This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Wow! Defensive...and can't this be flipped, aren't the neurologists trying to tell the IRs how to do the IRs job? In Canada someone is telling Sandy MacDonald how to (not be allowed to) do his job.

Yes, Cece. I came away from that appt feeling very sad for this misguided man. I am fortunate in my career and credit much of my success to spirited dialogue and constructive criticism. I can imagine nothing other?

As you know, Dr MacDonald is one of the many good ones up here. The following is an extract from a letter he wrote in response to Dr David Spence's attempt to debunk CCSVI...

Comes down to expectation of privacy. In a public arena, no expectation for the most part. In private conversations, for the most part (and all of our states have their own laws on this), consent and/or the possibility that one may be recorded is the law.

For instance, when you call these service centers it says, "this call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes". Hardy har har. No it aint, it's to provide a perfectly legal recording of the conversation should it need be used against you in the future.

In private, there is an expectation of privacy, and as mentioned before, every state and/or jurisdiction has it's own flavor of this law.

If you call me in California, I HAVE to warn that the conversation may be taped, if I plan on doing such. In other states of course no consent is needed, unless you are not a party to the conversation and are taping someone else's, then neither is consenting, and thats illegal.

Now, if it were me I might say: "here's the conversation I had with my Dr as I recall".

But thats just me lol.

It is interesting whenever we get some insight into the mind of neurologists from across the spectrum. Some surprise us, some don't.

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RRMS Dx'd 2007, first episode 2004. Bilateral stent placement, 3 on left, 1 stent on right, at Stanford August 2009. Watch my operation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwc6QlLVtko, Virtually symptom free since, no relap

Is this the new thing now? Bringing tape recorders to neuro appointments? Where was he rude? The guy engages in a normal conversation and gets his comments posted, unknowingly, on a MS blog site. Nice.

I wouldn't say it is very new at all. The technology has existed for many years. It has been used against the patient and much more rarely, the doctor. The important point here remains: no one, including the taper, was identified. All this belly-aching is over someone only identified as some anonymous person's neurologist. I would feel sorry for them and indignant and so forth maybe, if anyone were named. But they weren't. Only the profession was identified.

I suppose if a specific neurologist recognized the conversation as his, and the patient as his, he could take it up with the patient. I doubt the conversation is even identifiable, because it is so generic. We might do a study by collecting generic exchanges and identifying them with the exact meaning of the underlying statement. We would not have identified anybody, but we would have identified the 'stock answer' and disarmed it somewhat.

The neurological community members are waging a propaganda war that can only be won by identifying the 'stock' untruths and half-truths used as weapons. They do not outnumber us, but they have a lot of clout. I see nothing wrong, exactly the opposite, in analyzing and understanding these tactic.

Die Gedanken sind frei.

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"Try - Just A Little Bit Harder" - Janis Joplin
CCSVI procedure Albany Aug 2010
'_MS' is over - if you want it
Patients sans/without patience

My husband and I have taken a recorder to many of my doctor appointments. My memory is so poor I never remember everything that is discussed at any appointment. But we always ask the doctor for permission first : "Do you mind if we record this session ?".

More often because I want my doctors to be open and frank with me I do NOT record my appointments. I feel that what is said is a private communication between me and my doctor. I may reveal to others the gist of what my doctor says, but I would never quote him word for word. I want to maintain the mutual trust that makes for a good doctor/patient relationship. If I decide I don't like a doctor I just don't see him/her anymore. I've already dropped one new doctor this summer for just this reason.

I am lucky to have three doctors who I respect and trust, including my MS neurologist, even though he is very neutral toward CCSVI.

ozarkcanoer

You might if you were sure nobody would recognize it. I don't think doctors are concerned with the ownership of their words. For instance if my doctor used the words: "suppress the immune system" I don't think he could claim to own that phrase.

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"Try - Just A Little Bit Harder" - Janis Joplin
CCSVI procedure Albany Aug 2010
'_MS' is over - if you want it
Patients sans/without patience