# Are Neurologists Supposed to Be So Callous?



## Wendy (Aug 7, 2013)

Recently, I've been coming under some stress.

Depersonalization is involved, but I've been having some comprehension and retention issues that I wanted to get addressed by a neurologist. My general practitioner referred me to a specialist in my area, I was scheduled out two weeks in the future, and had been waiting ever since. My appointment finally came around today and my neurologist was just so.. callous. It almost seemed like he was rushing me out of there.

The only amount of hospitality he gave me was an emotionless greeting and a limp handshake. He asked me what my symptoms were, to which I replied. He didn't ask me any other questions related to my symptoms or what I was feeling, instead giving me the physical exam portion of the neurology meeting. He asked me generic questions (assuming to test my memory) while hitting my joints with a hammer. After about five minutes of that, he recommended an EEG and an MRI.

Then, before I knew it, I was scheduling an appointment with his secretary literally eight minutes after I initially went in for my appointment. Not only that, but my appointment was at 9 and I had to wait an entire hour just to get in to see him. For whatever reason, he had another person scheduled for 9.. not sure how that works, you can't just push your patients time around like that. I was given *written confirmation* for my appointment; time and date, at 9 on Friday.

He asked me no personal questions. Nothing about current medications, other symptoms I had been feeling, no discussions about what he thought it might be. Just gave me a couple questions, a physical exam, and left me with another appointment for a $2000 procedure. So, to other people that have been to a neurologist. Are they all like this? I've had no experience with neurologists before, but I have to imagine that there are plenty out there that are kind and talkative to patients on their first visit.

In the meantime, I scheduled out an appointment with another neurologist. This time, it's a female doctor and she's a lot younger than my other neurologist. I think that will help because I've always found female specialists to be much more considerate instead of rushing me out of the office. Admittedly, this neurologist I went to today made me feel like he was just around to collect my money. So, I don't know.

What do you guys think? Should I be upset at my interaction with this neurologist or is this part-and-parcel for the profession?


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## Alan (Jan 26, 2015)

Unfortunately some practitioners have the bedside manner of a table lamp.

In the time I've spent in the mental health system I've experienced good and bad. Back when my mental health problems were all new and especially frightening to me I went to my assigned GP in an acute state of panic (as in, I was actually having a panic attack in the office) to which he said in an irritated tone of voice "What do you expect me to do about it?". That has always stuck with me and I have refused to see him ever since. I was assigned a psychiatrist at one point with similarly stern and patronising mannerisms.

Anyhoo, I digress, the point being that my experiences with people generally have lead me to believe that letters before or after your name are no guarantee that you're good at your job. You might make the grade with regards to passing tests but there's a lot more involved when dealing with living, breathing people.

So It could be that, it might be that he was having a bad day or a multitude of things -- I wouldn't try to read too much into it, but if your dealings have left you uncomfortable I think it's perfectly reasonable to see someone else.


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## WonderWoman (Dec 13, 2014)

Same experience; in fact, my first appt sign out papers had more than one diagnosis listed, one of them being "somatization". Well, he went ahead and scheduled an MRI of head and neck anyway. Even though I was in SEVERE 24/7 dp/dr, my brain MRI was just fine; it was my neck MRI that was shocking. Spinal cord was nearly pinched straight in half in 3 different discs in my neck. Needless to say, I was in surgery 2 days later for a fusion. Idk if any of the members here have gone through a major surgery while in the throes of dp/dr, but it was all terrifying. Hoping all of your diagnostics checked out ok.


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## willbarwa (Aug 26, 2017)

I haven't gone to a neurologist yet, so I can't say all of them are this way. My friend has a neurologist and he seems to be patient and nice. I don't, however, expect the most hospitable treatment when it comes to doctor visits. I had something similar happen to me. I had an appointment for 9 a.m, but had to wait it out until 10 a.m.

Now my doctor is a nice person but she seems more like the type of person to enjoy leisure time fixing up her garden. Any information I pass on to her, she just nods her head and repeats the same line to me over and over : "make sure you get proper sleep..and did you stop smoking?"

I have to be the one that has to self-diagnose myself...

The entire circus act lasted for 30 min. A day later I remembered some tests I wanted to take. I call the office and obviously get the secretary (doctor must be picking dandelions somewhere) I tell her I need to run some test and if my blood work will show specific markers of cortisol.

The secretary insists that she will let the doctor know of this once Im back to the clinic. BUT that is the whole point! I'm letting her know now to look out for these things so that by the time I get there (which will be weeks from now) I don't have to sit there and hear : "oh you wanted to check for that?...come back in three weeks to see the results"


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## TDX (Jul 12, 2014)

> He asked me no personal questions. Nothing about current medications, other symptoms I had been feeling, no discussions about what he thought it might be. Just gave me a couple questions, a physical exam, and left me with another appointment for a $2000 procedure. So, to other people that have been to a neurologist. Are they all like this? I've had no experience with neurologists before, but I have to imagine that there are plenty out there that are kind and talkative to patients on their first visit.


They are not all like this. Site were doctors are rated can help to find the better ones:

https://www.ratemds.com/



> In the meantime, I scheduled out an appointment with another neurologist. This time, it's a female doctor and she's a lot younger than my other neurologist. I think that will help because I've always found female specialists to be much more considerate instead of rushing me out of the office. Admittedly, this neurologist I went to today made me feel like he was just around to collect my money. So, I don't know.


I give you a hint that has worked for me to reduce the wait time while in the doctors office and also to get more time: Get appointments on friday afternoon.


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## forestx5 (Aug 29, 2008)

"Bigger Fish to Fry". This is what the neurologist said to me about the ocular migraines that had been blinding me for a decade. That was 40 years ago. Today, neurology is happily frying those same fish. I call it "capitalistic medicine". Neurology has learned zilch about ocular migraines in those 40 years. They have learned zilch about most neurological issues in the past 40 years.

But, they continue to make money hand over fist in conjunction with the pharmaceutical industry by plying the same old treatments. So, 40 years after seeing my 1st neurologist, through research I had successfully conducted on the internet, I realized my mental health issues began with a series of temporal lobe seizures. I spoke with another neurologist who

attributed my experience to the cannabis I had been smoking at the time of the seizures. I disagreed. I contacted a specialist in the big city who agreed to see me. Together, we decided to have an MRI with epilepsy protocol, and an EEG. The previous neurologist had a business interest in my health insurance. When he found out what I had done, he contacted the specialist

and had the protocol changed on my MRI. He didn't want my insurance to have to pay for the extra protocol. But the results of my EEG clearly showed the need for the epilepsy protocol.. I was right, and the neurologist was wrong. I had to go back to the big city to have the epilepsy protocol performed. It took me 40 years, but I finally got the proper diagnosis and treatment in spite of neurology.

While waiting in the neurology office, I saw patients with severe head trauma. Brain issues are divided between neurology and psychiatry. The way I see it, neurology is more into the mechanics of things. They can probably look at a new patient and think.....psychiatry.


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