WITCH DOCTORS ARE QUACKS?

Post 56 - Thursday June 19th, 2025

Finding a decent doctor to make informed life altering calls with your health is a really tricky business. Sadly, it seems, most doctors are medically inept when it comes to diagnosis and then treatment. As a profession the medical fraternity often lack the skills or honesty, it seems to be across doing what is best for their patients.

And that makes being unwell a real challenge. I mean, if you can't trust your doctor with medical advice how awkward is that? Because when we face times of ill health we look to the medical profession for help. We need them to diagnose our illness and then work out a treatment program to get our health back on track. Sadly, this is often not the case, doctors are not knowledgeable enough to get things right,

Across my time of being unwell the doctors I am linked with tend to fail miserably. They just diagnose in parrot fashion, meaning they either don't know what is wrong through that lack of knowledge or they make it up. That's a big call from me, I know, but it is a call based on what I see happen repeatedly. And because they are doctors, because they are professional people, how do you challenge their authority?

There have been times when doctors have simply lied to me, they talk BS. And there have been times when they simply omit to tell you something that is critical to a diagnosis or critical to a outcome or a situation that they are meant to be across. Sometimes, I have found things out at a later time that are totally contradictory to what you were previously told, meaning to my thinking, they lied the first time around or omitted to share medical information.

Seriously, if they are not lying, it is like they make things up to bum you off when the going gets tough. To be honest, at moments like this they cannot be trusted. And they are dealing with matters of life and death. This is not funny, they need to be serious; they need to be honest and not talk waffle, but reality is they do.

Too many doctors be that GP's or specialists seem to get it wrong, and it happens time after time. And they come up with some very odd diagnosis based on what they guess might be wrong or they simply don't bother to listen to what you tell them as to what your symptoms are. And that is very dangerous, medically I find it inept. How do you trust a doctor who gets so much wrong?

I do understand that when you have a large medical team looking out for you like I do and that team is spread across a number of specialties, then maybe this opens the door for some misunderstanding to be passed on verbally or understood when looking through various medical notes particularly those written by another team.  Naturally, I do not suggest this to be right, to be ok, in fact it's totally wrong but I understand it can and probably does happen. But the guess work from a doctor and/or a clinical team should never come into play. Ever.

Sadly, that is the danger, doctors seem to guess when working through a medical problem and that means they can and so often do get it wrong. In this day and age with electronic medical records available I am staggered as to how little doctors are actually on board with some previous or associated health issues or other health issues from a different specialty. 

Look, across these past few years on this really testing journey with my health, I have been fortunate to have some good medical people in my corner. Doctors, specialists, clinicians, nurses and ward staff who have all, at times, been brilliant. They made you feel comfortable and cared for. I am really grateful for that; they are all a blessing.

But too many times, the head honchos of a medical specialty are looked on as being God, they are treated as untouchable and unchallengeable. This sadly makes others in the medical chain just pawns really and from that glaring errors are made that ultimately affect your health. It is a crook system, or if not it is enough to make you crook.

Over time I have sadly seen and been a part of this all too often. I don't pretend to understand why this happens, ego for these medical gods is likely a part of the problem, there is definitely a medical hierarchy, and it is impossible it seems for those down the list to either challenge or speak up against a superior. That in itself is very dangerous, that opens the door for mistakes, consensus is not in play at times like this, decisions and thoughts from the boss man are never questioned or as said, challenged. Yes, that is dangerous in so many ways.

And as a patient if you voice your concern then gee, you are made to pay for having the audacity of speaking out. These specialists are not at all open to discussion, they refuse to be challenged or questioned at all meaning it's their way or the highway. Some of them are obnoxious and rude at best. Their bed side manner is deplorable, and, on many occasions, it is impossible to think they actually have your best interests at heart.

The problem also extends to some GPs even those in a smaller medical practice. Seriously, the mistakes they make are mind boggling, staggering in fact. And even allowing that they might not all be actual mistakes, they are at best incorrect and incompetent diagnosis. That too is really wrong. I have found that you simply cannot trust what they tell you, what they offer you, they simply get so much wrong on so many occasions.

Nah, I do not understand that. However, I get that we as patients have the right to question a GP, to question what they tell us, but surely, they are the professionals in this scenario and as such they should be better at what they do. Seriously, they just need to be better. It seems to me that these GPs are dangerous, and I had given up on trusting most of them.

For me, moving interstate during this time of health issues was always going to add a new set of challenges. New doctors, new hospitals, the same medical system but in a different jurisdiction. And the challenges I anticipated have become evident, but some of the issues created seem really odd given that we are in 2025 and we are meant to have MyGov health records that are linked to my medical ID. 

Seriously, some of the issues this move has thrown up are at best ridiculous and look to be created by some medical professionals because they are, well, they are inept. Oh my, if that is the best we can expect from the clinical teams then we are all in trouble, serious trouble.

But there is a flip side to this distrust I have with doctors in general. Here in Ballarat at a local Wendouree medical clinic, I have very been fortunate to find a GP specialising in pain management. Doctor T is a gem, he is interested in me as a patient and he hears my pain journey, he listens, he evaluates, he gives time, and he works with you for the best possible outcome. He is really different meaning that trust with him is not an issue. And for me he has been a game changer when dealing with and sorting my chronic pain.

Since my cancer surgery and the removal of my bladder, prostate, urethra, appendix and various lymph nodes around my body I have been dealing with chronic physical pain. Fluid buildup in my feet and legs from my two heart attacks and cardiac arrest has been an added major downer. 

Add the pain from fluid buildup in certain areas of my body particularly around my groin, thigh, hip and back has been chronic. Dealing with this constant pain really wears you down, it beats you. Physically you are pooped and mentally it messes with your mind in a nasty way.

Added to my discomfort is the pee bag I am now stuck with after my bladder was removed; I have a stoma in the middle of my tummy and that's how I pee. It is not generally a source of pain, just discomfort but since I developed a hernia around the stoma site, then pain is often a part of the problem.

These medical issues coupled with some ongoing blood clot pain in my right calf, pain in my back from what looks to be a disc issue that has degenerated over time and the reflux issues I still have after previous surgery on my esophagus all add to my ongoing pain. It really has been darn awkward, it's debilitating and makes life really tough. You just find it all gets too much and sadly it becomes easier to fade away to stop the pain.

Because not only is the physical pain a constant, but awkwardly the spin-off is with how that destroys your mental ability to cope. Life gets too hard; it does not matter what you do to make things better, or different, the pain drags you down. Eventually you believe there has to be a better way for the pain to end. Yeah, dark places to be going, but in a position with chronic relentless pain and emotional confusion life is generally not worth living.

Anyhow, trying to get back on track for this post, Dr T with a specialty in pain management looks to have found a magic formula. Because he took the time to listen and then investigate the symptoms of how I suffer with pain and confusion, Dr T has at least taken me down a road where some pain relief has been possible. Finding this doctor has most certainly been a game changer with my physical pain.

His only real interest in me is to help with pain relief. It is so honestly refreshing to have a doctor who cares about a patient like he does. It started with Dr T putting me on a pain patch, starting with a small dose patch that has a 7-day life span and then after a month going to the next level patch and working from there. It has worked wonders to this point.

The patch is in the opioid family and gee; it packs a punch. I am 6 weeks in and yep, it makes a big difference across a range of associated secondary pain issues. It does not really hit the major pain areas, but it is having a rather positive impact. Maybe given more time it could help some of the more chronic pain issues, apparently this type of patch works best as a long-term on-going med. There are some side-effects listed with the patch because it is opioid based but to this point, I have not noticed any that have impacted with me. So far so good.

Over time on my journey, I have had some stronger pain meds recommended but despite the pressure I seem to get to take them from different influences, I have resisted. Maybe that seems odd not to try new meds when chronic pain is forever present but sometimes my head will simply say no. And the possible side effects for me with my Lewy Body Dementia like increasing the cognitive confusion level outweigh the benefit of pain relief. Is that reality or not? Not sure, but it is how I feel.

Mentally, I cannot go down a track that would have me not being in cognitive control given that I am already rather challenged with the LBD. That might be a case of mind over matter but for now, while I can still think relatively clearly in some areas, I believe the mental fallout from being dumbed down by medication overrides the possible pain relief that may go with these meds. I am sure we are all different and I can only tell what I see and what I feel.

But here Dr T stepped up again. He recommended a pain relief pill that he believed would offer some real, longer-term relief. And it has, wow, it's good. Temgesic SL 200mcg is the magic pill and it is a wonder drug in these early days. I have had five of them at different times over the last fortnight and they appear to give up to 6-hours of decent pain relief. They kick in after about half an hour so getting the timing right to have pain free times will be a key. If they continue to work as they have at this stage, wow, game changer. 

Naturally, I would be reluctant to get hooked on them, yes that is a personal fear based on what I glean from research into pain pills, so I will only use this med when I know I am really needing a pain fix, and I am hoping I can honor that and stay on track. Being hooked is something I need to avoid at all costs. And I am still new to this med, so I am monitoring for any side effects that cause me issues with the LBD. But so far so good.

This med comes with all the usual warnings, drowsiness, don't operate heavy machinery etc etc so I am across that. And it is opioid based so I will need to be on my game to stop it becoming a med of dependency and/or one that messes even more with my awkward cognitive troubles. But even though we are in early days, it works for my pain relief, and I have found it to be a massive help. Finally, it seems, a pain med that can and does have a big big positive impact. Naturally that is so darn good for me in a physical sense but also mentally it gives me confidence and it definitely gives me great hope going forward.

But with this new med, my daily tablet intake grows. Not sure about that, I am not and never have been a medication man, I'm just not that sort of bloke, but I do balance that thought by saying some of the tablets I am prescribed to take do have an immediate and obvious effect on my system. 

If as example I don't have my reflux tablet at the designated time I noticed after just a short time I am bothered with reflux issues and pain. The same with my Beta Blocker for heart palpitations, if I miss a dose then I definitely notice my heart rhythm going wonky. So yeah, meds have a place. I must add here that I don't agree with or always like that so many meds get prescribed. Sometimes I would rather a doctor try to fix a medical problem than simply cover it over. That is a touchy point, I hear that, because meds do assist and do prolong life in some cases. 

I take so many tablets each day, tablets of all shapes and sizes and colors. It totally amazes me as to how many I am taking, all on medical advice I will add. But heading off on a slightly different track, I have a love for and a happy knack with math, with numbers, so get this, I take 17 tablets a day, that's 119 per week, 510 per month, or 6120 per year. See, I cannot help myself with numbers, or math, that's how I roll

So, what was the real purpose of this post? Sure, it takes a poke at what I see as a rather poor medical profession in general, but I guess it also records, for me, some of the personal downers across this LBD and cancer journey. And I know in this post I have not explained specific cases where I feel let down by the medical profession, I sort of figure that leaves me a touch exposed because I have at best generalised. But seriously, I lived these balls-ups and really there are far too many to name. 

And it is also a contradiction in a way; I knock the medics yet at the same time I list how their prescribed medication does make my life easier. I accept the good it seems while being ticked off with what I see as incompetence. And for me, that is fine, because what I do know is that so many mistakes are made by medical professionals across a broad part of the health industry. To me, that should not be, I am blown away by the mistakes, the lies and the damage that causes.

With my personal experiences it tells me that our health system is rather damaged. For me, I do not have private health cover, so I do rely on the public health system. So, from that I have to take what I am given, I understand this but seriously that is no excuses for poor medical and sub-standard treatment. But sadly, the things that I see as wrong and incompetent by doctors and specialists will continue to happen in that damaged system.

And yep, I have had some great clinical and ward staff support me across my long journey, so I do know it can be better. There have been some really positive times and outcomes. But my experiences in general have me rate the medical profession as a whole very poorly, there have been far too many things go wrong for me to form any other conclusion. 

Ok, that's it, another post completed for my JonnyG Remembers blog. Thanks for reading, thanks for supporting, I do appreciate all of you. Almost 42,000 hits on the blog across the time, that blows me away, what a great lot you are for reading my posts here on my blog. To lighten things up as I finish, I will leave you with a JonnyG funny ...

Hey doc, do you think I will be able to play the guitar after my operation? The doctor replied, "Of course you will be able to John, once you heal" ... Well, that's so good doc, really brilliant in fact because I never could play it before ...

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The link below takes you to a post Ruth added to her Facebook timeline during the week. It is well worth a read; she tells of my LBD journey as she sees things at this minute and gives her understanding of how I am handling what is going down in life. Thank-you to everyone who added a comment of support and care, you are all really special friends and in this tough time it was so nice to read all the comments.

Dementia Reality As I sit nearby, I glance... - Ruth Christine Hall | Facebook

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 The first 50 years 

By John Andrew Green

My 2004 book Hey Shorty is being totally edited and revised with pics being added so it is very much a work in progress. I so enjoyed writing the book, writing is a hobby, it is one of my superpowers, so it was a real labor of love. And it was written from the heart.

The book covers my first 50 years; my story is told in a way that reflects the life of anyone who grew up in that same era. It looks at how the great Aussie way influenced our time, how it played a part in forming our life in general across that 50-years. And while it tells a lifetime of history through my eyes and how that played out for me personally, it could, in essence actually be through the eyes of anyone who grew up in Australia across those same years. 

Anyhow, some chapters of the book I have shown before on my blog, but I have now added a new edited chapter, a happy chapter for me as expressed through the music that has made my world tick. And this chapter can be read by clicking on the link below. Happy reading ...

Hey Shorty  Chapter 30 - Music Music Music

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Life in general is rather odd for Ruth and I as this LBD journey rolls on. Somedays it seems the world is our oyster yet other days it is sit and rest and do as little as possible. From that I guess we understand we do what we can when we can. And on the days we do get out and about we really do have fun and enjoy what the time allows. The pics and text below show some of the fun times we have had in recent weeks.

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Ruthie

Happy Birthday to you

Ruth turned 65 at the end of May, birthdays are not big for either of us, but this one was special being birthday 65 ... so we did go out to celebrate, well, we went to All You Can Eat at Pizza Hut in Ballarat ... good meal, lots of pizza and desert, but we enjoyed the time and we thank our friend Raija from Adelaide who shouted the lunch, so cool ... back at Wendouree Lodge it was time for cake and assorted sweets, all good and it really hit the mark ... so Ruth had a good day, she celebrated in style ...

Having greyhound racing in Ballarat has been a bonus, Ruth and I have had a few nights at the track including Ballarat Cup night ... good night trackside, big crowd in, good racing, our friend Dennis and Tina had a runner in the cup final so that was an added interest .. Cats great Billy Brownless was a trackside guest and he helped entertain the crowd between races ...

A day at Ballarat races in June was another decent outing for Ruth and I ... the Vic Husslers ownership group had Fire running at this meeting, so we went to have the day at the track ... it was good to catch-up with friends and the stable contacts and racing folk in general, we had a good day even if the results for Fire were ordinary ...

Friday last week we took a road trip down to the Bellarine Peninsular for a day at Geelong races ... the miRunners ownership group had a runner on the day, Cardiologist went around and unfortunately it was a disappointing result ... but Ruth and I had the chance to meet up with Ross and Fiona to have a day together, and it was just a great time, we covered so much with chat, laughs and fun, so good ...

And as the Mighty Cats played that evening at Kardinia Park it was an opportunity to be at the ground ... ok, crap result but we were able to enjoy the chance to be back at the footy to take in all this great game offers us both ...

 

And then last Saturday night we headed out to the Miners Rest Tavern to have a meal with mates Jason and Clair, and as a bonus Jason's mum Margaret from Hamilton was spending the weekend in Ballarat ... we really the evening, good food, great company and we appreciated the time ...