Hello all! I'm back....

I posted about a month ago that my 17 y/o daughter was in the hospital for 5 days with pancreatitis. Well, after a quick trip to Chicago for business, I was back in the ER with her again. This time she wound up in for 7 days which included an unsuccessful ERCP and gall bladder surgery. She finally seems to be doing much, much better!

What I'm most upset about is her attending GI doc. The day she was discharged, he was discussing possible diets for her. This kid started dieting back in June and worked very hard to lose 40 lbs. With the illness, another 10 lbs have come off.....that's a total of 50 lbs since June! Throughout her hospital stay, I would emphasize this with her doctor and he would either act like he didn't believe me or he would flat out ignore me. Each time, he left my daughter in tears. He berated her about her weight the moment she came back from the recovery room!

Anyway, this doctor stated upon discharge that while Atkins is all the rage right now, he believes Weight Watchers would be better for her. He scolded her and said "no more whole sandwhiches, only half!", and then said that she was probably the type of person who could look at a calorie and gain weight. When my daughter stated she didn't believe she could do Atkins because she doesn't like meat, his response was "Good...maybe you should give Atkins a try....you won't be able to eat anything." I almost punched the man at this point!

I'm in the process of filing a formal complaint on this doctor. You see, I work at this hospital and our physicians are NOT employees of the hospital yet his inappropriate behavior is a direct reflection on our hospital and standards of care. I will not let this man get away with this type of behavior. Every time he came in the room, she was in tears. I refuse to let her follow up with this physician and have made it clear she won't be back to see him.

Am I being overly sensitive???

No, you are absolutely NOT being too sensitive. There is no reason in this world why a physician should talk to ANYONE like that, let alone a teenager. So your daughter is overweight - she is trying very hard to do something about it and should be congratulated - not put down. That doc needs some serious ego deflation (i.e. - getting rid of the "God complex").

You're right that his behavior and attitude can have a direct effect on how the hospital is perceived. VERY poor public relations for the hospital and for him. Although it looks as though he doesn't care how his behavior reflects on anyone! You do need to report this incident to the hospital administration. Who knows, when they review privileges they might decide they don't need him to do surgery at your facility any more and revoke his privileges. I'm sure the reviewing committee would be interested in how he is treating patients, too.

You go, Girl. That guy is a jerk with a capital J.

I too, would report his behavior to the review committee, PR people and post a complaint with the medical board. You also have every right to tell a doctor to get the hell away from your child. They can assign a different doctor to your child during her stay-hospitals seldom have only one physician. I'm sure he thought he was scaring her staight, but who needs that kinda crap?

I agree and think that doctor should be reported. Your poor daughter has been through a horrible ordeal and should be treated with respect and compassion. I am glad she has a mom like you. Give your daughter a big hug from me and give one to yourself as well. It is tough to see your child sick and I hope she is on the road to recovery.

I would also report his behavior to your insurance company. If he is on your insurance plan he could feel the heat from them too.

Ditto to all, but I would also demand someone with sensitivity in this field to talk to your daughter. It worries me more thinking of the damage he did to her rather than the hospital.

I hope she understands the right to good care, and the right to chose who she wants to follow up with. After all YOU pay for services just like anywhere else.
I agree with filing complaints and if they are not pd by the hospital than even thru the Better Business Bureau. We have done that with an eye quack before.

With that complaint I would file a request he get bed side manner councling at the in house psychiatrist.

What a jerk.

I work for the hospital where my daughter was admitted. We have a self-funded insurance plan which means the hospital actually pays all claims for their employees and dependents. Unfortunately, the medical group that this physician belongs to is part of the same health system as the hospital. I may have to take it to the corporate level as well as the hospital administration level.

My daughter has just started college with the hopes of getting into medical school. While his treatment hurt her feelings terribly, she has maintained the attitude that she has had a good lesson in how NOT to treat a patient. She's a wonderful kid!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Obviously, she has a wonderful mom. The fact that she is able to come out of this abuse with a positive outlook -- you have instilled a strong will and a feeling of positive self-worth in her. These are things that I didn't develop until I was well into my 30's.

Good for you. Good for her. Hugs all around.

Jeannie

Where did this guy go to school? Everyone knows that you cannot browbeat someone into losing weight, and certainly not a child. That type of behavior is completely unnacceptable.

To both you and your daughter-Congrats on the tremendous weight loss and keep up the positive attitude. Perhaps between the two of you (and all of us), you can help change perceptions and manners!

Way to go girls!!

I guess he forgot that he works for YOU!! I'm sick of people forgetting how they get their paycheck.
I would get a new dr (if possible) right away.
Also, to your daughter I lost 20 lbs my first semester at school! All that walking around campus was beautiful for me. I wish her the best of luck. It's such an enormous change to go to college. But with your support I'm sure she will do fine

This sounds like a surgeon talking. Most I know would never think of talking this way TO a patient. (Behind their backs, they all do). You just file formal complaints all the way up to the Board of medicine! He does work for you no matter how it gets twisted in his mind. Doctors are a whiny bunch. I think that HMO's stink and cause many problems, but bad medicine is bad medicine.
jerk!!!!

I too would pursue further action. I encourage you to continue to work on your daughter's self-esteem. One's self-worth is not measured by a scale. You have both accomplish much, and have much to be proud of.

My best wishes for you both.

Rudeness of any kind always gets me angry. Two weeks ago I had to schedule my 6yo son for a medical procedure, that he had today. The woman I had to deal with was horrible. This is a children's hospital I was dealing with! I got the number of the Administration Office from his doctor today, and I plan on filing a complaint.

There is no excuse. Good luck with your complaint.