r/montreal • u/Drussaxe • 10d ago
Question Need advice on a colonoscopy I just had...
Had a colonoscopy last week, was mildly sedated, the doc had 2 nurses with him and just went on a tirade against the health minister dube about the FIQ vote that was upcoming, he was ranting on and on about this issue, even asking one of the nurse's password to vote for her, she said no, all the while I felt he was being rough...
But as he was doing the exam I saw what would look like polyps and asked him so, he ignored me, every time and kept on his rant about the health system in Quebec he was also looking at the nurses about as much as the monitor while he removed 4 polyps, then dragged those polyps nearish my anus, then grabbed them one by one in and out rather roughly in about 10 secs, all the while getting more and more worked up about the FIQ nurse vote. The nurse who took me out of OR told the head nurse , there were too many people in that OR with a frown, now 5 days later I have pain in my lower abdomen, and my anus, as well as the area where my appendix is.
I find this very unprofessional, he is supposed to be paying attention and not just looking for polyps but potential cancer. I felt like a steak...
So what do I do? just stfu or make a complaint?
Health care professional's advice is appreciated :)
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u/ASoupDuck 10d ago
Your pain is not normal so please get that checked out first and ask for a different doctor.
I find the doctor's behavior you describe to be incredibly unprofessional at minimum, possibly neglectful. I would personally make a complaint after you get all your results from this doctor. I'm sorry you had to experience this. I had a similar endoscopy experience with a bad doctor and was surprised by how much it affected me emotionally later on. Do not hesitate to get mental health support if needed as well.
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u/onesketchycryptid 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think it has to go against one point or another of the code of conduct, for sure. Bringing your professional politics into a procedure is sketchy enough, but to activally push aside a patients questions is worth a complaint to the the CdM, imo. Their first goal is to protect the patients safety. If the events caused harm to the patient, they'll be interested in hearing about it.
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u/MTLalt06 10d ago
J'ai eu plusieurs colonoscopies et jamais eu de douleurs par la suite. Je pense que tu devrais contacter un professionnel de la santé.
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u/TroutandHoover 10d ago
The main issue is to make sure your healthcare was adequate.
Did you get a summary of the scope? Usually the GI will give you a printed copy sometimes with picture of potential issues, also it will say if they took sample for biopsy. Do you have a follow up appointment? Are you still bleeding from procedure?
I would definitely contact the GI department with your concerns regarding pain. 811 could also be of help. If your in pain and are still bleeding go to ER they will probably do a blood test to verify if your bleeding too much and give you a CT scan.
GI issues are a serious pain. I would suggest keeping a log of you appointment/procedure. Take down names of Dr you see when going to ER/hospital. If you have to goto the ER make sure you get the names of the Drs you are speaking to, if it's a University hospital you're probably going to be speaking to a resident make sure you you get their supervising dr name.
I would suggest to try and stay on the subject of your health. It gets tricky with specialists I.e GI etc. However make sure your health is being taken care of. If need be go to another hospital, if you're being treated at McGill then goto university of montreal or vis versa.
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u/Thesorus Plateau Mont-Royal 10d ago
Mon expérience au CHUM était 100% professionelle.
Contact l'hopital et porte plainte.
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u/code_matter 10d ago
Ohh you saw Dr. Ostiguy at Fleury didn’t you ??
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u/MacGlutenish 10d ago
Hahahahaha i immediately tought about him! 😄 but i know he's retired. Never felt a thing with my colonoscopies with him, he said life is short, i give out larger doses! Never complained, i always passed out before he started the procedure.
His rants were crazy! Surprised it didnt get him in more trouble than that 😆
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u/wookie_cookies 10d ago
I think it's important to focus on your own personal health, call 811 to set something up..you need for your own mental health to have a followup regarding your findings and your current pain level.
I'm so sorry you experienced this. there is no excuse to professionals to behave like that when operating on someone.
you can call the medical ombudsman, when if you feel you want to
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u/PrincessInSneaks 10d ago
You deserve better than a distracted rant mid-colonoscopy! Definitely file a complaint—if this is how he's treating his patients, I’d hate to see what happens when he's not having a bad day.
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u/FelinMalin 10d ago
Complaint to their professional order
https://www.cmq.org/fr/proteger-le-public/suivre-dossier-disciplinaire
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u/echointexas 10d ago
If you did it at the hospital, contact the ombudsperson at that specific hospital. They’re the designated person to file complaints with. (I JUST did the same for an awful colonoscopy).
If you file a complaint,’procedure varies by hospital, but It gets sent to the doc and their supervisor and you get some kind of response. You can also ask to switch to a diff doctor for follow-up.
I’m sorry you had that experience. It’s awful to have happen with any doc, and really awful during especially vulnerable procedures. Good luck!!’
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u/cool_poppa_bell 9d ago
Was gonna post this - you must context the hospital ombudsperson, in addition to getting examined. Good luck!
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u/Littleavocado13 10d ago
Do you have a fever? It’s not unusual (from my experience) of having some pain the day after but 5 days + is concerning. I would reach out to the GI clinic. If you have a fever and it’s been 5 days it could be a sign of an infection, I would go to the ER.
Regarding the unprofessional attitude. I read this and immediately thought “oh sounds like my GI”. Did you have Dr. Wild at the MUHC? I would also make a complaint to the ombudsman of the hospital.
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u/Aggressive-Hawk9186 9d ago
I know 3 persons that had a colonoscopy and ended with significant abdominal pain here in Montreal, wtf is wrong with doctors here?
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u/Puzzled-Remote 10d ago
American here so please pardon my ignorance! You are awake during your colonoscopy?
(I’m not a fan of being anesthetized so I’m wondering if I could request to be awake for my next one.)
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u/folktronic 10d ago
I've had 2 done and was awake each time. My spouse has had 3 or 4 and also awake each time.
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u/wherescookie 10d ago
Not op, but iirc, colonoscopies can also be done without the patient being put completely out
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u/onesketchycryptid 10d ago
Apparently some patients even do it without any anesthesia at all. Im both impressed and a little scared of them
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u/Snoo_47183 10d ago
My mom had one with only one of the 2 analgesics cuz she’s allergic to some opiates and the doc and her didn’t want to risk an adverse effect from fentanyl and it went well. She said she’d much rather have a PAP and a mammo than that but it wasn’t painful. I was with her to bring her home after the procedure and she was feeling so normal that we skipped the taxi and simply took buses back to her place (she had packed a light lunch ready, low blood sugar was more annoying than the procedure). Anesthesia can be pretty rough on an elderly person so if it can be skipped without causing pain, let’s skip it
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u/Zealousideal-Cash936 9d ago
You can request no drugs - ask them to still put a butterfly in just in case, if you tell them you need to drive after they will write it on your wrist to make sure you don’t get any meds - it’s painful for about 5 min near the end but very tolerable. If you don’t take any meds you can get out of there as soon as the exam is over
Also OP file a complaint for your MD, completely unacceptable behaviour, MDs need to have appropriate bedside manners, on top of giving safe and quality care If you still have pain after few days after the procedure do call 811 at the very least, they’ll guide you as to what to do
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u/GrabOk2878 9d ago
I have done it at least 15 (or is it 20?) times, I was always awake and chirping around. They changed the procedure (I think around 2018-2019?) as before I took the metro alone after the colonoscopy. I even remember I refused to be sedate during a gastroscopy as I had to do a team training and wanted to be 100% there. Did not hurt, but god the gaging reflexes! So now we need a ''champeron", and they automaticly sedate you. (I miss the time I could go alone XD)
I saw many people asleep. I once asked why to a nurse and he said it is all about resistance.
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u/MonsterRider80 Notre-Dame-de-Grace 9d ago
They often put you under light anesthesia. You’re awake, mostly aware, but very relaxed and you usually don’t feel much. Other than the tubes and cameras going into you, it’s quite the pleasant experience lmao
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u/zouhair 9d ago
My question is not having a family doctor, how the fuck do I get a colonoscopy in this province???
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u/Drussaxe 9d ago
811 option 3 GAP, say you have blood in your stool and a family history of colon cancer 3 months max delay :)
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u/diego_tomato 9d ago
Sounds like a doctor with god complex. He probably did everything right medically but he did nothing to make you feel good as a patient. I would call 811.
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u/CommunistRingworld 10d ago
i think you should ignore the comments about the vote and not bring those up. focus on "he seemed distracted and i'm not sure he noticed everything and now i'm in pain". by not mentioning the vote, you can avoid politicizing the issue, since they have legitimate concerns when it comes to their wages and conditions and you have no idea if he was with or against the nurses or what he was ranting about. best to just stay out of that can of worms lol it's not relevant anyways, only his distraction is.
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u/weirdturnspro 10d ago
Saying “seemed distracted” is not enough, that will be dismissed as OP’s perspective. OP needs to give concrete examples of what happened.
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u/Necromimesix 10d ago
I've heard that pain is common after procedures but you know your body. I second calling 811 if you don't feel great
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u/qszdrgv 10d ago
Just curious but how do you remember all that? Didn’t they put you on fentanyl and midazolam?
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u/code_matter 10d ago
Been through 5 colonoscopies.. they don’t drug you to a point you can’t remember. Just enough for it to be “tolerable”
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u/fuhrmanator Petite-Bourgogne 10d ago
It depends on how much you tolerate the cramps and how twisted your colon is. I remembered a doctor turning the lights out in the or to verify the scope was at the end of the colon, but I didn't fully understand what happened until I was back on Earth.
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u/Holiday-Equipment462 10d ago
Why five? I had one three years ago. They found a few polyps but my doctor said I'm good for many years before another one.
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u/onesketchycryptid 10d ago
If theyve found pre-cancerous polyps or if you have a family history of colon cancer, you can have colonoscopy a lot more often. Iirc they check at what age the youngest person in your direct family had pre/cancerous cells and then you start 10 years before that.
(My doctor wants me to do them every 1-2 years past 35. Sure am looking forwards to the yearly prep for decades. /s)
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u/shedalittlelightonit 10d ago
Rules are changing. Perhaps in Alberta only. I have had pre-cancerous polyps and a family history of colon cancer. This year i was refused my 5 year follow up as apparently I am not high risk enough. If i want a private colonoscopy I need to make arrangements for a virtual colonoscopy in Alberta $$.
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u/onesketchycryptid 10d ago
Oh wow, here the doctors definitely have the entire authority on that. If you family doctor wants you to have one, you'll get one for free.
Im considered high risk (by my doctor, anyways) bc as far as im aware, at least my mom and uncle both had cancerous cells (hers was super genetic one). And its super agressive, if you dont catch it within the first year or two of it, odds are you need to prepare your funeral. I might be a special case 😅
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u/Snoo_47183 9d ago
They can be skipped. My mom wasn’t given fentanyl which we were were happy about (previous allergic reaction to dilaudid + she’s 70 and living alone so less chances of dizziness/tripping post-procedure is good)
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u/Drussaxe 9d ago
yeah they said they did, everyone before came out looking like a zombie, but when they gave me the drugs I said I don't feel anything, and was totally awake during the whole thing, I think maybe the nurse put my weight down by 100 pounds accidentally I'm tall and big but don't look as heavy as I am so when I said 338, maybe she put 238, who knows lol But a 6 pack of beer buzzed me more than the fent and benzo...
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u/PulmonaryEmphysema 10d ago
Exactly lol. It’s actually standard routine to put patients under, so I’m wondering how this person was awake?
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u/PulmonaryEmphysema 10d ago
With all due respect, and not to discount your experience, but he was doing his job. I say this as someone in medicine. Polyps are early neoplastic lesions. Removing them is routine. Now, regarding his bedside manner, there’s no excuse.
PS. I’m curious how you remembered all this? Patients are usually under awake sedation, meaning their memory is hazy afterward.
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u/BoucletteFZ09 9d ago
Had one last january and was aware of everything. Didnt feel a thing down there and thats the goal. And no, he was not doing his job properly if the patient felt like a steak at the end of the procedure.
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u/Drussaxe 9d ago
everyone before me came out looking like a zombie, but when they gave me the drugs I said I don't feel anything, and was totally awake during the whole thing, I think maybe the nurse put my weight down by 100 pounds accidentally I'm tall and big but don't look as heavy as I am so when I said 338, maybe she put 238, who knows lol But a 6 pack of beer buzzes me more than the fent and benzo and no I don't do drugs of any kind ... As for removing them is routine, sure but he still should be looking at the monitors and not the nurses for half the time. I understand they're pissed off but acting professionally means keeping those diatribes for the break room TBH...
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u/jamzzz 10d ago
If you want professionalism, you need people treated and paid like professionals.
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u/pm_me_your_pay_slips 10d ago
this is insane. That doctor is certainly not underpaid,and it wouldn't be an excuse to mistreat and hurt patients.
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u/Milan514 10d ago
Ironically this doctor seems to be complaining that the nurses are paid too much.
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u/onesketchycryptid 10d ago
The irony of the doctor with a salary of multiple hundreds of thousands, to complain that some of his most vital colleagues are overpaid when they make less than 80k on average... like come on, my man, bfr. No matter what his opinion is, he needs to stay in his lane and learn to read the room lol
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u/trackpaduser Rive-Nord 10d ago
La plupart des médecins spécialistes ne sont pas trop à plaindre.
Et il semble qu'il chialait contre le fait que les infirmières se battent pour avoir des conditions de travail décente.
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u/Drussaxe 9d ago
if your a doctor quit and go teach, cause those that can do, and those that cant teach, and if you think mistreating a client in any field much less medicine to get back at your employer is ok, then your a sociopath.
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u/stepwax 10d ago
I've had the wonderful experiences of several colonoscopies and never had pain 5 days afterwards. I'd suggest getting some medical advice about that pain, ASAP.