[BigV]

I don't want to bully my doctor. I want my problem solved, and that includes problems I don't know about like hypertension. I also want my questions answered, I like being an informed patient. For the record, I'm very happy with my current doctor, except I've moved farther away and seeing him is a bit of an ordeal now.

I definitely don't want to be insulted or ignored or disregarded. Those kinds of personal interactions are definitely ones I have a legitimate ability to assess.

I can't speak for those patients that come in to see the doctor having succumbed to the power of marketing on the part of big pharma. Those people get what they deserve. I say that then immediately feel chagrined. I deal with customers who hire me to give them professional help, and sometimes they insist on the solution too. It's a common problem, I bet mechanics and service pros of all stripes can tell such stories. It's important to make sure the patient/customer knows what they're getting--which might not be the rosy happy ending of the commercial they saw.

Untangling those two takes skill. I've been ... told/upbraided/counseled by bosses who heard negative reactions from my customers. That part sucks. And the customer pays the bills. But, they won't pay if they're not getting their problems solved.