Even Nurses Get Duped By Doctors

Laura Giesman, NP

Laura Giesman is a nurse practioner that has shared her personal experience with a ENT whose treatment style leaves something to be desired.  We're quite pleased that she's sharing this with us, and we look forward to seeing more of her work. More information about Laura, her practice, and her website can be found at the end of her post.

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Well, all my readers know I'm a nurse practitioner. But we get sick too and need to go to practitioners and doctors! So I'm going to share a personal story with you this time...because what happened to me happens everyday to someone out there. And it's wrong.

I had to go to an Ear Nose Throat specialist (ENT) to evaluate my nose and throat because I have very bad sleep apnea. I'm sitting in the waiting room and a guy in a suit comes in with Starbucks coffees for all the staff. The staff behind the front desk are all ga-ga over this guy. "Gee, who is the popular guy?" I wonder.

So I'm called back to the doctors office and I explain my sleep disorder to him. He asks me about allergies and I tell him, no, my sleep problem is the same every season, it's not allergies. But he then insists on giving me a prescription for Nasonex. I tell him that's not what I need, but he insists. So I take it and I fill the prescription...which by the way...I had to pay A LOT for because there is no generic for Nasonex! But I had faith in that ENT doctor.

He also told me and I quote..."Your life is spinning out of control, you sit on the couch every night eating, you need to lose weight and you won't snore!" He actually said that to me! I told him I'm a size six and I run on the treadmill 3-5 times a week....I told him I snored even when I was a skinny high school kid. But he didn't listen to me. So I left feeling very bad about myself and with a Nasonex prescription I didn't think I needed.

I used the Nasonex as instructed...and it did absolutely nothing for me. So I went for my follow up visit with this same ENT and that same guy in the suit was there giving everyone food. The staff really loved this guy!! So when I got into the doctor's office, I asked him..."Is that guy in the suit the Nasonex pharmaceutical rep?!?" And the doctor said yes!

It all made sense now...he pushed the Nasonex on me because he has some sort of relationship with the Nasonex guy! How sordid! Well of course I confronted the doctor and he did not appreciate that. He brought up my weight again and told me I was overweight and not doing enough to help myself! What!?!? He was so defensive about the Nasonex guy he ended up saying, "I don't pick medications just because of that, and yes he bought us all lunch today too and that has no influence over what I prescribe." Really???

I paid this guy good money to treat me like this. I was duped. So to all my trusted peeps out there...you know yourself best, if your doctor or nurse practitioner doesn't listen to you...find a new clinician! And to you Dr. P. the ENT...you have no bedside manner and you are influenced by pharmaceutical reps and you don't listen to your patients...in other words...you suck.
~Laura Giesman, NP

Laura Giesman, NP, is the founder and owner of Eleventh Hour, LLC. She is a licensed, board certified, mental health psychiatric nurse practitioner with over 15 years of progressive and responsible experience. In addition to her free online advice and commentary services, Laura has a private psychiatric medication management practice in Woodbridge, CT.

As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with a unique social awareness, Laura combines expert personal and mental health advice with analysis of social events and politics. Open your mind to a new dimension of thought: http://www.eleventhhourllc.com/.