Guess Ive had the biggest WTF?! experience of my life.... (warning, this is very long, writing is therapy for me....) FIVE weeks ago I went to a new doctor, highly recommended, for the following issues: 1. Need to be established with a regular General Practioner for basic medical care. 2. Had had several episodes of heart palpitations, light headedness, coinciding possibly with a drop in blood sugar? One trip to Urgent Care to make sure I wasnt having a heart attack. 3. Need Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Cant get that right since 2007 and had recently quit taking the ineffective Premarin that a very OLD doctor had insisted I needed. 4. Waking with Migraine-like headaches, 4-6am almost DAILY, since eliminating said Premarin. 5. Referral to deal with arm injury. First visit. He comes across unfriendly and sounds condescending. Spends a whole hour taking history, discussing issues and explaining his new patient process: that it takes time to deal with all these issues Ive let go for too long and that he wont treat anything without specific diagnosis, and he regularly does random drug tests on his patients and fires them from his practice if anything is found that he didnt prescribe. Why dont I have a regular doctor? Can I afford to pay for treatments he prescribes that are not covered by insurance and have I ever sued a doctor? Told him about headaches, he pokes and prods on pressure (nerve) points in neck/shoulder/back, seems irritated and says, your breasts are too heavy. We cant deal with all your issues in one appointment. Orders a bunch of lab work and sends me home with Holter event heart monitor. Umm, okay, I think, maybe all that just means hes thorough? Within 30 minutes of leaving I have massive muscle cramps from his poking and prodding, but dont make the connection. Come back at scheduled appointment time to return heart monitor the next day, exactly 24 hours and a 30+ mile drive. Office closed, locked, dark, nobody home. Theyve forgotten me and left early for the weekend. After several calls, he comes back to office and takes it off. Apologizes and offers his personal cell number. Really? Umm..okay, an honest mistake. Second visit. Hes rude, unfriendly and sounds condescending. Discusses lab results, zero hormones, high cholesterol, everything else normal. No Holter heart monitor results yet. Cant understand MRI report on arm injury (ordered by previous doctor and forwarded to him), so gives me referral to Ortho doctor. Says he recommends I pay $800 (not covered by insurance) for experimental PRP injection in my arm, go home and look it up, he says. Instead of the Cortisone injection that the Ortho doctor will suggest. But I dont yet know what is wrong with my arm and he said he doesnt treat without diagnosis? Still, determined to wait out his process because hes thorough, right? I have to give him a chance, right? And, Im told, hes friendly, he just doesnt know you well enough yet. Third visit, physical. Standard procedure. No Holter heart monitor results yet. He is pissed Ive allowed the Ortho doctor that he sent me to, to give me Cortisone injection in wrist for torn ligament, as now he cant give me $800 PRP injection. Berates me for going to too many doctors. Id brought a list of symptoms to ask if they are all hormone related. Hes visibly annoyed by that. Refuses to look at list or answer any questions, says well deal with that at your Wellness Clinic, next appointment. I mention the headaches are getting worse and now having dozens of hot flashes daily, is there anything I can do for that in the mean time? He laughs about the hot flashes then pokes and prods on pressure points again and says, again, your breasts are too heavy. You need Lidocaine injections in these pressure points. I go to front desk to schedule Wellness Clinic so I can finally get the freaking hormones Ive been waiting for for four weeks. That will be $250 cash, Wellness Clinic is not covered by insurance. By now Im pissed and in pain and just desperate for the hormones so the headaches will be addressed and Ive already invested four weeks. She runs my credit card and says, oh, he only does wellness clinics on Friday and is full this week, your appointment is in another 10 days. In twenty minutes my neck and shoulders are so cramped I cant move for 24 hours and try to sleep in Ricks recliner. For the last 10 days, no hormones, several episodes of heart palpitations and racing pulse, wondering if Im going to have a heart attack. Third Ortho doctor for shoulder orders physical therapy for damaged shoulder but is afraid to give me Cortisone injection for pain because it can interfere with the hormones when I get them. Cant shake the headaches unless I take a combo of Advil, Tylenol and Benadryl together, but that knocks me unconscious. Stress, frustration, anger. Pretty sure my husband would like to kill me and stuff me in a hole in the desert. Havent slept for last three nights. Now checking my own BP and pulse, they are through the roof. This morning, exactly FIVE weeks and one day since first appt., I go in for my Wellness Clinic and make Rick go with me. All I want is the Holter monitor results and the prescription for hormones (knowing its Friday and possibly cant get them compounded till Monday), to last me until I can get in to see another doctor. Cause Im never going back to this guy again. Girl at front desk says, Hi, how are you? Terrible. Terrible? (Laughing and friendly), Why are you terrible? I said, maybe because Ive had a Migraine for the last month that no one seems to want to do anything about? Asks me to get on scale and I said NO. Takes blood pressure and pulse, highest ever. Go in exam room and she brings in a bunch of hormone related paraphernalia. I ask do they have Holter monitor results? Yes, they do. Im thinking, oh good, I can get that and the prescription and get out. Doctor comes in and I introduce Rick. He says, were here to do your hormones, but first I have to ask, what are your expectations of me? You dont seem satisfied, and youre complaining about headaches and saying no one will do anything. You have let all these issues go for too long and I cant deal with all of this in one appointment. Your expectations are too high. At this point I dont think we should go any further. Well refund your money. ASSHOLE FIRED ME as a patient! BEFORE I could fire him! Rick was in such shock he didnt say anything. I went out, then back in and demanded the Holter monitor results and told them I had one more question for the doctor. He refused to speak to me again. Didnt stick around for refund. I went out ranting about this is bullshit....and thats okay, Ill just ask the state medical board...and maybe the media....... God help me....I still have a headache....
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 01:48:38 +0000
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