names of two female GPs. The other is supposed to be great, and have a huge amount of experience with EDs, but this one accepts insurance. So, yes, I did search for a decent doctor, but not on the basis of ED knowledge.
(The GP before this was a real winner: I asked for a thyroid function test, because hey -- I suffer depression, which can be a symptom of thyroid dysfunction. He said, "You women want ot believe that your thyroid is causing you to gain weight..." I nearly threw up, I got so upset from that. This is the same guy whose nurse tried to get diet tips from me!)
As for the other question, about having your T advocate for you, I'm not sure I agree with Adrift. In my experience, while it may feel more comfortable to have someone else try to advocate for you, many doctors don't show a whole lot of respect for non-physicians in that role. Kinda like how psychiatrists often disregard anything a PhD says to them, or a LCSW. If you have any doctor you really trust whom you can talk to about this, that's the person I'd recommend trying to recruit as an advocate with other doctors.
My T tells me quite often that it's OK to tell someone to ignore my tears and just listen to what I say. You know that scene in that Jackie Chan movie? "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" That's the message to convey -- "Doctor, despite my tears, I am using words to communicate my message to you. Are you able to hear those words?" I realize that you're in bad shape right now, and that this isn't supposed to be a lesson in effective communication with defective people, but I think the exercise will be good for you, anyway, just in helping you learn how effectively you really do communicate.
If there's any way I can help you figure out how to approach this, let me know.
poster:Racer
thread:705834
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20061124/msgs/707279.html