This is a total whining and bitching session about medical care

[Raineyrocks]

I went to the doctor's yesterday and told him almost everybody in my house is sick with some kind of respitory(sp?) thing and that my throat was itchy.  Fine, he says my lungs are clear and my throat looks okay but to call if anything gets worse. 

It's not him personally I'm angry with, it's all of the bullshit about what happened today, he's not even in today so there's little he could've done to help me so now it gets down to "office policy."   

Last night I rushed my daughter, Brandie to the ER, she had a real bad nose bleed and started throwing up tons of blood so I freaked out.  She's okay the doctor ran some tests and explained to me that when people have a bad nose bleed, they swallow the blood and then throw it up.  Of course though seeing a sink full of blood and your kid covered in it would probably freak anybody out.

The doctor at the hosptial was awesome and gave her a script for Zithromax, (which is expensive, but oh well), and I asked him if he could help me out with one for Rick.  He did because we don't have insurance so that was really nice of him.

Onto todays dilemna:  I called my doctor and told the receptionist that I was feeling worse and my doctor said if I was feeling worse to call.  They want me to come in and pay another $75 after he just freakin saw me yesterday and said to call, not come in to save me money.  He's not in today but someone else could see me and I said, "That's nice, I can't afford it, my credit card is maxed out and now I have my daughter's ER bill on top of everything else, I can't come in."    She said, "you really need to be seen, it's procedure."  I said, "I really need money and was just in there."

Bottom line:  I am sick as hell and can't even get an antibiotic or any help.  I'm going to call tomorrow if I'm not feeling better and see what my doctor will do about it and if he will buck against "office policy", since he told me to call anyway.

I've been taking herbs, vitamins, blah, blah, they're not helping, doesn't this really suck?

[doobie]

Yeah, I went to a doctor to get some vaccines for when I traveled to India a few years back...  He said he couldn't give me half the stuff until I went for blood work to see if I had the vaccines or a natural immunity first, okay fine whatever.  I get back there he gives me the stuff he had "in-stock", then told me I needed to come back in two weeks for the others.  I come back in two weeks, and get the rest, but I had also asked about getting my cholesterol checked when I had the initial blood work, that results wasn't in, so he asked for me to come back.  The fourth time I went in, he told me that his Secretary had forgotten to collect the co-pay, so I'd owe three co-pays, I looked at him and said, "I called to tell you what I needed and you told me to come in, I didn't call to have to come back and pay 4 co-pays."  I told him he could go screw himself.  I never paid the co-pays.  They sent me bills every 2-3 weeks, which got more and more uncivil and threatening.  I finally sent him a bill for my time; oh I forgot to tell you, I had two appointments in which he was a no-show.  So I billed him for the time I spent waiting (30 minutes each time).  Plus, I sent him a bill for the 30 minutes he made me wait, but I'll be nice, minus the co-pay.  I'll take cash, checks or money orders.  Never heard from them again.

[Raineyrocks]

Yeah, I went to a doctor to get some vaccines for when I traveled to India a few years back...  He said he couldn't give me half the stuff until I went for blood work to see if I had the vaccines or a natural immunity first, okay fine whatever.  I get back there he gives me the stuff he had "in-stock", then told me I needed to come back in two weeks for the others.  I come back in two weeks, and get the rest, but I had also asked about getting my cholesterol checked when I had the initial blood work, that results wasn't in, so he asked for me to come back.  The fourth time I went in, he told me that his Secretary had forgotten to collect the co-pay, so I'd owe three co-pays, I looked at him and said, "I called to tell you what I needed and you told me to come in, I didn't call to have to come back and pay 4 co-pays."  I told him he could go screw himself.  I never paid the co-pays.  They sent me bills every 2-3 weeks, which got more and more uncivil and threatening.  I finally sent him a bill for my time; oh I forgot to tell you, I had two appointments in which he was a no-show.  So I billed him for the time I spent waiting (30 minutes each time).  Plus, I sent him a bill for the 30 minutes he made me wait, but I'll be nice, minus the co-pay.  I'll take cash, checks or money orders.  Never heard from them again.

Awesome turn-around on them !   

[NJLiberty]

We get around that here by keeping a bottle of amoxicillin on hand. Someone I know brings me back a fresh bottle (60 capsules, 500mg) every year from Mexico (as well as some Mexican oregano and vanilla) and that easily lasts us a year or more. I have had enough ear and throat infections to know if I need medication. I don't need someone to charge me $65 to shine a light in my ear and tell me I'm sick. Obviously I don't give 500mg capsules to my seven year old. Then again she hasn't really been sick since she came home from the hospital as a newborn.

Perhaps it is the fact that we live in a drafty old farmhouse, don't send her to public school, didn't get her vaccinated, dont' try to sanitize our world, and she spends a good deal of time running around and playing outside. Both my sisters' families, that live a "modern" medically approved lifestyle, are sick constantly.

I can't believe your doctors would try to charge you repeatedly for essentially the same visit spread over a number of days. That is ridiculous.

George

[Raineyrocks]

We get around that here by keeping a bottle of amoxicillin on hand. Someone I know brings me back a fresh bottle (60 capsules, 500mg) every year from Mexico (as well as some Mexican oregano and vanilla) and that easily lasts us a year or more. I have had enough ear and throat infections to know if I need medication. I don't need someone to charge me $65 to shine a light in my ear and tell me I'm sick. Obviously I don't give 500mg capsules to my seven year old. Then again she hasn't really been sick since she came home from the hospital as a newborn.

Perhaps it is the fact that we live in a drafty old farmhouse, don't send her to public school, didn't get her vaccinated, dont' try to sanitize our world, and she spends a good deal of time running around and playing outside. Both my sisters' families, that live a "modern" medically approved lifestyle, are sick constantly.

I can't believe your doctors would try to charge you repeatedly for essentially the same visit spread over a number of days. That is ridiculous.

George

I'm glad your daughter doesn't get sick, that's awesome!  This flu or whatever took my family down for the past week and a half, this is the first day I've felt "okay", poor Rick is still really sick.    I found a site and ordered some Amoxicillin to have on hand so I don't have to put up with that, "we need to see you again" crap again too.   I don't know if it's my doctor or his office practice, I wish he'd open his own practice instead of working within an organized health care operation.

[NJLiberty]

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Unfortunately I would have to say I think it is doctors in general. Most of them have a holier than thou attitude towards their patients. It's a shame, but as long as they think they have a monopoly on health care I suspect they will act the same. Why provide good customer service when you know your customers have to come back to you?

George

[Raineyrocks]

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Unfortunately I would have to say I think it is doctors in general. Most of them have a holier than thou attitude towards their patients. It's a shame, but as long as they think they have a monopoly on health care I suspect they will act the same. Why provide good customer service when you know your customers have to come back to you?

George

Thanks!

I've met some really cool doctors and then some jerks, I guess it's the same as anywhere you go in life.   This doctor did give me my "old" thyroid combination back that I was taking in Maryland, even though he isn't familiar with it.  He said, "well, if it works for you then who am I to question it."   So that was pretty cool!   I do say no to some things he has wanted to prescribe for me and he doesn't get an attitude and I've refused tests too because it's my body, not his.  So I'm not sure if it's him or the "practice". 

My old doctor in Maryland was like 90 and kept his records on a notebook, charged $25 a visit and would actually treat you for stuff at his office not send you out for tests.  He had a heart attack and died, I miss him, not just because he was my doctor but because I liked him.