Day 4 - Disheartening Doctor

The most disheartening thing a doctor (orthopedic surgeon) ever told me about my symptoms happened decades ago when I was in my late twenties. He told me I had disc issues and needed surgery. When I told him I was going to get a second opinion, he seemed insulted that I would question his diagnosis and snottily told me to go right ahead. He also added that I might wake up tomorrow having lost control of my bowels or completely paralyzed. He scared the living shit out of me. Seriously, I think the guy must have been a psychopath. At that time I'd never heard of Dr. Sarno or TMS. I eventually recovered, of course, and later learned about TMS, etc. Although I'm a firm believer in TMS, I guess the thought lingers mildly that disc issues could cause pain.

 

Wow, that is awful! How could a doctor say something like that!

 

Maybe he needed to make a payment on the Jaguar, pay tuition for a kid at Stanford, a mortgage payment on the lake house, and rent for the mistress' pad. Don't ask a barber if you need a hair-cut. That's what surgeons do--they cut, a good one will tell you no if you don't need it.

I had a neuro once tell me to quit playing tennis for a month, do a traction bag for a half-hour a day to un-stick my stuck c6/c7 pinched nerve OR he'd be seeing me for surgery. Not quite as bad as the OP's ortho's doom and gloom. I quit playing for two weeks, and did the stupid traction which has since been found to be useless. Did read a good book by Dan Millman, while doing the traction to keep from going stir crazy, which was inspiring, doing more for my very painful TMS frozen shoulder. This was pre-Sarno, shoulder is good as new after hitting millions of tennis balls--got out of my crazy-bad relationship.

 

I think you win the prize for 'most disheartening thing...' Sounds like a dentist I had for awhile as a teenager. I overheard him say to a little kid,"If you don't stop crying I'll smack you." Severe anger management issues. Eventually his daughter blew up his office cooking meth in the back.

 

Oh, man, that is just too perfect an ending to the story.

 

I guess I've had my doubts about doctors for years. Dentists and eye doctors, too. It's hard to believe they want us to heal, and instead want to tell us things that scare us into coming back for more treatment and medication.
I stay away from all of them and let TMS keep me well.

 

Makes sense to me!