Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

So often I feel like OBs don't listen, they don't seem to understand that you know your body and just bc they are drs it doesn't mean that they always know better.
When I was pregnant with my DD I was having some issues , told my OB many times, but she just kept saying "it's normal, don't worry" ... yeah, turned out I had a kidney infection , went into pre term labor and was in and iut of the hospital for weeks before delivering my DD.
2nd time I was pregnant I had a new OB , I knew something wasn't right from the very beginning, just knew it even though they kept telling me I had nothing to worry about, turned out I had a missed MC.
Now I'm almost 23 w , seeing one of "the best" high risk OBGYNs , started having some issues weeks ago and I just knew something was wrong, I was also having lots of braxton hicks , I expressed my concerns , all I got from the OB and the nurses was " I'm not worried, everything is fine, don't worry about it" No let's do a culture just in case, it only takes a minute, nothing....
Well last week my symptoms got worse, I insisted on culture and had to literally have an argument with one of the nurses to finally be seen by a dr. She said "honestly what you are telling me it doesn's sound like anything is wrong"...
Sure enough it turns out I have an infection that needs to be treated asap, it could be causing me all the BH and could start pre term labor.
Sad part is when this other dr took a culture she gave me a prescription to treat yeast infection , I told her I'm almost 100% sure that's not what I have, but she insisted I start using the med, well I didn't , I dropped off a prescription but never picked it up bc I knew ... Yup , it's not yeast infection and I do not need the med she gave me, they called in something else....
I just don't get it, what do you have to do for drs to listen to you, is it just me or has this happened to anyone? Why do I feel like I always have to fight so they listen ? Is it just bad luck? I go out of my way to do a lot of reasearch before picking a new dr and this keeps happening.

Message edited 5/22/2012 11:48:41 AM.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

so sorry I'm glad you listened to your gut and fought for what you thought was right. I too feel that you shouldnt have to self diagnose yourself they're the expert and its their job. If you can run away as soon as possible and see if you can find someone who listens to you.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

Thank goodness you fought them and got the culture taken!

I guess we know our bodies better than anyone else ever will. It's tough to diagnose something when, on paper, everything sounds ok.

That said, it's definitely crap that they didn't listen to you and you had to argue to see a doctor and get a culture done! i'd be really mad about that too

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

I feel that you always have to be your own advocate when it comes to the medical profession... and a strong advocate at that. So many times doctors have brushed me off and made me feel stupid for having concerns- but like you said- the situations ended up proving that I know my body best. Doctors may have the knowledge and tools but every single person is a unique individual and only we can know ourselves best. Many times, I have had to fight for something I needed, or let it go to find out it was a mistake later on. Sorry this happened to you. Try to pick doctors you feel most comfortable with and then just always trust your gut. It's all you can do.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm glad it finally got done though.

For some reason doctors and nurses think they know more. They may have to schooling, but they aren't you. They should really just listen sometimes.

After I had a c/s with DD I had a terrible pain that went from the back of my ear down into my ribs. I complained to my nurse from morning until her shift ended. She told me it was gas from air trapped in my abdomen from the surgery. She made me take stool softeners, gave me mint tea, tums, she made me walk around, etc. Nothing helped. Finally the shifts switched and a different nurse came in and I complained to her and she said, "Oh honey, you probably pulled a muscle on the operating table. Let me get you some motrin and tell your DH to bring you a heat wrap." It worked.

If only that first nurse had listened to me I could have enjoyed my first full day with my brand new baby instead of being in pain for 12 hours.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. If you don't feel listened to, you might want to consider switching. You should feel comfortable with the doctor treating you!

FWIW, it'll be good practice for dealing with peds. Just wait until the first time they give you that, "Aw, the little mama read a book," tone. Good times ahead.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

i'm glad you insisted and they were able to diagnose you and help. You are not along i've had similar problems with dr's over the years and now this is my first question to them when I check them out, is if i tell you somethings wrong or ask for a test, are you going to do it regardless of your opinion. And unless they tell me they will I won't go to them. Its the same with my OB as my kids Ped. You know your body and your kids better than they do and they should take that into consideration.

Re: Why does this keep happening ? Am I alone? (bit long)

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I am extremely lucky as my OBs are angels. I'd love to give their info but I live in DC so they are down here.