The knee thing
The Knee Thing Part II
Last week I told you about my recent knee problem (“On Bended Knee” 8/3/05). I’ve received several e-mails of concern from HSI members and I appreciate those very much.
The good news: Apparently the problem is caused by a buildup of fluid on the knee, not a torn ligament, and after some rest and medication I’m feeling nearly 100 percent.
The bad news: There’s a doctor on the loose out there who’s got the bedside manner of Yosemite Sam.
I scheduled an appointment with this new doctor while waiting for the results from my MRI, which were delivered to his office. He started things off by using a surprisingly dismissive tone in referring to the doctor who originally treated me. “I can’t believe she ordered an MRI,” he barked.
I personally felt the MRI was necessary, since I literally couldn’t move my knee and could barely walk, but I didn’t challenge his comment because I quickly had bigger fish to fry with Dr. Personality. (I’ll try to be nice – we’ll call him Dr. S.)
He asked me what I’d done to the knee. I explained that I thought I’d injured it during a Pilates exercise while doing (far) too many reps. He pointed to the institutional tile floor and said, “Show me the exercise.”
Show him? Was he kidding? I’ve got a damaged knee here and he wants me to get down on the hard floor and demonstrate? Even crazier, I did it. It just goes to show the power of that white coat: It can make any of us do stupid things.
As with my first doctor, Dr. S. immediately wrote a prescription for ibuprofen. I told him I wasn’t interested in taking a high dose of ibuprofen because my first try at using this prescription strength made me dizzy and very drowsy. “In fact,” I mentioned casually, “I didn’t even realize drowsiness was a side effect of ibuprofen.”
Dr. S’s reply: “Anything can be a side effect of anything!”
How’s that again? Do they actually teach that kind of double talk in medical school?
I had to wonder if this condescending comment was a reaction to my patient information sheet that lists all the supplements I take regularly. Again, I didn’t challenge this. I simply made my stand – I wasn’t going to take the 800 mg dosage again.
He held up a pad of paper and jotted down two prescription dosage levels of another NSAID, naproxen sodium: 375 and 550. He wanted me to buy it over-the-counter and take two 220 mg pills, equaling a dose of 440. He wrote this number between the two other numbers as if he were speaking to an illiterate person with only the barest grasp of mathematics.
He told me to take this dose twice each day for three weeks – without fail. He added that I should NOT take the medication only when the pain was bothering me because in order for the anti-inflammatory to be effective it needs to maintain a consistent level in the body. To say I’m suspicious of this concept would be putting it mildly.
And then it was over. After waiting an hour and 15 minutes to see this gifted healer, in less than five minutes, Dr. S. had made me feel like I was wasting his time. As I left his office I couldn’t help but think that it’s doctors like him who are driving people away from mainstream medicine to seek alternative therapies. I also couldn’t help but think about sitting down to write this e-mail. Next timeI’m naming names.
