My Dr. told me to be a coach potato

[LaughingWater]

Next month I'll officially be a doctor...

Hey, congratulations!

As others have correctly pointed out, some docs get it, some don't.

The "fast food medicine" analogy is pretty right on too. The first time I had a doc take a full hour with me, I came home and said to DH, "It was like he didn't have any other patients to see!"

He replied, "That's the way doctors are supposed to practice."

 

[Gayle]

ITA that you should find another doctor. It would be one thing if they thought you were over training and recommended cross training or some other modification, but to out and out tell you to stop exercising is nothing short of moronic.

All of my doctors (GP, chiro, dentist, PT, ob/gyn) are exercise enthusiasts or particpate in some kind of sport. Your experiences just floor me.

I think finding a sports doc is great idea.

Congrats mdbecky!!!

 

[buffettgirl]

I agree that you need to see a sports medicine doctor. Maybe you need to modifiy your workouts, but not stop working out all together. That's crazy!

Congrats, Becky!

 

[Peaceful Rainbow]

Wow! Definitely keep looking for a better doctor. Can you ask around and see what doctors might have sports med experience, but not be labeling themselves publicly as such? I'm very fortunate to have a DO who has a lot of sports med experience and it very athletic himself. I've had a few minor injuries and he's been great when it's happened and helped me get back on track as soon as I could. Good doctors are out there, but sometimes they can be hard to find.

 

[ladysaraii]

None of my doctors (even an overweight one) have ever told me not to exercise. I went to see one for PF and he told me about his marathons and encouraged me.

Your docs advice sucked.

 

[bitmover]

When I was pregnant with my first son my obgyn told me to stop exercising even though it was not that late into the pregnancy and everything was normal at that point. This was ten years ago, so maybe there wasn't that much info available -- I know when I tried to look for info I got all kinds of conflicting data. Google was in beta format at the time (my husband worked for them in the early days). I stuck with that dr., but we ended up firing him after my son was born and before I was discharged, because we fought with him about details of the delivery. Crazy!! We had to find some random dr. in charge at the hospital to discharge me and I never saw him again.

Oh man, and now I'm remembering an even worse horror story with an obgyn's office on a pregnancy between son #1 and son #2. What is it with obgyns???? I finally got with a good one when I was pregnant with son #2, unfortuantely she wasn't on call to deliver, so one of her partners came. That partner put me on penicillin while I was delivering even though I'm allergic. Maybe I just have really bad luck with obgyns!!

Anyway, I'd find a new doctor. It's very empowering to fire a dr., though perhaps not so easy with Kaiser!

-Beth

 

[Worknprogress]

We have all heard the saying that "Misery loves company" and it sounds like this is where your doctors are coming from

Obviously, you shouldn't give up exercising, but running is very hard on our bodies. If running is giving you problems, then maybe you should switch to a cardio activity that isn't so hard on your joints.

But I agree with the other posters in finding a different doctor. No doc in the world should want you to be a couch potato! Yes, a different cardio activity that is softer on your body, but cardio nonetheless!!

 

[cakebaker]

ITA that you should find another doctor. It would be one thing if they thought you were over training and recommended cross training or some other modification, but to out and out tell you to stop exercising is nothing short of moronic.

All of my doctors (GP, chiro, dentist, PT, ob/gyn) are exercise enthusiasts or particpate in some kind of sport. Your experiences just floor me.

I think finding a sports doc is great idea.

Congrats mdbecky!!!

Yep, time to find another doctor. This one is clueless!

 

[gettingfitmom]

So I like to workout. 6 days a week 1 hour a day. Just last year I've increased my running to help with my sleeplessness, but for some reason I've had a sort of numbing toe sensation in my toes that I've sorta always had but has really been bugging me more the past 2 years. It has been an off and on thing. So I saw a Dr. 4 years ago about it when it first came up and my Dr. tells me just to stop excersizing and questioned why I even like to run (she was extremely overweight by the way not that it should matter but she also just got through telling me about a great new burger restaurant in town that makes a 3lb burger and has the best mystery sauce in the world.)
Well last year the pain has resurfaced and since I'm paying a small mortgage for my medical insurance I decided to see a Dr. so my new nicer Doc promises to get to the bottom of this since it seems to be reoccuring and sends me to a specialist who performs an electromyogram test, . . something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. I basically get poked with needles that go into my muscles and then shocked to see if my nerves are intact. This took almost 2 hours!! So the Dr. asks me why I run and said that I should just be a couch potato like he is. He said that he hates excersize and that I'm to young to be spending my day working out and that excersize leads to injury. Someone please tell me why a Dr would ever tell his/her pt to NOT excersize? I don't get it. I'm not professional athlete. I work out because I love being outdoors and feeling healthy. I don't get it. So now I'm out of comission because I had my body poked with needles and shocked and I'm sitting here worrying that my medical Dr. will tell me never to excersize again. I'm in a pretty bad mood.

I think I would find a new Dr. I run also and had a period of time where my whole upper foot would go numb. This was usually mile 3 of a 5 mile run. It wouldn't happen everytime,it felt like my sock was bunched up at the ball of my foot. Drove me crazy. Went to my Dr., he's a runner too, he said buy a sneaker that is wide at the top, still went numb. He sent me to a podiatrist(sp). They took x-rays, nothing there. He also said to try a widw sneaker and gave me a pad to wear on the ball of my foot when I ran. Haven't been numb since, and I no longer need the pad. Don't know if this will help, good luck Kay

 

[SirenSongWoman]

I agree with everyone here. This doctor is projecting his own (lazy-a**) issues onto his patients and you need to find a doctor who understands the importance of good health (hello!!!).

 

[peytonsmommy]

I've actually seen a family/general practice doctor that did sports medcine "on the side" so to speak as a trainer for a local hockey team. Sometimes if you ask around your local medical community you can find a doctor that has the characteristics you're looking for.

 

[Donnysgirl]

Hi Janie!

I don't blame you for being bummed about all this! Wow, it's pretty bad when you can't get good advice from you doc. What are the odds of getting lousy feedback from two of them? Unbelievable!! Trust me though, there are good ones out there. I too would recommed a doctor trained in sports medicine. Not sure how you're insurance works as far as switching primary caregivers but I'd definitely give it a shot. Good luck to you. Don't give up, okay?

Sharon