Why don't you ask the doctor?

Question

I see so many questions on here that start with 'I just left the Doctor' and are about not understanding the information the doctor gave you. Why do you not ask them to clarify and explain while you're there?

I'm a pharmacist in a medical clinic and patients constantly do this to me at work also. I wasn't in the appointment with them so I can only generalize. I just don't understand why they don't talk to the doctor while they're there and ask questions. (Other than just forgetting which we all do.)

My doc is so easy to talk to and I have background medical knowledge so maybe I'm just spoiled. Maybe most doctors are intimidating or rude to their patients???

Answer

List of reasons:

Anxiety. Some people do not like being in a doctor's office and secretly want to get out as soon as possible and saying "ok" will allow that to happen.

Kids. Many mothers have to take their kids with them to doctor appointments. Kids needs at least partial attention at all times, so a few bits of info may have just been missed.

Long waits. If your appointments take a long time with lots of waiting, your brain just gets dull. Not on its A-Game for processing information.

Bad bedside manner. Many doctors give off the "busy" vibe and if you don't like tension, you'll don't resist their fast flow to shoo you out the door.

Further thought.  The doctor gives you the info and it makes sense. Then you leave the office and do some more thinking and more questions stem off of the original information.

They did. Sometimes you ask a question and maybe don't ask it "right" and the answer you get isn't satisfactory. No one wants others to think they are stupid by admitting they don't understand what has already been told to them twice. Not everyone communicates at the same level.

Being a nurse, I think these are some very common reasons I've seen.

Answer

I am a nurse for god sakes and I don't ask my doctor questions. I got tired of being dismissed! I am comfortable enough to know what's a serious issue and what's not, however this is a support group so to speak so someone may have had the exact thing that I got and have a simple explanation. A doctor isn't a universal vessel of knowledge

Answer

Sometimes I dont think of the question until after Ive left, it is a lot of information to take in all at once.

Answer

I believe it's because most doctors don't take he time to thoroughly explain things and maybe also because doctors aren't always right anyway. Maybe they like to hear other people's opinions/experiences. As a nurse I know most patients rely on me for advice.

Answer

Basically- you don't know what you don't know. It takes some time to process the info to even figure out what your questions are. You have to be pretty smart and have a great memory to be able to retain and sort through all the info you get in a short appt w your doc. I'm an attorney and most of my client appts are about 1/2, sometimes slightly longer. I know it is VERY hard for my clients to remember everything I've told them. They come back sometimes and have it all jumbled.

Answer

I switched care providers; I now have a dr who takes the time to answer All my questions every visit, and when we're done she Always asks if there's anything else I can think of. I always go in with my notebook and birth plan.. I'm very forgetful so the list helps me stay on track with what I need to ask.

Answer

Personally I always think of a thousand questions after my appointments. I always call or write them down and ask them at my next appointment. But hey we are only human right ! 😋

Answer

So many doctors are just not approachable. They tell you something and make it sound as if that's all that needs to be said. I've had doctors tell me, after I asked a question that required a lengthy answer, that they needed to go or they'd get yelled at... makes one feel very unimportant, just another number in a long line of patients. Alot of times you ask questions about what you're experiencing and they just say, "oh that's normal." And leave it at that. Then in the future you hesitate to ask because you figure it's normal. Plus on here you can learn about several different situations, whereas the one doctor is going to give you an average account, which isn't a great way to learn in detail what's happening.

Answer

I ask myself the same question. In most cases they would be the best ones to answer the questions and that's what they are there for. Drives me a little nuts. I work in the medical field and the fact that they wouldn't ask a doctor who goes thru years of schooling.

Answer

Because most don't feel comfortable or are "programmed" not to ask. Hence my post. Sometimes a doctor can give you ad much information as they can and try to give you resources to come up with an explanation that you'll understand.

Most doctors, kinda rush in and out. Experience isn't much on this site... there's way too MUCH fear in everything you do. OMG my water broke what do I do? First person will say "RUSH TO THE HOSPITAL YOU'LL get an infection and your baby will die".. and I'm just like. If the water was clear, keep anything out of your vagina, call your doctor or midwife, and time your contractions as best as you can. Your water can be broken for hours without ever getting an infection HOWEVER, you do what makes YOU feel comfortable.

Everybody on here screams "dead baby" or what could happen because...this happened to me, happened to my friend. How about you just share your experience and move on? No need to use dear tactics

Why don't you ask the doctor?

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