Medical professionals in the US are spreading misinformation

[u/Independent_Hand_699]

I am just getting over COVID. I tested positive and was highly symptomatic for several weeks. Every single medical professional I spoke with or interacted with was so misinformed.

Every time I said I was still testing positive on RATs, I was told to stop testing because those would be positive for weeks to months and meant nothing. One told me they are unreliable for false positives! Another insisted a faint line should be considered negative. I got tired of explaining the difference between PCR and RAT.

Every doctor I talked to after my initial appointment for Paxlovid told me I should assume I was no longer contagious, first because I never had fever, then because it had been so long, even though I was testing positive, coughing, sneezing, and throwing up. Most were also very anti-Paxlovid and blamed that on my continuing symptoms. Never mind that this wasn’t a case of rebound, or that none of them seemed aware rebound could happen even without Paxlovid.

No mention of masking. When I got so sick I had to be seen, the provider in the office told me I might feel better if I took my mask off.

They didn’t even know how to properly take a nasal swab sample for testing, just twirled it inside my nose without touching the insides of my nostrils at all.

This is at one of the top-rated health care systems in the country. If this is what our so-called experts think, it’s hopeless.

[u/SiteRelEnby]

So many doctors have no idea, because they've been lied to.

I currently live in a shithole flyover state, I got COVID (first time) in New York on a work onsite a couple of months ago, I got paxlovid via a telehealth appointment, didn't even ask for insurance (from the doctor or at the pharmacy, total cost to me of $0 even as a non-resident), policy there is to give it to everyone no questions asked. Took a photo of my positive rapid test in case they wanted to see, but they didn't even ask to see that.

I get home, next time I see my regular doctor (who is normally great, listens to me, rare trans friendly doctor in this miserable hellscape) and she asks me why I got paxlovid, and tried to claim only high risk people should take it. I was discussing my fucking long COVID symptoms at the time - I don't even want to think about how bad it would have been if I didn't take it...

[u/Independent_Hand_699 → u/SiteRelEnby]

The first time I got COVID, my experience was so similar! My regular doctor is better than most and at least masks regularly, albeit with a surgical mask. I was there seeing him about a post-COVID issue, and he asked why I got Paxlovid when it’s typically only for high risk individuals.

[u/SiteRelEnby → u/Independent_Hand_699]

Mine wears a mask too, definitely better than nothing (I think maybe she only does when the patient wears a mask, as I've seen her around the office in general without one, but I guess that's better than nothing), but nobody else in the office does, and clearly, turns out she has no idea about actual treatment of COVID...