This was my yesterday...After waiting nearly 3 months for an appointment with the only rheumotologist Wanda picked me up and off we headed to Saranac Lake. The Dr.'s nurse spent approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes logging my medical history and medicines into the computer - before she left to let the Dr. know I was ready to be seen she leaned close my ear and whispered: "Go to Burlington and find a Dr. there." Remember, I waited almost three months to see the rheumotologist in Saranac Lake - I politely smiled & nodded. Then he walked in, THE SPECIALIST DOCTOR! He inquired as to why I was seeking his expertise,(did I mention he is a specialist?) Looking at the notes the nurse had taken, looking at the bag'opills I take he asked me why I was there?
"Well," I responded,"I am going to spend more time in NY so I will need an established relationship with a rheumotologist." He asked me who my primary care Dr. was? I explained the difficulties in finding a primary care Dr in the Malone area...there are 4 doctors from which I have to choose. 2 of them are not accepting new patients, the other 2 doctors felt my medical history was too complicated and they did not wish to interview me for the position of patient in their practice. Unfortunately, I have heard that phrase uttered many times since arriving in NY. It is my humble opinion that this particular "specialist" failed or missed the bedside manner class because he then tells me if I did not tell the Dr's. about my medical history one of them would accept me as a patient!! I might be wrong, however, isn't it mostly sick people with medical needs & histories whom seek medical care? By the way - those angels God sends down here to look after me, Wanda is one of those angels. Bottom line with the specialist - he does not know shingles, in adults, is caused by the herpes's virus, he does not know about Bynlesta, the first drug in a coon's age developed for individuals with SLE, seriously I mean it! Here is a new treatment or SLE & the specialist does not know about it. I showed him the rash on my midsection, which I typically get prior to a flare up - he told me it wasn't a pre-flare rash. I told him about my recent bout with extremely high blood pressure - that is not his speciality, he didn't want to hear it. When we began to discuss the family tree I told him my mother died moments after I was born therefor I could not provide any information about the maternal side of the family trees' health. He inquired as to the cause of her death, "I mean other than having you." Oh yes he did!
He then began asking the checklist questions, the form I had already filled out and his nurse had inputted the data into the computer from which he was reading - "Any history of heart disease in your family?" "Yes" I replied "My paternal Aunt and Grandfather had medical histories concerning their hearts." Want to know what he said? Come on you know what he said - "What about on your Mother's side?" Oh yes he did! I did not notice noise cancelling ear phones in his ears, I sure did want to ask him if he even had a heart. After about the third question he told me, I really just want you to tell me yes or no, I don't need to know the history behind the answers...this was the family history questionnaire, which Eileen had already filled out, the family history questionnaire I had just spent almost 2 hours going over with his nurse-just answer yes or no.
But wait it gets better! He orders a bundle of blood tests, something I expected - I asked him why he was doing a thyroid function test; well he said because your the area around your thyroid is tender and swollen. I don't suppose he could connect the dot between synthroid as one of my medications with the fact I had a thyroid disorder - in this condescending tone he said; "you could have told me you had a thyroid condition." In my head I'm thinking I assumed a specialist can read-silly mean...reading is not for "specialist"
He ordered an xray of my right hip. Fool I am I asked him why. Apparently, upon his physical examination of me, when he applied pressure to nerve pockets around my right hip I flinched. I have SLE and fibromyalgia, all my nerve pockets are sensitive (even the pockets in my favorite pair of pants) Again, fool that I am I voiced an obvious medical fact...Xrays reveal nothing relating to nerves, I mean it, xrays reveal nothing relating to nerves!
Off to lab where they draw a quart of oil, and a pint of urine - then to the xray machine which will provide no medical information about the nerves in my right hip. Finished with xray, get dressed - Passed out, fell out - the young woman who had taken my xrays caught me, thank goodness. Then it is off to the ER - I was fine, my BP is high - So we now know the secret for prompt, efficient, and timely discharge from an ER...be sick. While in the ER they brought me a plate of food, a hospital administrator kindly cut the chicken for me.
You never saw a hospital want a patient out of their ER faster than Saranac General Hospital wanted me out of the country.
It was some day-yesterday was one for the great stories to tell which no one will believe. Unbelievable!
No comments:
Post a Comment