Stupid orders does not make a stupid doctor

And just to be politically correct, and perhaps I should say this more often on my blog: A stupid order doesn't necessarily make a doctor stupid.  It mans the doctor is ignorant in that area.  He could still be a good doctor overall.  He could still make a great doctor.

Plus, what I think of as a stupid doctor, that doctor thinks, obviously, is a good order.  So, in that regard, we need to be careful as to what we say.  In other words, the truth should not be spoken.  In other words, it's not a good idea to go up to a doctor and say, "That, my friend, is a stupid order."

A good example was the last time I went to the emergency room for asthma.  I already had enough ventolin in my system.  I did not need another breathing treatment.  I just took one before I went to the ER.  But, as expected, as soon as the doctor listened to me, he said, "Well, I think we better give you a breathing treatment."

I did not argue with him.  Because I went to the ER to get a shot of corticosteroids and prednisone, I put up with the stupid order.  I took my breathing treatment with a smile.  When my friend and fellow RT Jen came into the room, I knew that she knew why I was smiling.

Of course then the doctor ordered no blood taken from my body, and ordered no tests on my sputum, and yet she ordered an antibiotic.  "I think you should be on one," he said.

My initial thought was, "Why?" I have no signs of an infection.  I'm having symptoms only of bronchospasm.  But, being the good, politically correct boy that I am, I took the medicine and kept my mouth shut.

That is basically how I approach my own doctor.  I know that I know more than he does about asthma, yet here I sit on the patient's bed in his office and listen to his "theories" about why I'm sick.  He said, "I think you are dehydrated, and you probably have mucus plugging."  Fine, I can buy that.  But, where he caught me snickering was when he told me his remedy: "Add 3cc of normal saline to your treatments to make them last longer and to hydrate your lungs."

Yeah!  As he was explaining his theory, he stopped to say to me: "Why are you looking at me so funny? Are you not buying my theory?"

My politically correct response was, "I'm always open to suggestions."

So I think my doctor is brilliant.  I really like him because I know he keeps up on his research. I think most of the doctors I work with are smart too.  However, based on my own personal experience with asthma and bronchodilators, I have rarely met a doctor who understands either one of them.

There are, however exceptions.  There are doctors who truly understand asthma and bronchodilators. I know they exist because I hear about them from my asthma friends online. I have never met one in real life. .

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