to wonder why people dont question drs?

[biddysmama]

i was talking to a woman in my 'due in' groups and she said she didnt want certain tests but had to ... i told her i refused those tests (downs and diabetes tests) and she said she didnt know she was allowed to refuse..

she was shocked when i told her i refused iron tablets (upped my iron in food instead),downs,cervix exams,diabetes test,induction,injection for placenta after labour..

is it not normal to question and/or opt out of things you dont want or really need?

No one has said anyone should avoid tests, have they?

Just that you can question medical advice and refuse tests/procedures if you wish.

I always ask open questions of doctors. Why are you doing that test and are there others you could do? Why do you recommend that drug and not that one? Why are you giving me this diagnosis and not that one with similar symptoms?

I do have a degree in biochemistry but am not a doctor. I just want to know they have been through a proper process and considered the options. I regard doctors as someone that works with me and offers expert advice to help me get well. I use lawyers and accountants and other professional advisors so am used to dealing with them and treat them in the same way.

Ultimately, I don't go against good professional advice without good reason.

I always ask questions - everytime I see the Consultant/Registrar (which is weekly ATM). However, I very rarely refuse (if ever) to follow their advice - I just need to have a clear explanation of what they want to do & why before it happens. For some reason, I tend to feel that a Obs & Gynae Consultant may know more about what signs to look/test for in pregnancy than me - even if it is my 3rd baby! And why refuse the diabetes test? It's only lucozade & a blood test .

Oh, and I can't imagine myself refusing an induction either. My Consultant is well-known for "not liking to induce". If I get to the point where that's what she wants to do then I'll know there must be a darn good reason (and probably panic!).

That's just me though - I would still defend anyone else's right to refuse whatever they wish to refuse (so long as the baby is not at risk obviously).

I would defend the right to refuse even if the foetus is at risk.

" I would defend the right to refuse even if the feotus is at risk"

Well that's just bloody selfish and irresponsible

It's your right to be as sefish and irresponsible as you like.

And what about the babys right to be born healthy? Or does that not matter?

Does a baby have a right to be born healthy Mixitnow? I'm not sure a foetus has any rights, certainly none that trump the mother's rights over her own body.

I would also RitaMorgan. Altinkum, did you see the stats saying 40-60% of women had no known risk factor and that lots of women don't get symptoms?

MrsBB1982, it would be naive to think that procedures are always medically necessary. It's about what is standard practice in a particular country or health service and the habit of the specific staff member. There are mdwives who do very few sweeps and ones whose do a lot as standard.

i didnt have downs tests with DD or in this pregnancy, i dont remember having a diabetes with DD but may have, if im offered one this pg i will but only because i was overweight when i fell pg and although ive kept weight gain to a minimum i still worry that it could be a problem. if i was a normal weight when i fell pg this time i wouldnt bother tbh.

It's a basic human right to refuse medical treatment.

altinkum - here it is not routine. It's only done if you are deemed to be "at risk". As I fall into that category, I saw no problem in having the test.

RitaMorgan - yes, I suppose that is your right. After all, it would be you who would have to live with yourself if the baby died or suffered in any way as a result of your decision. Personally, I couldn't do that.

No child should have to suffer disability , death or invasive treatment after it's born purly because the mother refused a treatment or test that wouldn't have harmed her

Wow. Those stats are off Wiki, but seriously, if 40-60% of women with gestational diabetes have no risk factors why would you refuse the test?

Mixitnow - it's up to the individual mother to decide though, isn't it? Or are you suggesting we force women to submit to medical procedures against their will?

I changed my MW/consultant to another consultant as they didn't listen to me. My GP (actually both at my practice ) is very hood about discussing treatment/explaining side affects etc.

I think it's sensible to be informed and politely to question medical decisions or procedures if you don't understand how they apply to you. You have a right to a 2nd opinion if you genuinely don't agree or to see another medical professional if you don't have faith in or get on with the person allocated to you. I totally support this.

However there is a lot of misinformtion on this thread.

Eg
My first DD was over 9lbs. I probably had a BMI of 25 pre-pregnancy and put on about 2-2.5 stone in pregnancy. I felt well thoughout. I never had sugars in my urine. I "passed" the diabetes tests (had a borderline lucozade test so did have a GTT) so assume I didn't have diabetes.

My DS was 7lbs. I probably had a BMI of 23 pre-pregnancy and put on about 1-1.5 stone in pregnancy. I felt well throughout. I had a very high result on the GTT and did have Gestational Diabetes. On the very day that I had a very high blood sugar reading there were no sugars detected in my urine.

I did "refuse" induction at 38 weeks and question some proposals for managing my care based on the facts of my specific case but I think it's madnes to refuse screening as something that "you don't really need". These things can save lives - for both mothers and babies.

Yes, I wonder why more people don't question doctors too. Mostly I do it to make sure I have all of the information, which ime some doctors are reluctant to give, or don't seem to think is necessary to give.

With regard to pregnancy tests, I've always refused Downs and diabetes isn't done on everyone here. I would refuse induction if monitoring was normal on an overdue baby too (not that I've ever been overdue) and have refused vitamin k and the injection for 3rd stage too.

Just to clarify, I'm not talking about "mother OR baby" life & death situations. I'm talking about refusing an induction or c-section etc. which would (as surely as it is possible to be sure) result in a healthy as possible under the circumstances, living, mother & baby.

but medical professionals do do things for no reason apart from their own benefit in labour, and have done for a long time which is why you have women in stirrups,

internal exams? i know im in bloody labour it is my second child, yet you want to interrupt the flow of my labour by making me go on to a ward, lie down flat on my back with legs in the air, so YOU can know im in labour. and then make me get up and walk through public areas while in labour, or if you decide im not dilated enough to require pain relief and a health professionals support you might send me home contracting on the street and on the bus,.

and if they let you in the hospital after a few hours tthey will do ve to see how diklated you are, but why does it matter? if you are only 5cm dilated then it just disheartens you, the baby will come when its ready unless there are problems, knowing how dilated you are after a few hours, how does it help? but it does interupt labour flow.

i declined the diabeties test as well, it was given to me as 'you need this test as your last baby was big..10lb 13oz) but i was well, had no symptoms, no family history, not overweight, absolutely NO indidcating factors at all. i discussed it with my midwife and she was happy for me to not have it. dd was born at a very small (for me) 8lb exactly, the smallest of my 5.

i have also refused to be induced, policy here is term plus ten, i went to term plus 14 with ds2 and then term plus 17 with ds3, again i looked at all the facts, spoke to my midwife and had extra monitering and a scan to check placental function etc. i didnt refuse just because, i did the research, got an informed medical opinion etc.

all my babies have been 'late' as were my mums, i have a longer menstrual cycle and when born none of them showed ANY signs of being overdue at all and the midwives checked my placenta carefully and said it was fine and didnt look like an overdue placenta at all.

however with dd, i got induced at term plus 9, they didnt want to, but i INSISTED, i didnt feel well, the pregnancy had been hard and i just had a niggly feeling, coupled with reduced movements etc, when induced it was foudn i had low fluid levels and the placenta DID look like it was past its best when dd was delivered. so i did the right thing in insisting on being induced and the midwife who delivered dd agreed with me. sometimes it is best to question the drs, if i had not then dd may not be the well healthy baby she is.

i respect drs and value their opinion but i will question and research and ask for and get a second or even third opinion if i think i need to.

ie my ds3 was VERY ill last year, it dragged on for week and i knew something wasnt right, i was fobbed of for weeks and when ds3 was finally admitted to hospital they found he had kawasakies diesease, this can be VERY serious, resulting in heart problems, he has since had to have lots of follow up checks including echocardiograms etc, thankfully he has suffered no ill effects, but had i not gone back and questioned further and pushed to see a different dr this may have been missed and IF he had suffered heart damage as a result it could well have been life threatening.

drs ARE only human and unfortunately they do make mistakes, or miss things and i could never have forgiven myself if i had just taken the drs word for it that ds3 'just' had a virus and then he had died or been seriously ill as a result.

btw i dont see it as the drs fault persay that he missed the illness my son had, it is very rare in this country and he didnt fit the 'typical' type of child/diagnostic list that they have. but i am pleased that i saw a diff gp who agreed with me that ds3's symptoms needed further investigation and then diagnosed the kawasakies.

that should be it dragged on for weekS not week.

That backs up the stats NearlyHeadlessNigel (enough with the HP already)

I'm surprised that people are so focused on risk factors if 40-60% of those who have gestational diabetes don't have any. Saying that, I never knew those stats until this thread. I would always have insisted on being tested because of the family I know who suffered the consequences of undiagnosed GD. I never knew that such a huge proportion of women with it didn't have any known risk.