I went to see this guy and they never checked if I had a fever (I'm sure I still do). They didn't check my blood pressure. All the doctor did was get offended because it hurt when he checked the inside of my ear.

sorry, channeling my dad. That is weird and I'd wonder wtf was going on with them.

it didn't dawn on me until now, and I still feel like crap. He gave me some drops for my ears, and they aren't working because I feel like I'm still running a fever. I even told him that. "I felt like I was running a fever."

Nobody even bothered to take my temperature, but they bothered to take my $150.00 for the visit.

done, tell him he isn't going to charge you, because he misdiagnosed you the first time and didn't take your vitals.

You might need one of those z packs. I know they are overused, but if he gives you one, take it.

my blood pressure, temperature, weight, etc...even when I saw the same doctor the next day.

Did the doctor prescribe an effective treatment for your ear infection?

The doctor may or may not recheck the blood pressure.

no one at the doctor's office that has never seen me before took my pulse, my blood pressure or took my temperature when I was explicitly there for an ear *infection*.

Now don't you think you should take someone's temperature if they have an infection?

doctor"? Did you ask about your temperature and/or blood pressure?

It is possible to be an active participant in your own medical care.

No one took my temperature, no one took my blood pressure. I thought I was at the "ear doctor" and when I was at the "ear doctor" and said I had an ear issue and thought I was running a fever they would look into that.

We call them vital signs for a reason. At a bare minimum, I want to know the patient's temperature and blood pressure.

Which probably implies I have a fever, right? I even said so. Nobody ever took my temperature, nobody ever took my blood pressure.

I'd say 80% of the ear infections I treat present without fever.

Keep in mind, fever is a very non-specific symptom. But it has a specific definition: 101.0 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38 degrees Celcius or higher.

I have a lot of patients who insist they have a fever, when their temp is only, say, 98.9 or so.

Some patients tell me that they have a normally low temperature; 96.6, for example. And so that 98.6 for them is a fever. I tell them 'no, fever isn't a relative thing. Fever is fever for everyone.', and then I give them the definition I just gave you.

You have a deep chill, even though you are hot.

'Fever', 'chills', and 'night sweats' are all things we ask about. And they can all present independent of one another.

Your opinion?

If you actually have a fever, though. And it has lasted more than about two weeks. (2 weeks of a sustained temp above 101.0 is bad news) Then we call that 'fever of unknown origin.'

Every doctor I have ever been to (in the past 50 years - don't remember specifically before then) used >99.9 degrees Fahrenheit as a cut off. So I got curious and went searching - and found the following:

If someone presents with a temperature of between 100 and 101, I chart that as a 'low-grade fever', and factor that into the assessment and plan. I treat with an antipyritic, like acetaminophen.

And I would always bitch that I was not there for weight loss. My blood pressure was always checked because high blood pressure was one of my problems.

They didn't even take my temperature or my blood pressure.

Either one can spell trouble. Please be patient with them when they weight you.

couldn't find anything because they didn't even bother to check if I had a fever to go along with my infected ear, my blood pressure to see if it was elevated and my weight to see if I weighed too little.

I did have a problem, and both the regular doctor and a specialist doctor seemed to be clueless about it, and couldn't tell me what was wrong. And I know I had a problem, because it has now progressed to be more of a problem. In short, these doctors made me think many doctors don't have a clue.

And when I returned a few days later for a follow-up visit they did it again, even though I commented that my height and weight wouldn't have changed much in such a short time. Seemed like it was just this routine thing they always did.

He wrote "LBP" on my chart and asked for more specifics and I told him. He said given my (advanced&quot age he was guessing it might be spinal stenosis but wrote a prescription for an xray of my spine. Also for naproxen which made me tired so I had to stop taking it.

The xray showed that I have spinal arthritis. I am now in P.T. which is great, and doing exercises at home. I am hoping for the best!

Nor his second priority.
Maybe third, maybe not.

they always check, to keep records, to know weight etc for medications, and to note changes, I assume.

Going for check-up Tuesday; ask me then!

And going to 'ear doctor,' for infection, and temperature not taken???

I have been running a fever. I have specific issues with my ear, including pain, feeling like there is an ocean in my head behind one ear, and fever.

I stated that specifically. Now do you think perhaps it's time to take somebody's blood pressure (to test for pain) and their temperature (to test for fever)? I don't mean to bitch, but I shelled out $150 to this idiot that did nothing but hand out $35 drops and told me I had swimmer's ear.

to see if the pain has elevated my blood pressure?" You did ask, didn't you?

Both of these are reasonable questions to have asked if you had concerns THEN, and they were not checked.

go back to the doctor's office/hospital, but ask to see a different doctor. Demand it, even. It sounds like you got a shitty doctor who didn't care.

Hope you're feeling better soon, and get to another doctor if things don't improve quickly.

It's to evaluate for blood pressure levels.

Pain can cause an increase in your blood pressure. But elevated blood pressure doesn't really cause pain unless it is exceptionally high. (Getting-ready-to-have-a-stroke-high)

It rarely causes any other symptoms, either. That's why hypertension is often called The Silent Killer.

I often attend disabled individuals on appointments - I've probably seen three dozen different doctors this year alone in the course of my job - and every single time weight, blood pressure, and temperature are checked by a nurse or assistant before the doctor even enters the room.

It didn't matter if it was a GP or a specialist. It didn't matter if the patient was there for routine purposes that had very little to do with an immediate health problem. Every visit, the patient got the trifecta, and it was recorded on the chart.

of my face sliding off my head. I didn't know what was going on, I had been in such bad pain for the three days previous that I couldn't even think straight. The whole right side of my face was paralyzed.

My doctor took my blood pressure but never did a stroke test, pretty much acted like he didn't give a shit. I thought perhaps I was having a migraine, since I'd had this crippling pain behind my right ear for three straight days. Since I seemed to know what was wrong, he gave me a pain shot and sent me on my way with an order for an MRI. (He never gives me his own diagnosis, I have to tell him what it is.) The insurance wouldn't approve the MRI. I would have had to have had the pain for TWO WEEKS for them to approve it.

A WEEK LATER I'm no better, and I've been going to work like this. I can't eat, sleep, or talk very plainly at all. I'm absolutely at the end of my rope. My boss sent me back to the doctor, and when I walked in, his nurse said alarmingly, "Wow, you're no better than you were a week ago." No shit Sherlock.

FINALLY I got a steroid, pain medication, and anti-inflammatory, and within a day I started to respond. Unfortunately, two years later, I still have some minor residual damage to the right side of my face. Every time it twitches, I'm cursing my doctor.

My doctor is the worst physician in town. I normally go only once a year to get my thyroid medication renewed. They take my blood pressure and take blood, but the last time, he didn't even touch me. In and out of the exam room in less than five minutes.

I guess since I don't make him any money, he doesn't have to care.

My clinic is connected to a large medical school. My primary care person is a nurse practitioner. There often is a medical student accompanying her. I never see them wash their hands. Not on entering the room, not on leaving the room. However one day she called an M.D. into the room to look at my skin. He carefully washed his hands before and after examining me.

And yes, I am always weighed and vitals taken but rarely does anyone listen to my heart or lungs despite having a history of some cardiac concerns.

They did not take my vitals, and I waited for an hour. I was just getting ready to walk out when the doctor walked in. I told him what I thought of his service. He was very surprised that anyone would be critical. Maybe most people just take it. Not me.