# This is why I hate going to the doctor **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253 "2014-08-22T23:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/41 "2014-08-23T02:48:41Z")
> [@susan](#): > > You got an evaluation, a diagnosis, a non-intrusive option, and you assume an intrusive surgical option if you preferred it. What is it you wanted that isn’t covered by this response? it should be another option before surgery. Doctors are too quick to try something else before surgery ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/42 "2014-08-23T02:49:53Z")
I’m sure he checked you for Clone-Killing Nanovirus without even telling you. At least you know you don’t have that now. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/43 "2014-08-23T02:59:58Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > it should be another option before surgery. Doctors are too quick to try something else before surgery The only one I see leaping to surgery is you, actually. Most often what I see recommended to people is, more or less in order: Tylenol Losing weight (admittedly, lots of doctors skip this advice, because they’re so used to people refusing to do it; it feels like a waste of time and breath to even mention it.) Increasing activity, slowly and with good technique (they skip this one too often, too, for the same reason) Topical treatments like BioFreeze or BenGay Ibuprofen or Naproxen at fairly high doses Orthotics to correct alignment problems Physical Therapy Tramadol Hydrocodone/APAP (Still mostly Tylenol, with a bit of narcotic in it) TENS therapy Steroid injections Synovial gel injections Surgery Knee replacement So you’re, like, 12 steps away from being advised to try surgery, much less knee replacement surgery, in my experiences with roughly 300 patients of various doctors in the last 3 years. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/44 "2014-08-23T03:01:42Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > it should be another option before surgery. You got one, Tylenol. ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/45 "2014-08-23T03:02:27Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The only one I see leaping to surgery is you, actually. > > Most often what I see recommended to people is, more or less in order: > > Tylenol > Losing weight (admittedly, lots of doctors skip this advice, because they’re so used to people refusing to do it; it feels like a waste of time and breath to even mention it.) > Increasing activity, slowly and with good technique (they skip this one too often, too, for the same reason) > Topical treatments like BioFreeze or BenGay > Ibuprofen or Naproxen at fairly high doses > Orthotics to correct alignment problems > Physical Therapy > Tramadol > Hydrocodone/APAP (Still mostly Tylenol, with a bit of narcotic in it) > TENS therapy > Steroid injections > Synovial gel injections > Surgery > Knee replacement > > So you’re, like, 12 steps away from being advised to try surgery, much less knee replacement surgery, in my experiences with roughly 300 patients of various doctors in the last 3 years. I would not want to live off pain pills everyday ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/46 "2014-08-23T03:03:32Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > You got one, Tylenol. Tylenol barely takes away a headace so I know it would have done nothing for knee and hip pain ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/47 "2014-08-23T03:07:33Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I would not want to live off pain pills everyday Did you tell her that? Did you ask her what other options you could try instead? Or did you sort of nod and mumble and say, “thank you doctor” and walk out upset to come complain here? 'Cause good as they are, even the best doctors are kind of fuzzy on the mindreading thing. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/48 "2014-08-23T03:09:27Z")
So this all basically boils down to “Why doesn’t reality conform to my wishes?!” People get arthritis and there are limits to what can be done about it. It’s not a perfect world. Next you’re gonna start complaining that doctors can’t cure your grey hair and liver spots. I got bad news for you, we’re all gonna die and there’s no way doctors can currently prevent that either. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/49 "2014-08-23T03:27:07Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > So this all basically boils down to “Why doesn’t reality conform to my wishes?!” [Yeah.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=11301018) ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/50 "2014-08-23T03:32:40Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > So this all basically boils down to “Why doesn’t reality conform to my wishes?!” > People get arthritis and there are limits to what can be done about it. It’s not a perfect world. > Next you’re gonna start complaining that doctors can’t cure your grey hair and liver spots. > I got bad news for you, we’re all gonna die and there’s no way doctors can currently prevent that either. I still want to know why do they make so much money if there are limitations on what they can do ---
**Author:** ![PorchePine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@PorchePine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PorchePine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/51 "2014-08-23T03:37:52Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > I would not want to live off pain pills everyday But fish pills are fine? ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/52 "2014-08-23T03:39:56Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > it should be another option before surgery. Doctors are too quick to try something else before surgery But **you’re** the one who assumed the next step would be surgery. You have no idea how many alternative options your Dr. may have come up with between the tylenol and the surgery. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/53 "2014-08-23T03:39:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I still want to know why do they make so much money if there are limitations on what they can do This perplexes me. ---
**Author:** ![PorchePine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@PorchePine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PorchePine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/54 "2014-08-23T03:45:45Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The only one I see leaping to surgery is you, actually. > > Most often what I see recommended to people is, more or less in order: > > Tylenol > Losing weight (admittedly, lots of doctors skip this advice, because they’re so used to people refusing to do it; it feels like a waste of time and breath to even mention it.) > Increasing activity, slowly and with good technique (they skip this one too often, too, for the same reason) > Topical treatments like BioFreeze or BenGay > Ibuprofen or Naproxen at fairly high doses > Orthotics to correct alignment problems > Physical Therapy > Tramadol > Hydrocodone/APAP (Still mostly Tylenol, with a bit of narcotic in it) > TENS therapy > Steroid injections > Synovial gel injections > Surgery > Knee replacement > > So you’re, like, 12 steps away from being advised to try surgery, much less knee replacement surgery, in my experiences with roughly 300 patients of various doctors in the last 3 years. This. Doctors try to find the simplest and cheapest solutions to your medical issues. If one doesn’t work, they try another one. They don’t have a crystal ball, diagnostics and treatment is complicated. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/55 "2014-08-23T04:13:15Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Exactly my point. Modern medicine can help a lot of people but it can’t cure everyone. > We just recently made great strides in the treatment of Ebola. As medicine progresses it will be able to more effectively treat people but I honestly don’t see a day when every little discomfort can be fixed much less eliminating all the tragic ways people die. I’m not sure if it’s great strides. Doctors don’t know if the new treatment serum did anything. Overall, care for people with ebola is still pretty much supportive. My understanding is that the Americans had the inside track for survival anyway, since they grew up in a first world country (vaccines, development of a good immune system), were generally healthy (i.e., no chronic conditions), and not malnourished. If you’re going up against a killer disease, you want to have the strongest body you can. This is based on conversations with a couple of the doctors I work with. YMMV. MSRP due at signing, etc. /mini-hijack ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/56 "2014-08-23T04:23:38Z")
What’s wrong with your knee? The human knee (as well as the human lower back) is badly designed. The knee wears out as we age. Since we use it to help us walk, we notice. Bad luck, that. > [@Amberlei](#): > > You have no idea how many alternative options your Dr. may have come up with between the tylenol and the surgery. As PorchPine mentioned, there are a dozen steps between tylenol and surgery. PT is a good idea – make the quads stronger and it will help the knee pain. There’s a nice RX called Pennsaid – a topical NSAID. I’ve found it helpful – I like it because it can replace 3 Aleve (which can be hard on the stomach). There’s also steroid shots (which hurt, and will make a strong person swear), and viscosupplementation. (I have a knee with no cartilage at all, thanks to dance classes and running and some family tendency to joint problems. I’m 44. Guess what I am going to live with as long as possible? Steroid shots work pretty well. Another endoscopic surgery to clean out bone spurs may happen. But a replacement? Ugh. Please, no.) ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/57 "2014-08-23T04:28:08Z")
> [@PorchePine](#): > > But fish pills are fine? Yes, plus after a period of time you don’t have to take them at all. Remember I said Fish Oil cures Arthritis? I could tell by the way I was running for the train last week. I was flying ---
**Author:** ![7e42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/51bf81/32.png) [@7e42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7e42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/58 "2014-08-23T04:31:55Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > What’s wrong with your knee? > > The human knee (as well as the human lower back) is badly designed. The knee wears out as we age. Since we use it to help us walk, we notice. Bad luck, that. > > As PorchPine mentioned, there are a dozen steps between tylenol and surgery. > > PT is a good idea – make the quads stronger and it will help the knee pain. > > There’s a nice RX called Pennsaid – a topical NSAID. I’ve found it helpful – I like it because it can replace 3 Aleve (which can be hard on the stomach). > > There’s also steroid shots (which hurt, and will make a strong person swear), and viscosupplementation. > (I have a knee with no cartilage at all, thanks to dance classes and running and some family tendency to joint problems. I’m 44. Guess what I am going to live with as long as possible? Steroid shots work pretty well. Another endoscopic surgery to clean out bone spurs may happen. But a replacement? Ugh. Please, no.) Just started experiecing pain out of nowhere and couldn’t walk until I discovered fish oil ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/59 "2014-08-23T04:34:37Z")
Wait-did you even try the tylenol? Or did you assume that since it didn’t work for your headache it wouldn’t work for knee pain? If you are saying that you didn’t even try your doctor’s advice, then how can you say she didn’t help you? As far as why they get paid-would you pay a lawyer who represented you if you lost the case? And because I am in that kind of mood, I’ll close with a quote frequently attributed to Voltaire, although others claim it was written by Ben Jonson: \*“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” \* I suspect that your knee pain would have gotten better with any treatment-most pain does with time, rest and care-but feel free to attribute it to the miracle of fish oil. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253/60 "2014-08-23T04:34:48Z")
> [@7e42](#): > > Yes, plus after a period of time you don’t have to take them at all. Remember I said Fish Oil cures Arthritis? I’ve seen mention that it elevates symptoms but not that it cures. Do you have a reputable citation for that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-i-hate-going-to-the-doctor/696253.md?page=4)