i too cannot completely absolve doctors from their part in my late diagnosis. i'm just lucky i didn't allow them to damage me even further. one doctor wanted to fuse the bones in my feet because he thought what i was dealing with was "stretchy tendons" causing internal swelling. we all know how well RSD reacts to unnecessary surgery. another doctor asked me to immobilize the foot and go non-weight-bearing for six weeks "just to see" if it would help. right. because MORE atrophy is going to make my condition a lot better. doctors aren't omniscient, but they should accept it and pass a patient on when they don't know what to do next.
I have a score of horror stories, but i think this one best highlights the capital-L LAZINESS of some docs:
the first doctor i saw when my foot started hurting, seven years before i would finally get a name for the pain, sat me down in his office and asked me to take my shoe off. JUST my shoe, my sock remained on. he looked at my sock-covered foot for a moment and said "it looks fine to me." i kid you not. i was 18 and dealing with my first solo doctor's appointment (my mother had always insisted on coming with, but i was at college at this point), and i didn't know any better than to leave his office without pressing him further.

also, buckwheat: are two people posting under your screen name? your back to back responses to me seem to be at odds with each other.

I totally agree that some drs are lazy. Not saying all, just some.

If they don't know what they are doing and can't be bothered to do a bit of reading to help you - then they need to say so and refers you to another dr.
Instead of just stringing you along and collecting the payments.

I think many with usual conditions have this problem of finding a really good dr.
That is one really good thing about the internet at least we can find some info on our own and talk with others going thru similar problems.

I had orthopedic doctors ever since I got injured in the car crash. They know zilch about RSD! I had to find out the hard way!

They did see that the cartilage behind both knee caps was damaged (had gone soft), but they didn't pick up on the RSD, so it went undiagnosed for years. As I went from one orthopedist to another, the second one again ignored the discolorations and at about 1,5 years into the RSD my right leg was put into a full cast for weeks, then afterwards almost immediately (without the muscle gaining enough strength), that right knee was operated on. The cartilage diagnosis was confirmed again for both knees. I had nerve damage after the operation (but it took us some time to find that out). The knee joint itself felt better afterwards (cleaned, inside was filthy, and I had holes in the cartilage) but when I woke from surgery and they put me on my feet, my right leg went black, while the other leg had the typical RSD discolorations. They ordered me to bed rest immediately. The nurses were really worried. One nurse actually asked me if I still went to school. No. Why? Because this might take a long long long time. I asked him what he was on about, but he didn't want to tell me. I heard shouting in the hall from the head nurse to my orthopedist, saying that the doctor should have read his file! In the admission form I had written, after being ignored so many times, that my feet had turned blue by now. The orthopedist refused to show until the next day, even though I had asked several times he visit because of the odd reactions in both legs. I got 8 months of PT after that, which I couldn't handle well, and my muscles atrophied despite the PT. Another orthopedist got me off the PT straight away and prescribed one home exercise that I was supposed to do every day, throughout the day because I was too weak to handle full PT. He described every symptom I had and documented it, but he didn't give me any diagnosis and again it went undiagnosed for some time. A neurologist, who happened to pick up on the discolorations about 3 years into the RSD, thought it might be RSD. It was later confirmed. Then confirmed again by a rheumatologist and 2 pain specialists. By then it was far too late.

Doctors! Oh man dont get me started on this topic LOL.

I was once told that we do not know that much about our doctors....like was he/she at the top of their class??? We could be seeing the class dunce, but we will never know.

10 years ago a doctor told me he wanted to do an angiogram on me because of my family history with heart disease. I wish to this day that I would have said no to that one. He accidentally blocked the femoral artery, and now I suffer for the rest of my life.

Even worse is the part where the doctors learn how I was hurt....then drop me like a hot potato because they are afraid of lawsuits. Doctors are not the demigods they think they are. Most are only legends in their own minds

Too bad I was never able to sue....I picked the wrong state to get hurt bu a doctor in.

Yeppers Allen, not really a joke...

But what do you call the med student who graduated last in class?

Dr.

Dear Allen,

My WC attorney works in a large firm that also does malpractice. Accordingly to them I don't have a case against the PM doctor who screwed me up so badly. I did write a detailed letter to the orthopedist who referred me to him, which made me feel a little bit better. And if it prevents the same thing from happening to someone else in the future then it was certainly worth the effort - RI is a very small state and maybe this guy will get the word out.

Sandy

Dear Folks,

In General MD's are not lazy. During Residency they work around the clock, for Mc Donalds wages.

Like I have mentioned before they have to fight the insurance companies for treatment for you.

Just because someone is a MD doesn't mean they have the answers to alot of things. Do you think alot of them know why you have RSD in the first place?

Yes, my treatments are and have been very expensive.

It's much cheaper for them to give a person disability or whatever else.

I do not judge anyone of you that has to do what you have to do. Just because your walk is a little different than mine, doesn't mean I am any better.

I used to make very good money, and had alot behind me. My husband is very ambitious, believe it or not I wished he wasn't so much.

Hang in Their, Roz

Maybe lazy is the wrong word that was used.

But I think the main complaint by many patients with oddball conditions...
is that if a Dr doesn't know or care to learn about a condition to be able to really help a person then they should just say so.

I mean if we can find a lot of the general info about our symptoms -- and maybe get close to figuring it out - why can't they?

If they aren't interested send us on our way or give a a referral to someone that might be of help..

Certainly MDs should have much better resources that us regular folks...I would hope anyway.

This is just my own opinion.

Dear Jo*mar,

With RSD the worst SX is horrid pain, so you are referred to Pain Mgt.

Pain Mgt MD's are not even allowed to DX, believe it or not. It's not their field.

cont...

In my opinion lazy isn't really what is happening. Take a minuet and look at how we feel after a disappointing doctor visit. For me it is frustrating and I get angry and emotional (when I get to the car) Now look at it through the eyes of a doctor. Who went into the medical field to help people. He/She is faced with RSD/CRPS It is so complex there is no cure. They get frustrated because sometimes they can't help. For each of us our treatment plans are different.
IMO a good doctor will tell you he has no knowledge and everything he wants to try will be trial and error (that's the way it was for me before we found what works). If your injury is WC related that makes it more difficult for a doctor add in insurance restrictions and it just componds things.
In my quest to put my medical team together I ran into doctors who I knew weren't able to handle such a complex condition. There were the pain doctors who just wanted to write prescriptions and cover up the problem with meds. I chose not to go this way I want to be a part of life not just watch it pass. Some doctors are too busy to handle a patient that is going to take a lot of time. When my family doctor dx me with RSD. He gave me a never give up speach. A couple months later he was so frustrated that he couldn't get his part of the medications to work with the Pain Doc. med. He came in the room and said we are done I need to find a different doctor. I went home and wrote him a letter and opened with you told me not to quit when you dx me and you can't quit on me. He called me we talked it out and 9 years later he is still on my medical team. Two years into seeing my pain doctor the same thing happened he got frustrated because we were having trouble getting my meds to work together. He got angry and said next time be sure you get a 30 minuet appt. when you come in. He ended up apologizing and 5 years later he is still my doctor. My chiropractor has been with me through this whole 9 year journey. Before I got to where I am today (I control my RSD it doesn't control me) I was in his office and I was miserable and crying. I was his next to the last patient. He was tiered and I was in pain. We got into a discussion about managing my RSD that ended up being an argument. We were both shouting at each other. I knew the staff and other patient could hear us. I was frustrated he was frustrated because he couldn't help more with my pain. We ended up apologizing to each other and did it loud enough so everyone else could hear.

After the first 5 or my 17 different doctors. I started interviewing them to see if they could help. I would ask about their knowledge of RSD/CRPS and I would ask if they wanted to invest the time it was going to take to find a treatment plan that would work. We have to be control of our care. Respect a doctor who says he can't help and ask for a referral.

Finally, my point. As frustrating as it is for us it is just as frustrating for the people who have made it a career to help people. Doctors are human and when they are faced with RSD/CRPS they are intimidated, frustrated, and even emotional. When I came back to OH from a treatment in Philly one of my doctors left the room to cry because the treatment didn't work.
Sorry, for rambling.
God bless you all,
Sherrie