Not sure if I did right thing...situation at Drs office

[happybratpack]

So I was at the doctor's office yesterday, I have extreme panic/anxiety attack problems and have been trying to get everything under control with medication. It has been a long, hard and trying process. (not to mention frustrating)

The Medical Assistant or Nurse (not sure what she was) that took me to the room and did all the normal pre-dr stuff was relatively new. (Blood pressure, temp, pulse, etc) Once she found out why I was there and had gone over my list of medications for review she tells me that she has suffered from panic & anxiety attacks for nine years now and had never taken a pill. She told me that she prays throughout an attack until it goes away and that's how she controls them. She then suggested I use prayer instead of continuing to take "all these pills" to control and stop my anxiety problems. I didn't know what to say to her and just mumbled something along the lines of "I'm happy that works for you.".

Now, I know my temper isn't what it should be right now but this REALLY irked me. I have nothing against prayer or someone having religious beliefs but I felt she was out of line. She has no idea of what I've been going through or my history with this problem and quite frankly it offended me a little because her attitude was almost that I was taking a shortcut or something w/ the meds. I don't know.

Like I said, I was irked and I did end up saying something to the doctor about it and now I feel guilty. He looked mortified so I'm sure he took action, I don't think the lady meant any harm but it was just an awkward situation overall.

So would you have said something or just let it go? I don't know if I did the right thing or not.

 

[npmommie]

So I was at the doctor's office yesterday, I have extreme panic/anxiety attack problems and have been trying to get everything under control with medication. It has been a long, hard and trying process. (not to mention frustrating)

The Medical Assistant or Nurse (not sure what she was) that took me to the room and did all the normal pre-dr stuff was relatively new. (Blood pressure, temp, pulse, etc) Once she found out why I was there and had gone over my list of medications for review she tells me that she has suffered from panic & anxiety attacks for nine years now and had never taken a pill. She told me that she prays throughout an attack until it goes away and that's how she controls them. She then suggested I use prayer instead of continuing to take "all these pills" to control and stop my anxiety problems. I didn't know what to say to her and just mumbled something along the lines of "I'm happy that works for you.".

Now, I know my temper isn't what it should be right now but this REALLY irked me. I have nothing against prayer or someone having religious beliefs but I felt she was out of line. She has no idea of what I've been going through or my history with this problem and quite frankly it offended me a little because her attitude was almost that I was taking a shortcut or something w/ the meds. I don't know.

Like I said, I was irked and I did end up saying something to the doctor about it and now I feel guilty. He looked mortified so I'm sure he took action, I don't think the lady meant any harm but it was just an awkward situation overall.

So would you have said something or just let it go? I don't know if I did the right thing or not.

You did the right thing. Don't worry, don't let this upset you.
She was completely out of line for saying anything like that, and I would have been offended too, and I certainly would have said something to the doctor too.

 

[jrmasm]

I would have said something to the Dr. You didn't go to the Dr's office for religion.

 

[mumom95]

You did the right thing. She was out of line, not only personally but professionally. The doctor needed to be aware of this.

Don't stress about it. Just focus on doing what works for helping you get where you need to be.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Also if she was the M.A. she should not be given any kind of medical advice whether to take pills or not! She is not the expert.

 

[jazzielady]

You did the right thing. Don't worry, don't let this upset you.
She was completely out of line for saying anything like that, and I would have been offended too, and I certainly would have said something to the doctor too.

. I totally agree.

 

[Terese]

I've also been dealing with anxiety for years, and one thing I learned is, what works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for another. If prayer works for her, then so be it, but for her to suggest, especially as a "medical professional" that you try prayer over medication...that's totally out of line! The doctor should know if a member of his staff is making suggestions like that, especially when they contradict his determinations. She could become a liability for him. You did the right thing. The best of luck to you. Stay strong!

 

[BCV513]

You absolutely did the right thing! We go to the doctor's office to feel better, not to feel worse about ourselves. What she did was completely unprofessional. What if she told someone with cancer to pray instead of taking chemo? It's the same thing IMO. She has no business working in a doctor's office.

 

[disneyaddicted]

I agree, you did the right thing. I am a strong believer in the power of prayer, but sometimes you need something to get you started. I suffer from an anxiety disorder too, it's not fun, and where as prayer helps me to calm down a little faster, medications keep it from being at it's worst, you know what I mean?!

I think if I were that nurse I would have kept my mouth shut. I am sure she was just trying to be a witness of what God and prayer has done for her. But that was not the place to do it, and it wasn't very professional of her.

Good luck to you, I hope you get the results you need.

 

[texasthumper]

I'd be willing to bet that she won't be there the next time you go! Hugs to you.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

She is lucky that you kept quiet because I would have said something to her face and told the doctor.

It would not have been pretty. Anxiety runs in my family. She would have been laid out.

 

[smilie]

You absolutely did the right thing. She crossed the line.

 

[tlmdisney]

I agree, you did the right thing. What she did was wrong and demeaning to your condition. I don't know what I would have said to the nurse but I am sure I would have had a thousand conversations with her in my head, and I would have amazing responses.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I agree, you did the right thing. What she did was wrong and demeaning to your condition. I don't know what I would have said to the nurse but I am sure I would have had a thousand conversations with her in my head, and I would have amazing responses.

Yea, after the fact we could come up with some doozies.


Like......I did pray and God told me to use the pills.

 

[Micca]

That was so not cool of that person to say that to you. Good luck on getting treatment and feeling better soon.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Jumping on the "you did the right thing" bandwagon. You see a medical professional for medical treatment and advice. That includes mental / emotional counseling. It DOESN'T expand to spiritual advice. The (probably) medical assistant was entirely out of line.

Pretty unrelated, but M.A. experience: my physician's office had just hired a new one when I went for an appointment a few weeks ago. She was doing everything the OP's did - temp, pulse, bp... I offered to roll up my (baggy) sleeve but she said that wasn't necessary. She apparently missed her target by several inches. My bp reading was something like 76 over 60. Meanwhile, I was functioning fine, responding fine, I'd driven myself there, fully concious, no symptoms of low blood pressure... the nurse practitioner ran in and redid it - in the right place.

I don't think that medical assistant is there now.

 

[EeyoreEma]

You absolutely did the right thing. She had no reason whatsoever to say that to you.

 

[RitaZ.]

The Medical Assistant or Nurse (not sure what she was) that took me to the room and did all the normal pre-dr stuff was relatively new. (Blood pressure, temp, pulse, etc) Once she found out why I was there and had gone over my list of medications for review she tells me that she has suffered from panic & anxiety attacks for nine years now and had never taken a pill. She told me that she prays throughout an attack until it goes away and that's how she controls them.

First of all, prayer doesn't appear to be controlling her anxiety since she is still suffering and dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. Second, she was out of line. You did the right thing by saying something to the doctor.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Another vote for "you behaved absolutely appropriately". You didn't get anxious or upset at the MA, you responded in what I would consider a polite manner ("I'm glad that's working for you"), and you reported a situation that made you feel uncomfortable. There's really nothing for you to feel guilty about.

The MA will likely be warned against 'witnessing' in inappropriate situations. If this isn't the first time she's done it, then it's probably going to be the last time she'll do it in THAT office. And none of that is your fault. The MA was behaving in a manner that made one of the doctor's patients uncomfortable. Unless it's a religious hospital (Catholic, Jewish, Methodist, what have you), religion doesn't belong in a medical setting unless/until the patient expresses a desire to discuss their situation in light of their own personal beliefs.

 

[fey_spirit]

May I ask a question? Would you have been as offended if she had said something to the effect of "This has worked for me, and I wonder if it might help you as well... either as an addition to the pills, or as an eventual possible solution?"

I am Bi-polar and I don't take meds - it took me a long time and a lot of study and effort to learn to control this without meds, but I finally made it. That said my wife suffers from Depression and is on meds.

I think whether to take drugs or not is a very personal choice and there are no wrong answers. But I do like to try to help others by offering them the solutions that have worked for me - but I never suggest that they actually use them much less that they stop taking medications that are working for them. I just want them to know there is another way - what they do with that information is their path to take.

ETA - I do agree that religion has no place in these subjects whether in a doctor's office or not, but there is a difference between spiritual practice and religious practice. Some of what has helped me is spiritual practice (working with my higher power as I choose to define it) but it does not require a specific religious involvement. That said, most of what I have learned that helps me control my disorder falls more under the heading, cognitive and behavioral therapy.

So I was at the doctor's office yesterday, I have extreme panic/anxiety attack problems and have been trying to get everything under control with medication. It has been a long, hard and trying process. (not to mention frustrating)

The Medical Assistant or Nurse (not sure what she was) that took me to the room and did all the normal pre-dr stuff was relatively new. (Blood pressure, temp, pulse, etc) Once she found out why I was there and had gone over my list of medications for review she tells me that she has suffered from panic & anxiety attacks for nine years now and had never taken a pill. She told me that she prays throughout an attack until it goes away and that's how she controls them. She then suggested I use prayer instead of continuing to take "all these pills" to control and stop my anxiety problems. I didn't know what to say to her and just mumbled something along the lines of "I'm happy that works for you.".

Now, I know my temper isn't what it should be right now but this REALLY irked me. I have nothing against prayer or someone having religious beliefs but I felt she was out of line. She has no idea of what I've been going through or my history with this problem and quite frankly it offended me a little because her attitude was almost that I was taking a shortcut or something w/ the meds. I don't know.

Like I said, I was irked and I did end up saying something to the doctor about it and now I feel guilty. He looked mortified so I'm sure he took action, I don't think the lady meant any harm but it was just an awkward situation overall.

So would you have said something or just let it go? I don't know if I did the right thing or not.