After I received a cardiac catheterization stent two years ago, I still could not completely improve the problem of chest tightness, and I did not know how to treat it in order to solve the problem at all, which really bothered me a lot.
Long-term outpatient tracking medication, I fixed every morning and evening to measure blood pressure pulse, I found that my pulse is always low, I am worried that the heart has been beating so slowly, will suddenly stop. I responded many times to this famous cardiologist at the University Hospital whom I had been seeing for many years, but he always thought this was normal and was reluctant to change my medication. One time when this doctor was out of the country on vacation, I switched to a younger, less patient cardiologist at the same university hospital. The new doctor reviewed the medications I was taking and advised me to "stop taking two of the medications, the low pulse rate should improve, observe for a week and return to the clinic". During the week, as the doctor predicted, my pulse rate, which was 45 per minute, went back to 65, and the discomfort of the chest tightness was removed, and I recovered just as the doctor predicted.
I am very thankful to have met this doctor. Although he is younger and may not be as experienced or well-known as my original doctor, he listens to his patients' questions and provides professional medical advice, which is very valuable.
After this incident, I compared the way the two doctors saw each other, and slowly realized that there is something wrong with the healthcare system in Taiwan. Sometimes a doctor, especially a "famous doctor" in a big hospital, has to see more than 100 patients in a morning or afternoon outpatient clinic; a doctor is a human being, not a god, so how can he pay attention to each patient in such a short period of time? How is it possible for a doctor not to become impatient with the many questions from patients? How could they possibly have time to check the patient's previous medical records or test results, etc. Under such an overcrowded situation, it is indeed inevitable that negligence would occur. But who caused "the need for a doctor to see so many patients that the physician is overwhelmed and the quality of care is low?
We must admit that many people in our society have a myth about "big hospitals" or "famous doctors," which leads us to look for "medical centers with the most advanced medical equipment" and "famous celebrity doctors" for every problem, while in fact there are times when we don't need to look for "big hospitals" or "famous doctors" with special expertise to solve our problems. Because of our "abuse" of the "convenience" and "cheapness" of Taiwan's health insurance, the good doctors at the big hospitals need to see more and more patients, exceeding their capacity. Frankly speaking, we people sometimes want to make use of our connections to increase the number of patients we see, which inadvertently puts an unforeseen burden on the doctors and increases the number of people they have to see per unit of time, causing immense pressure. But it was my experience that made me realize that when these famous doctors have to see patients faster and faster, how many of us will be harmed by their "negligence" because of their "good intentions" of squeezing out time, but not actually being able to see patients properly?
Here I would also like to share a recent experience with a doctor that an old friend, also in his 80s, told me about.
He saw a leading urologist because he was having trouble urinating. The doctor prescribed two medications after hearing only a few words from him. The next time he returned to the clinic, he told the doctor that he recently woke up in the morning and found his pants wet, and the doctor added another medicine without saying a word. As a result, his mouth was dry and his mind was restless. In the end, he couldn't take it anymore and went to a nearby clinic, where the doctor told him to stop using all three medications and gave him six new ones, and after taking them for two days, he felt sleepy and tired during the day, and when he asked a friend to check the Internet for him, he found out that these were pain relievers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety pills that he didn't have any problems with. When he later discussed this with the neurologist who had been seeing him for many years, he realized that his previous problems of dry mouth and restlessness had improved dramatically after stopping the three medications first prescribed by the urologist, and proved that that could be a side effect of those medications. And then he was reassured by the neurologist's explanation that he had stopped taking the medication for only two days, and that the situation had improved over the past few days.
Finally, I would like to share what a few of us seniors have learned from discussing our visits to the doctor. The most important thing is whether the doctor has seen me properly, listened to me about my difficulties, and examined my body so that I understand what is wrong with me, rather than necessarily prescribing medication or arranging for high-tech examinations.
Because medications often have side effects, taking more medication is not necessarily better, especially for us older people, who need to be more careful with our medication; and unnecessary tests can be risky and increase the drain on healthcare resources or our out-of-pocket expenses. As long as we can see that this doctor cares about us, allows us to communicate with him, and is trustworthy, we won't be upset that he doesn't think we need more medication and high-tech tests in our case.