Worst doctor/nurse experience yet

[alia]

So I have scheduled an appointment with one of the top eye specialist providers in my area. Due to their standing, I won't be able to see them until November. I thought it'd be good to get my hormones checked, though, because my dry eye gets terribly worse around my period. My previous eye doctor told me to do so, but I didn't have insurance at the time. Now I do, so I can afford it.

Anyway, I scheduled an appointment at my school clinic because I don't have a PCP yet. I had literally the most awful experience!

I went in and a nurse checked my vitals. She told me to stop talking to her when she was checking my blood pressure (under some excuse that the machine was 'finicky' but I could tell she simply didn't want to listen to me talk). I mentioned that the reason for my visit was to check the hormone connection with dry eye and she acted like I was crazy, and she'd "never heard such a thing."

Then the doctor came in and when I explained the situation he flat out told me that "females don't produce testosterone". This is easily debunked with a simple Google search. So he didn't order a hormone panel to check my test, only my estrogen and prolactin. I texted my friend about it because she suffers from PCOS (excess testosterone) and she couldn't believe he had his license to be able to practice medicine.

Anyway. Just wanted to vent a little bit. Not only is this disease mind-boggling dealing with the ignorant people we're supposed to trust makes it even worse. I'm excited I can see the eye specialists later this year, though.

[LaDiva]

We had a doctor at our college clinic when I was in school who used to ask "what seems to be wrong with you?" If you said "I think I have a sinus infection", he'd write a prescription for an antibiotic. If you said "hives" he'd give you something for that. The patient actually diagnosed themselves. I didn't think much of our clinic doctor. Your regular doc is a better bet, I think. Best of luck to you.

[lizlou29]

The eye clinic I attend has an Ophthalmologist whom has published papers on the link between low testosterone and dry eyes in females. I was tested for this but it's generally an issue in menopausal women.

Safe to say you won't be seeing that doctor again. Good luck.

[alia]

Wow LaDiva, maybe there's something in the water at these school clinics. That's terrible! I hope I can find a good PCP. I moved, so I lost my favorite PCP from my hometown.

lizlou, if you get a chance to find the papers if they are available, could you let me know? That's really interesting and I'm trying to find more connections. I've found some threads on it around here, too. I have some bad hormonal issues where everything fluctuates--I can literally tell when my period's coming up because my eyes are at their worst!

[lizlou29]

Alia, as you will see it's a small study but quite interesting [URL="http://bjo.bmj.com/content/98/4/567.full"]. If you can't open it, let me know and I will try and PM it to you. I'm exactly the same as you. Day 21 onwards in my cycle and my eyes are at their worst. I've just had some interesting (?) results from a hormone panel blood test but now got to see a gynecologist and perhaps they will then communicate with my Ophthalmologist but communication between doctors hasn't been a strong point of the NHS in my experience anyway!

[lizlou29]

Alia, I've sent you a PM as I don't think you can open the attached study.

[littlemermaid]

Yes, my teenager often has an eye flare and 'rosacea' gets worse just before her period. She treats it as a sign her period is due. When she was not very careful with diet and eye cleaning at this time in the early teens, she would have to go to hospital outpatients as an emergency with infected bleph. Also clogged MGs started 6m before puberty.

[alia]

Hi everyone!

I got the results back from my female sex hormones test and it was "normal", but as I never saw the numbers I don't know what "normal" is. I will take their word for it, though, since I'm not chiefly interested in my estrogen levels right now . I am going to submit the study lizlou29 sent me as part of the evidence of research linking the male hormone connection to dry eye to my next PCP/eye doctor. I hope they can order the testosterone test for me instead to find out if that is the root cause.

lizlou, good luck with networking between doctors - I am currently on the American equivalent of NHS (we are slowly rolling out insurance for the uninsured) and I know how frustrating it can be. Feel free to update this thread if you wish or point me to a new thread if you share your experiences; since we're in the same boat, I am definitely interested!

I also noticed that I'm on this site less when I'm NOT experiencing the severe period-induced dry eye, so that's part of the reason why I disappear and pop back up--I'll try to be more active, though. I am very appreciative of everyone's input, it means the world to me. I feel very alone and isolated with this disease because when I look around I never see eyes like mine.

littlemermaid, that's interesting to know, and so young, too. I'm sorry to hear that. I currently have an eye infection right now and I think it's because I've been eating too much sweets and bingeing. I started to exercise again and for some reason that triggers my body to eat everything in the world.

[alia]

Oh, and, littlemermaid how did they treat her bleph at the hospital, out of curiosity?

[littlemermaid]

Tapering regime of antibacterial + steroid eyedrops + lubricants + warm compress and careful cleaning.

She can self-medicate infected bleph - antibac + good cleaning and warm compress, best done in a bath. When there is red eye she sees an Optom or Ophth to check for keratitis or neovascularisation or punctate lesions - then we would use PF steroid, unfortunately, and frequent tear substitute drops to stop surface getting dry because it desensitises.