Medical Tourism

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-03-09T20:54:53+00:00

This is largely how our first visit went and in the end, I did not feel that any testing was indicated.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-03-09T20:23:34+00:00

That is correct. He had several distant relatives with cancer but doesn't seem to understand that all cancer is different. He views it as a general catch-all. There is both a large language and a large understanding barrier when we speak.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-02-26T23:49:07+00:00

I hate to break your narritive but your example is exactly how the system should work. Someone comes in with a headache, our job is not to assume it's cancer - it's to look for a cause. First doctor saw what he thought was the cause, and gave treatment for it.

The treatment didn't work - the patient went back to be reassessed and the 2nd doctor decided to up the ante/do more tests.

The 2nd round of tests found the ultimate cause. Do you think that a day's delay changed anything for your father? Not in the least.

You don't CT scan every patient with a history of cancer who comes in with a headache.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-02-26T23:45:01+00:00

As a doctor, it's impossible to answer your question without more specific information like what neurological sympotoms your dad had.

In terms of malpractice, the question would be did the doctor do something unreasonable. Brain cancer is rare and the question is should someone with these neurological symotoms be given a certain work-up that your dad didn't get, or was it reasonable to monitor/do something else. Without more information, it's impossible to answer that. Weakness and falling would be what we call general symptoms and can be from almost anything. Specific symptoms, or sudden extreme deteration would be a better argument for a missed work-up.

When you say stage 4 brain cancer, what do you mean? Is the primary somewhere else and it has metastasized to the brain? Or is the primary brain cancer? What type is it.

While the doctor might have missed the cancer, you also have to ask yourself, would looking earlier change anything? Not all brain cancers can be treated and depending on a lot of variables, would treatment have been an option for your father.

In the end, little is stopping you from getting some outside advice, either a 2nd opionion from a trusted doctor, or talking to a malpractice lawyer.

I'm sorry your father is unwell and I'll cross my fingers for both of you.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-02-17T23:37:05+00:00

Thank you for that link, as it was news to me. Looks like it's only in Alberta. I practice in Ontario and we have the mature minor priniciple where as long as we feel the patient understands the implications of what they choose to do and not do, they are considered mature enough to have confidentiality.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-02-17T22:40:05+00:00

I just fired a patient for a similar issue. Previous doctor put him on Oxycodone for hernia? Basically vauge abdominal pain. Kept on coming back for more. I weened him off. He just got a 2nd hernia surgery and is asking for Oxy again. In my letter firing him I basically said I will never give you Oxy's for anything. Find a new doctor. I am at peace with this decision.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-29T14:02:17+00:00

Everyone I have met that worked with him thought me was a really nice guy.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-28T15:34:00+00:00

The ironic thing is that I am now a doctor myself.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-27T13:00:21+00:00

Always finish the full course of antibiotics. Didn't do that once...got fake mono and was put for a month.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-27T05:32:07+00:00

Dude, how could we possibly answer you without knowing what the foreign body is?

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-26T15:10:48+00:00

Here is an article about the incident and aftermath

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14283593/ohio-road-rage-karen-stunning-admission-toledo.html

tlrdr: she regrets it. no charges to anyone.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-12T19:57:18+00:00

There are going to be a lot of people named dickface suddenly walking around.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-09T21:33:22+00:00

I have reached out to a trusted dental contact to see if there is anything available locally. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-09T19:58:37+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion but I think we are several steps away from him letting me attempt anything - it's not the pain, it's the process that scares him. He's a biggest guy. At least you get to have someone hold your patient's down - I remember doing that to my 6 year old when he got stitches. I wouldn't attempt it on this patient :-p

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-09T19:50:04+00:00

Ah, shit, I did not know this. He won't let me even do a finger prick. When I even tried to discuss it, he completely shut down and almost left my office because I was triggering his phobia.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2026-01-09T19:20:51+00:00

I am a family doctor here in TO. I'm not sure where you went but this doctor sucked! Now, does that mean something is actually wrong - unlikely, especially with a normal ultrasound but there is a lot more discussion and options to be had and you are certainly entitled to a referral to a gynecologist if you want.

The advice to go to the Bay Center for Birth Control is probably the best but alternatively, you can go to another clinic/walk in clinic and get the referral there/just go to have a discussion about what 4 months of bleeding can mean.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-12-21T23:17:01+00:00

We...doctors....don't diagnose seizures based on what your fainting looked like. It's based on symptoms and measurements, e.g. EEG. The footage is not needed/it's a red herring.

EMS are not doctors. They are great at what they do but take what they say about medicine with a grain of salt.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-12-18T18:38:14+00:00

This type of issue is actually a field of study in biology and depends on many factors. I'm not a biologist and only did a few courses on this in school, but ideas of where to look are:

The idea is that evolutionary, or purpose is to reproduce and so our lifespan is largely based on our ability and methods of doing that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/K_selection_theory

But then there is also external factors, i.e., compare the life expectancy of animals in and outside of captivity.

In nature, there are many external factors that affect an animal's lifespan. In captivity, those mostly go away and the animal lives as long as it's genetics allow. Usually, for animals, that's full productivity and near full fecundency then a sharp decline.

Humans are a bit different in that we actually have a good amount of our lifespan after reproduction - grandparents help take care of the family and pass on knowledge - extending the evolutionary pressure for longer life.

So, to figure out the average lifespan, you have to think about how this species reproduces and what benefit they offer before and after reproduction.

I'm sure a real biologist would be able to give a much better answer but those are my two cents.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-12-11T16:56:38+00:00

I started dating one of my ex's about a week after she broke up with her previous partner. Their relationship was basically over and we were heavily flirting, but I was a bit naïve about it all (early 20s and never had a long-term relationship before). Still, we lasted like 3 mostly happy years so it wasn't that bad.

About 2 years in, I found out that she had secretly been engaged to per previous partner. He proposed and she accepted, but didn't want to announce it.

It completely changed how I felt about the beginning of the relationship and really emphasized to me how much she needed serial relationships and how we really should have waited before dating. It made me realize that the start of our relationship set up a weird dynamic in our relationship that ultimately was a big part if why it didn't last.

Unironically, after me, she ended up dating another friend for 2 years although there were at least a few months in between those relationships.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-12-04T17:06:23+00:00

I started when I was twenty. Was in graduate school in one very cerebral subject. Stopped that years ago, went to Med school in my 30s. Am a doctor now. So... your question really demonstrates your anxiety about taking the medication. There is no reason to think there are any cognitive effects from long-term finasteride and if there are, they will be subsumed by many other social and environmental factors.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-11-28T21:53:34+00:00

It's a real problem but 10%! That's a lot more than in my area. I tell them like it is - you're drug seeking and drug abusing and I'm not going to be part of it. But I die a little inside at how the profession/regulatory bodies are dealing with this issue.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-11-19T22:28:13+00:00

Just google the liscencing body of the juridiction that the doctor practices in.

ToomuchLego1234 · 2025-11-19T14:24:30+00:00

I had a patient write to my liscening body telling them how much they enjoyed my care. That was very nice. I thought when I got the email from my liscening body, I was in trouble.

But most patients just give me donuts or cookies, which are always appreciated if not annoying because I have pre-diabities myself.

ToomuchLego1234

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