Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Dr. Laughed at My Daughter

Hi.
Our adult daughter told the neurologist about AS and her chron's surgery; could here eye problem be AS, related? He laughed out loud and said; AS is lower back fusion, it has nothing to do with eyes or head!
Of coiurse he made her feel bad.
So I gave her the pep talk!

thanks for listening.

Hi Lon - and the worse of it is that they feel that they are correct and that's it...dismissed! Thankfully she has you to explain it correctly to her. I wish the doctors were willing to investigate and be interested enough to find out more than the 4 sentences on wickpedia...Sue!

Hi Lon,

Sorry, I will go down sunday and repent, but that is when my fist would have come up and went WHAMMO!

I can not imagine everything I have been thru, gone thru, and continue to go thru and then go to a Dr. and them tell me something like that.

I can't even imagine how she is feeling right now. Be sure and tell her for me that SHE knows, she just needs to find that Dr. that knows with her.

All my thoughts and prayers are with you and her right now.

Hugs,

Lisa

Yikes! Talk about ignorance!

Have you considered giving him some information so that he can learn and know better next time? In fairness, AS is a relatively rare disease and he might have forgotten what he should know.

I'd suggest this article as it is written by and for doctors: http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic2700.htm

I dropped a copy of the article at the office of one of my doctors with a friendly note thanking him for what he had done for me (and he really HAD been helpful in some ways) and suggesting he might be interested in the article. You could highlight the relevant information about AS and eyes because he might not have the time or the patience to read an article that long.

Silence in the face of ignorance isn't always the best approach.

Karen

That's ridiculous Lon and so unprofessional!! I am so sorry that your daughter had to deal with such ignorance!

Lon,

Sorry to hear about what your daughter went through although I can identify. I had my first Rheumy laugh at me too. That's why I fired him. But for this doctor to tell her that AS has nothing to do with the eyes, well, that just shows his ignorance. Obviously, as everyone here knows AS causes uveitis. So, I'm sorry to say so, but in telling her what he did, he just made himself look like an idiot.
I'm glad you gave her a pep talk and I hope you said a prayer for him as well. Hopefully, he won't make the same mistake again.

Glenn

Oh Lon, I am sorry to hear your daughter's question was met with such an unkind and unhelpful response. Laughter, when she is unwell and seeking an answer for treatment seems unprofessional and terribly unsympathetic... especially when he was dead wrong.

However, I am not surprised that a neurologist would not be educated or well versed on the many complications that can go along with AS. A Rheumatologist would likely be the only specialist knowledgeable enough to consider whether a referral to an Ophthalmologist is in order. A bright GP might be wise enough to consider referring her too, if she can't get in to see a Rheumy quickly.

If her eyes haven't gotten any worse over the last few weeks, then take heart that there's good reason to be hopeful that iritis is not to blame for her troubles... BUT since the problem continues, it still warrants investigation and a thorough eye examination, I would think.

Along with Karen's link, here is another related to the same B27 connection: HLA B27 syndromes
You will need to register to access these, but registration is free! Taking a print out in to her GP might help. A mailing to her neurologist wouldn't hurt either.

I am wishing she will find the quality care she needs and deserves, soon!
hugs
mig

lon,
so sorry to hear this.
i know its all in the attitude and tone....if a doctor is that disrespectful, i don't bother trying to communicate with him or her (not really a good approach, i know)
but if a doctor is willing to learn from me, i educate him/her...when i brought up the possibility of AS with my physiatrist, she quoted some typically wrong info, but i told her the statistics i had been reading (yes, women do get AS. no, it doesn't just affect the spine. no, you don't have to have the HLA B27 marker. etc) and she was so receptive, she did the work to get me into a rhuematologist. unfortunately, he (the rheumatologist) was less receptive....go figure...he's the one who should have known.

anyway, so sorry to hear about this.
hopefully she'll find a doctor that is more knowledgeable about AS and a lot more respectful.

sue

Hi Lon,

I'm sorry she was treated so poorly by a physician. They should never laugh at a patient. Rule #1 is to do no harm, right? Even if a patient is incorrect, it is the physician's job to help them understand, not to knock them down for being incorrect. And in this case, your daughter was not wrong. One would hope that people in such a position as a doctor would be open to learning new things. I hope she is able to find the help that she needs.

~MB

I wish physicians would 'COMPLETELY' use their brain sometimes, especially before opening their mouths!! I just went through the same thing at the orthopedic last week, when we were talking about my knee. I mentioned how I've had problems before related to AS and was told the same as your daughter!

Before they open their mouths they should ask how long we have had these things, maybe we are more knowledgeable than they are!!

If it's any consolation to your daughter....she's far from alone!!
God Bless,
Trae~