Japanese doctors lying to patients in Japan?

[TokyoJoeblow]

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/12/18/Japanese-doctors-lie-about-cancer/6461598424400/

I know this article is about Japanese doctors lying to their patients about not having cancer when they do, but they probably lie to their patients about other things as well. I went to a doctor to check for possible prostate cancer and they wouldn't give me a CT or MRI scan and just said "I'm too young and don't have prostate cancer" and only gave me the finger check. Also every time I go to a hospital or clinic here in Japan, the doctors always tell me "you are ok" no matter if the symptoms are chronic or severe and sudden and really something to be concerned about.

I can share a couple examples:

I went to a clinic about a possible issue with my left kidney and the doctor had me take a urine test, which didn't reveal anything. So he then scheduled me to have another check up at the biggest hospital in town. So I go to the hospital and they do an x-ray and say it is nothing and that my symptoms must be just muscle pain...really? Why showed me the results of the x-ray but only briefly, so I wasn't given a chance to take a good look at it.

I even explained that I almost always have this dull pang sensation in the exact spot where my left kidney is on my back and it is a deep sensation not just on the surface of my skin. If it isn't a kidney issue, why do I often feel it while I'm urinating. I found this entire hospital visit really strange and unsatisfying.

Another time, I when to a neurologist because I sometimes get nerve pains in my hands, arms and legs on one side. The neurologist mentioned that if it is only on one side, I'm fine but only serious if it is on both sides because that signals cancer. I can understand that if it only occurs on one side, but is most likely not cancer, but why does he excuse it so easily as nothing serious?

I explained to him that I had brain surgery for a growing subarachnoid cyst 5 years ago and he still mentioned that he doesn't think these nerve pains are related to that...what? He thinks it is just from stress?

I guess this is possible but I'm starting to have different symptoms. In fact, just last night when trying to fall asleep, for a moment my face lost sensation and it was like my eyes lost control for a brief moment (less than a second), the sides of my head felt like they had an invisible vice on them. I also had really really tight neck and upper back muscles. My neck and upper back muscles tighten up because of my online job has be sitting at a PC all day, along with stress and also work outs three times a week.

My friend gave me a neck and back massage to soften up the muscles, and my strange symptoms slowly went away, so I'm thinking that maybe my muscles were so tight that they literally cut off the blood circulation to my brain for a moment? I think my blood circulation was cut off for a moment because my body temperature changed. I went from being hot (summer here) to feeling cold and needing to put a long sleeve shirt. My body warmed up and I was no longer cold when my muscles softened up. When it first happened, my first thought was it is a transient ischemic attack which I guess can be caused by neck muscles constricting blood flood to my brain.

I'm still reading more about this situation online because this is the first time experiencing this. I just know that the doctors here in Japan would most likely just tell me "you are ok" as usual.

Have any other foreigners or Japanese people on here had any experiences with Japanese doctors or symptoms like this before?

 

[Sudsy]

You realise that that's a thirty year old article, right? Times have changed. Most hospitals now operate on a strict policy of informed consent, under heavy pressure from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. If a cancer case is terminal, they will discuss with the family whether to tell the patient the severity of the case, but they won't lie to the patient about the condition. Failure to properly inform a patient of their condition and options is legally actionable under the Medical Practitioners law, as well, which is why hospitals are adopting these policies - nobody likes being on the losing end of a lawsuit.


> I went to a doctor to check for possible prostate cancer and they wouldn't give me a CT or MRI scan and just said "I'm too young and don't have prostate cancer" and only gave me the finger check.

The DRE (digital rectal exam) is the standard preliminaty test. If the DRE doesn't reveal abnormalities, a CT or MRI is contraindicated.

> I go to the hospital and they do an x-ray and say it is nothing and that my symptoms must be just muscle pain

Kidney issues generally don't manifest as pain in that area unless it's a kidney stone, which would have shown up on an x-ray. Again, the absence of other symptoms would indicate lower back muscle strain. And no surprise - urinating utilises the muscles in your lower back.

> My friend gave me a neck and back massage to soften up the muscles, and my strange symptoms slowly went away

That should tell you something - that your issues are very likely stress and/or muscle strain.

Serious suggestion: Go to a seikotsuin - they are government accredited massage therapists who use martial arts derived techniques. Tell them about your pains and see what they can do - if it's a muscular issue, they're surprisingly effective, and they're very good at figuring them out. They're also covered by national health, so the cost is minimal, a couple thousand for the first session and 500-600 yen a session afterwards.

 

[TokyoJoeblow]

I have heard from various people here in Japan that seikotsuin are really hit or miss. Some are good and some are terrible. One Japanese man I know said a seikotsuin is responsible for some chronic nerve pain that he claims is nerve damage caused by receiving his services. I'm not saying I believe him, but just something he told me.

As for the possible mini-stroke, do you think it is just muscle/stress related? I had read that stress can mimic all sorts of health issues, including strokes/mini strokes, etc.

The symptoms of whatever this really is was scary as fuck. I'm thankful I didn't die (yet) and I was able to relieve the symptoms and get some rest last night.

So nobody else on here has experienced something like this before?

 

[Sudsy]

Pretty hard for a seikotsuin to cause chronic nerve pain, they mostly do soft tissue stuff and joint stretches.

> As for the possible mini-stroke, do you think it is just muscle/stress related?

Your symptoms subsided with some muscle relaxation - that would be a pretty good indicator.

 

[TokyoJoeblow]

Pretty hard for a seikotsuin to cause chronic nerve pain, they mostly do soft tissue stuff and joint stretches.

> As for the possible mini-stroke, do you think it is just muscle/stress related?

Your symptoms subsided with some muscle relaxation - that would be a pretty good indicator.

Well, most of my symptoms. I woke up today still feeling the headache, but the vice grip sensation on the sides of my head isn't as intense as it was last night.

I just made an appointment to visit a neurologist tomorrow to explain my experience and see what he has to say.

 

[Sudsy]

Or you could come up to Tokyo and pay a visit to Ai-chan.....

 

[TokyoJoeblow]

Or you could come up to Tokyo and pay a visit to Ai-chan.....

Well, I tried to see if I could visit the neurologist this afternoon but that is impossible, so I will see him tomorrow morning.

After explaining the situation to the nurse over the phone, she said my condition sounded serious and that I should go there tomorrow.

I know she isn't a doctor, but still creepy to have someone tell me that.

 

[TAG Manager]

Well, I tried to see if I could visit the neurologist this afternoon but that is impossible, so I will see him tomorrow morning.

After explaining the situation to the nurse over the phone, she said my condition sounded serious and that I should go there tomorrow.

I know she isn't a doctor, but still creepy to have someone tell me that.

That’s CYA. They aren’t supposed to give opinions over the phone... she has no real idea, so the obvious choice is come get seen.

 

[TokyoJoeblow]

I was reading on various articles online that migraines and tension headaches can mimic symptoms of a stroke/TIA? Would this even include symptoms such as jerky eye movements for a short moment?

I will be asking the doctor this as well.

 

[Frenchy]

I’m sorry , havent read the story yet, but just reading the title I’m certain it is again proof of the Japanese people’s longstanding conspiracy against TokyoJoeBlow.