Drinking Game-Take a Shot for Every Lie in My Medical Report: Ortho Edition
Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. This post is for entertainment and educational purposes. Warning :swearing ahead! Please don't take this too seriously.
For people unfamiliar with this account, the funds from upvotes will be donated to non-profit organizations that support research and education for people with chronic illnesses.
Also please note I am joking about taking a shot for every lie. If you do this you will likely die from alcohol poisoning.
I want to make it perfectly clear I am not talking about honest mistakes. I am talking about blatant lies. In reviewing my medical reports I am noticing that most have lies in them. I will be quoting my ortho report but the one from the ER is even worse.
Before we get started, do you want to take guess as to how many lies are in this report? I would hate to see what the SOAP notes look like if this is what they released to the patient.
I worked as a Standardized Patient for years. I have training on doctor encounters and know what is supposed to (ideally)be done in an office visit (this varies of course). I used to grade med students on these things. I know what to look for.
Lie #1
"X-rays were taken of her ankle at urgent care which I personally reviewed. They show no abnormality."
Incorrect . The xrays did in fact show abnormality -the radiologist noted this. No only were there findings but findings that match some of my symptoms.
Lies # 2-15. This is a big cluster and I will break it down
"Previous medical history, review of systems, meds and allergies, family and social history in
the EMR were reviewed by me today"
I am calling BS on this. Unless he read this after the visit which is doubtful. Doctors are supposed to review those records before seeing the patient.
He only knew I had POTS because when he came into the room he told me to sit upright and I told him why I can't do that for very long. I had to refresh his memory about what POTS was. If he read my record he should know this.
He also would have known that I am deathly allergic to NSAIDS and have aspirin induced asthma (and asthma in general).This is clearly noted in my records in the same medical system he works out of. He did not know this either as he asked if I tried any otc NSAIDS to help with the swelling. He was surprised at my answer when I explained that I can't take those meds . Had he read the file he would for sure know that.
He did not know I have ME/CFS -also in my records. He did make fun of it at the end of the appointment though.
Review of Systems: This one he gets credit for 12 lies for because 1) I have no reason to believe he read my medical record. before he saw me 2) He said he did ask ROS questions later in the report which he did not. He marked them all as "denied" when in reality all but 2 were symptoms I was currently experiencing. He did not ask a single ROS question.
I did fill out the ROS questions before my appointment a few days prior accurately. Apparently he didn't read that either and just made shit up. ROS questions are often asked in different ways with different qualifiers. Sometimes it's like "Do you have any of these symptoms./have you ever had these symptoms?". Other times it's "Do you have any changes in these symptoms/have you experienced this in the last month, two weeks etc?"". Since he didn't ask, I have no qualifiers to go on but the online form was basically "Do you have a history of?" so I am going with that. These are all symptoms I am currently experiencing as well as have a history of.
Here are some examples he said I denied that are laughable. Again he marked these individually as if he asked and I answered when he never asked a single one. Yes I know he was likely just clicking through a form to submit but this is my medical record and is inaccurate at best. Other doctors will read this . It is important that medical records are accurate. Shit like this has lead to drs not believing me saying "well your record says....". So infuriating.
headaches: I have chronic migraine with aura and vestibular migraines. I almost always have headaches.
palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain all "denied". LMFAO I am a POTS patient . These symptoms wax and wane all day long and have been a part of my everyday life for over 30 years.
poor circulation "denied." That mother fucker watched my legs and feet go from mottling to cyanosis (turning blue/purple)within seconds of me draping my legs off the side of the exam table.This is visible up to my neck but worse in the legs/feet. He even commented on the discoloration and rapid temperature change. I explained it was part of neuro POTS. I also have confirmed chronic venous insufficiency, also in my records. I am a walking definition of poor circulation that is so fucking obvious.
12 questions in total he never asked but marked "denied"
The physical exam. Before I show the quotes from the report -note that he only did passive range of motion (where he moved my ankle and asked when it hurt). He did no sensory tests. He did not have me go through active range of motion(where I move my ankle) or assisted ROM. He also did not test my strength/resistance/stability. He did not examine me lying down, just with my legs dangling off the table. He did not look at my gait.This comes into play soon as is also not how physical exams of ankle injuries/calf pain are supposed to be done. I will explain more of that later.
Important to note though most of the pain and swelling was coming from the right side I told him the left side was starting to do the same thing. He never even looked at the left foot nor did he compare it with the right in any way.
Lie #16 "She has full flexor and extensor function. " He never tested-at least not actively or assisted. He also did not examine me when laying down. If he had he would have noticed (at least I hope so)that my right foot points toward the ground and can't point upward toward the ceiling the same way my left can.
Had he tested he would have noticed significant lack of ROM in dorsiflexion and hyper extension plantar flexion(though this hurts a lot). This is not subtle. Even looking at me laying down not doing anything my right foot toes point to the ground while left foot toes point more upward.
Another thing to note when heel and calf pain are present drs should also do an exam when the patient is laying on their stomach.This helps rule in/out certain things. He did not do that ether.
Lie #17 "Her ankle is stable manually Minnis exam" He did not do this. He only did passive ROM.
Lie #18 and 19 "She is not tender over the midfoot or forefoot."
FFS. I told him that even before the swelling I have a hard time wearing shoes that touch the middle top of my foot -the spot right where they take a pulse if he had bothered to touch it would have resulted in me yelping because I get a very sharp pain there. There is also a small hard round-ish thing that sticks out in that area compared to the left side. It can be seen if you look hard enough but definitely can be felt.
I also told him about my 15 year history of bilateral plantar fasciitis. He did not palpate that area or any of the soft tissue on the bottom of my feet that hurt. He made no totes about this in the report either.
I also told him I was having a strange ache and twitching /spasms in my big toe. I was and still am often waking up with my big toe pointed upward and it causes horrific spasms in my feet. These spasms are similar to the ones I get in my calfs and wake me up screaming in pain. This mostly happens on the right side but happens on the left too, just not at the same time and not as often.
Lie #20 "Light touch is intact" He did not check this. This is when a doctor will use cotton ball/swab or sometimes just lightly touch and ask if you can feel it .This is usually done bilaterally in multiple areas for comparison. Frequently drs will also use a tooth pick or needle and test "sharp" sensation as well. Often they alternate the two when the patient has their eyes closed to see if they can 1)feel it and 2)feel the difference between "soft" and "sharp" He did not check sensation in any way.
Had he done this or read the record from the podiatrist he would know I have less sensation and reflexes on the right foot compared to the left. More evidence he did not read the record or he would likely have at least checked this himself considering it had been like 8 months since I saw the podiatrist.This was basically the only exam the podiatrist did (though he did it with a tuning fork and reflex hammer), but at least he did it.
So there you have it. 20 lies in a 1 and a quarter page report.
Thanks for reading. I hope this was at least a little entertaining. If you are tempted to comment asking me to give doctors the benefit of the doubt, please don't. They do not give me that courtesy and I am so tired of them ignoring me and causing more harm. I have been seeking help for this issue for a least a year an a half now. I can no longer walk without excruciating pain in both heels-think having your heel hit with a rubber sledgehammer than walking on legos every time you stand or walk . It also hurts at rest but less than standing or walking. This is serious.
This same doctor treated my FIL . He had tendonitis in one tendon and got soft tissue imaging and multiple steroid shots. No questions asked. In fact he was offered these treatments.
This doctor did diagnose tendonitis in multiple tendons on me with no known injury /cause (this is very unusual and should have been investigated).I was denied both soft tissue imaging (I have excellent insurance . That is not the reason why) and steroid shots. In fact he implied I was "hysterical/being dramatic" when I asked about testing and treatments.I was not given any medication for pain either. My ankle looked like a severe sprain then and it is twice as swollen now.
He also never examined the left side which also had mild visible swelling and likely 2+ inflamed tendons.
He deserves no benefit of doubt. He deserves a lawsuit for failure to treat and defamation.