I know that everyone has likely experienced this and complained about it, but it’s frustrating to go to a medical professional for help and advice, only for them to be dismissive when you ask logical questions.
I just went to a doctor to check up on a condition which hasn’t gotten better since my last visit.
I came in, he did zero tests and just decided to prescribe me 4 different medications. Had I not persistently pressed him to tell me what he think is happening I would’ve left without knowing anything.
Towards the end he got frustrated and said “this is a medical prescription” and clearly wanted me to leave.
I was in there a total of 5 minutes.
Tired of this attitude like they’re some sort of medical god. There are worse mechanics and better mechanics, worse accountants and better accountants, and it’s exactly the same for doctors. Just because you are a doctor doesn’t make you great at your job, and there is no need to act like you’re a medical god to us poor peasants.
25 comments
Go to another and get a second opinion?
Just go to a different doctor. I don’t live in Tokyo but the doctors at my neighborhood clinic are pretty friendly and will take more time with you if you need it. I suspect that a big part of the problem in Tokyo is that the clinics are too busy so the doctors don’t have as much time per patient.
Maybe you should check the google 口コミ kuchikomi of the clinic you would be visiting before you visit. There you would know beforehand who you would be meeting or should you be visiting there.. Unfortunately, in Japan Doctors are like kings here. You dun see any good doctors here anymore.
I was diagnosed at a Japanese clinic with a lifelong incurable medical condition. At first, I had to visit the clinic monthly to get my medication adjusted. On maybe the second or third visit, my doctor got annoyed with my questions and exclaimed, “If you were Japanese, you wouldn’t be asking so many questions!”
This was not in Tokyo. I would’ve changed doctors, but his is the only clinic in town that can treat my condition.
I find many clinic doctors get butt-hurt if you try and discuss anything with them. A benefit of the Japanese medical system is that you are free to shop around and seek a second opinion. Find a doctor you like and stick with them. Google reviews can be helpful but people only tend to write negative experiences so its not always useful.
I have found that if you have a simple straight condition that is solved by one prescription then the system works. However if it something more complicated or the doctor was wrong, the first time, then you will have problems. Then, doctors will then prescribe things until something eventually works. NIH can also be very restrictive on what can be prescribed for what. As someone with both a pain medication and penicillin allergy, getting sick in Japan is a pain in the arse.
The story of my life. I have been to multiple doctors here and it’s usually the same. I went to a clinic because I was dealing with chronic fatigue, and they told me that I should just sleep more. No follow-up questions or bloodwork.
Oh gods don’t get me started. The number of pompous know-it-alls I have resented giving money to, who actually know sweet Fanny Adams and refuse to entertain alternative solutions to surgery, or to find the cause of a problem rather than just throw pills at me…
Go to another doctor, and if they’re crap, go to another. It costs you a First-Visit payment, but then at least you have the option of going to see them any time in the future.
Good luck.
Get a second opinion.
I had to do that when a doctor thought I had something I definitely do not. And when I told him I don’t think that’s the case, he just prescribed me medicine – which I didn’t buy.
Went to another doctor, she actually laughed at what I told her the other doctor had said and told me “you don’t have that, you’re fine”
I’m considering getting a second opinion on food allergies. I get hives and itchy often after I consume shellfish, but my doctor told me I’m not allergic and can safely continue to eat shellfish. He only gave me a blood test, and I tried to tell him about my hives but he basically told me I’m fine…
There’s a lot of bad doctors and there’s a lot of great doctors. Just gotta find the ones that work for you. Good luck!
It’s not just because you’re gaijin – jump on google maps and look at some low rated clinics near you, and find endless reviews from locals – tons of Drs here seem to be arrogant assholes.
I’ve had a mixed experience. Some seem to be super empathetic and careful, others are dismissive and belligerent.
I’ve been to a variety of doctors since I’ve lived here for 6 years. 90% of them are not good at their job/don’t care in my personal experience.
Can’t compare it to my home country US though cuz it was so dang expensive there I just got nyquil at the dollar store and prayed I didn’t die lol
Doctors were and still are the type of people you were told by your parents to respect, more than other occupations. Back in the days they essentially were the difference between life and death.
Now, most only think about getting as many patients coming in and out the door since that’s how they get those points and get paid.
Highly dedicated doctors do exist but because of word of mouth it can be heard to secure their services.
In your case it’s probably worth it go to another place, that way you might find a better doctor and at least you will get a second opinion
“I want you to know I am done and going to a different doctor.”
”You can’t do that!”
”Can’t do what?”
”See two doctors at the same time for the same condition.”
”Actually, I can. But that is not what I am saying. I am not going to see you ever again.”
Total silence ensues.
So you went to another doctor, yeah?
Give an honest review on one of the bigger review sites and see another doctor is all you can do.
My experiences with JP doctors are that 90% don’t care/don’t want to be responsible so they’re dismissive to err on the side of caution, and 5% are absolutely wonderful and actually know what’s going on. The remaining 5% are inconclusive.
Only thing you can do is shop around and look not for general good reviews but reviews from people who go into detail about specific topics. A lot of doctors get good reviews because the patient is happy to get sent home believing a pill is all they needed.
He is a sensei not you so every time you are asking a question you are questioning his authority. He may be right, you may be right, or both wrong it’s not the problem, only the title matters.
It’s hard to find a nice doctor not looking at you from above like he is some kind of god, when you find one stick with it.
This is gonna be an unpopular opinion. Not saying this is OP but if I were a doctor here I would probably be fed up as well.
People here go for anything. Sore throat? Go to the doctor! shoulder has been hurting for a day? Go to the doctor! I’m all for going to the doctor when needed but here it’s also being abused and people are taking time from people that actually needs it.
I had a sport-injury lead to an ingrown toenail when I was about 18, and acid used to kill the cells that made the side of the nail grow. Then it was re-injured in Tokyo and whatever bodily self-healing magic kicked in got the full width of the nail growing again, in under the flesh. I went to a podiatrist (foot doctor) that explained how he could drill tiny holes in the corners of my toenail and put a wire in to straight it up, so it would lift above the surrounding skin. I explained what I’d had done last time in Australia and that I wanted that again. He said that procedure would be a little painful. I said I didn’t care. He kept acknowledging both options but recommending the metal pin, which would have meant monthly visits for a year or so. I said I wanted a quick surgical procedure and to be back at karate training in a few weeks – not an option with a metal wire. Twenty minutes in he admitted he only did the metal-wire procedure. WTF? He’s a doctor who’s only specialising in feet, and he can’t do all the basic procedures? Or won’t, as I suspect without the repeat visits it’s not so profitable, though he seemed to be making enough to have 4 or 5 younger female nurses / receptionists. I left, and god knows what he made of me not taking his advice…. Found another GP-type doctor who just squatted down with a scalpel and got the job done in five or ten minutes.
This is common. Lots of god complexes here. Just have to move on and find an actual doctor.
I’ve been to many doctors over the years and I’ve started to notice a pattern where male doctors seem to already know what’s wrong with me before I even sit down, while female doctors listen to what I have to say and use that to inform their diagnosis.
I guess male doctors are allowed to take an elective in ESP over here.
I have a gastrointestinal issue and visited different clinics— they all openly told me it’s probably because my body is not used to digesting rice or fish (context: I’m from a Pacific Island…). I’m still looking for another doctor, hopefully one who isn’t Japanese.
I guess that’s the trade off for being able to see a specialist so quickly and easily in this country
I went to the clinic near my house because my bicep tendon was fucked up an told the fossil doctor that “attended” me that loxonin didn’t work for me, he told me things in japan are done differently than in my country and that I can’t tell him what to do… he prescribed loxonin hahaha. Im a doctor also but can’t prescribe for my self. I’ve seen this behavior pattern in 60s-80s year old drs
Definitely try another doctor if you can. I once had a doctor tell me that I had collagen disease and needed to see a specialist immediately. Cue me trotting off to a specialist, who then scolded me at length for wasting his time.
Went to another doctor for a second opinion. Have seasonal allergies.
I’ve had the complete opposite experience recently. Had to go to an emergency department last month, which admittedly was a pain in the ass just to get through the door and took a long time to be seen, and once I was taken through to a doctor they had me getting tested and keeping me and my wife extremely informed. We knew what was going on at every step of the way. They even allowed my wife to come and see me briefly after a bit of surgery at like 2am. Each step of the way they were absolutely phenomenal throughout both surgeries and all the testing in between. Only one of the doctors involved was a little bit arrogant and dismissive BUT changed her tone when I explained my families medical history and how it related to an extreme rare blood disorder that I have.