Lately, I have been visiting a gastroenterologist and my condition has gone from bad to better to worst. Now that is not the way it should be right?
Throughout my life many in the medical field have disappointed me, by events that I believe should not be happening in the first place. I am no doctor, so I do not know what these people learn but I do know that to be in the medical field you deal with people’s lives & well-being, so respect and a little bit of concern goes a long way. They act heartless, nonchalant, and monotone towards patients and sometimes being sick is better than dealing with these people.
I have no idea why I dislike so many doctors, their office administrators, & insurance. But maybe it has to do with the following past events:
- Sometime in high school: I had this weird rash on my neck, back and arms. Go to family doctor, and she states she is not sure what it is. She takes forever looking at my rashes and comes to no conclusion, she suggests to not spend too much time outside. Um, WTF?
- Best friend’s dad, Dr. Logan Miller, takes a look at my rashes and within minutes says it is a pigmentation reaction nothing bad just a weird reaction and suggests Aveeno. And guess what he was right! I go again to see my family doctor, I tell her what it is, she then goes to get a medical book to prove me wrong and HA! Dr. Miller was right!
- Mom is sick and Dr. Miller prescribes her some medicine. Pharmacist gives my mother the wrong medicine. My mom becomes gravely ill and Dr. Miller has to come see her again, he notices it is the wrong medicine. He offers to personally speak to pharmacist who made mistake so we could get the right one. Really Pharmacist wrong medicine?!! You could have killed my mother!
- Freshman year in college: I have a panic attack then I am rushed to Fireman station. Then, I am taken to the wrong hospital by the ambulance. At this hospital, I decided to leave there at around 3:00 AM because my parents had work the next day and a pregnant lady, who had been there since two days ago because she was in pain, had still not seen a doctor.
- I decided to see a doctor to find out what had happened and if it was a panic attack. She concludes it is and is continuously asking me if I have a boyfriend? WTF lady!
- Her office administration then charges my mom extra because the doctor said she had a psychological session with me regarding my panic attack. Um, you are not a psychologist and you asked me one question over and over and over again.
- Christmas 2007: I cannot stop coughing; family doctor says it’s just a cold and suggests I take nitequil. Charges me $30 for visit. I am still coughing when I am back in Memphis for school. I go see the school nurse, she states its whopping cough and that is why I cannot stop coughing and I should have seen a doctor a long time ago. I stated I had, she looked confused.
- Summer 2008: my mom has to have surgery and must stay in the hospital to recover. All nurses are wonderful, except for one who quickly rushed my mom out of her room because it was needed. She literally pushes my mother off the bed and my mom had not fully recovered yet. She actually ended up hurting my mom who had to stay longer to recover. I was out of the hospital getting lunch at the time this happened, if I was there when she did this I would have kick her butt.
- Summer 2009: go to see family doctor to tell her my stomach hurts. She suggests I am eating too much junk food. Charges me $30 visit. I come back because I cut out a lot things from my diet and I feel worst, she suggest an ultrasound of my stomach. Finds nothing, and has some 15 yr old boy call me with the news. Um who the hell are you? I call her receptionist, who states I need to go see a gastroenterologists. She is the only helpful person there.
- Fall 2009, I go see a gastroenterologist who takes care of me. Great staff and nurse, until my insurance will not cover my medicine so they act like I do not exists. I have to call and fight for updates regarding a new medicine and they prescribe me an over the counter medicine, which made me feel worst. THANKS!
Now don’t get me wrong; these people’s stupidity does not make me hate doctors. No, that is not the case, but it has made me lost my trust.
As a young girl, I remember my pediatrician being the nicest man. In Mexico, I do not remember us having trouble with our insurance or medical bills but then again we had great insurance.
Once in the US, I had an amazing pediatrician who made me laugh and was so sweet. He had pictures of all of his patients on all of his consultation rooms. I felt better just by knowing he was going to take care of me and I was going to feel better. Maybe, that is why I stayed with pediatricians until I was 21. hehehehe I know I’m pitiful. He ended up retiring and I was very upset. Another doctor took his patients but it was never the same.
Both Dr. Millers, Jazmin’s parents (Jazmin is my bestest friend eva), they have been great to our family. Not only as great family friends but great caring doctors. All in my family have at some point seen them and we have no complains, they are great doctors.
A few weeks back, I found out my insurance was rejecting my medicine and I was very upset. My staff at the gastroenterologist office did not help at all either. I felt helpless. I was so upset, I started to cry. Then I wrote something on facebook stating that I hated all doctors and people were a bit offended by that specially people who have parents who are doctors. I am not a doctor or office receptionist, so I do not know how they feel, so my argument is one sided.
The mother of a fellow high school student, a gynecologist, was recently sued because a patient she had seen is currently battling cancer. This could have been prevented had she decided to test the patient further when she got concerning results from previous test. But she concluded that these sorts of results tend to happen at that particular age the patient had, so she brush it off. Probably, she was right this tends to happen, but she brushed it away and now her patient is battling for her life.
There is no black and white to fixing the way doctors, nurses, office administrators & insurances operate, such as the case of the gynecologist, when is it ok to worry and when is it not?
When do doctors stop seeing their profession as fun, a chance to make a difference and start seeing as a job?
When will insurance companies learn to have a heart?
When does an office administrator become nonchalant and snappy?
I know doctors have mentioned that being detached from patients helps because the more emotions there is during your job the less likely you will be focused, which seems to pertain to any job.
But when is it too detached? What is the proper mix of concern & caring that let you work well with patients but to not be affected emotionally?
I am an emotions person. If I was a doctor and had a patient die on me while on operation or if I was a nurse working at St. Jude seeing children die, I would probably never want to be a doctor or nurse again. I would feel like a failure to that patient and seeing death so closely is scary.
So in the end, I have patience and respect but not trust. I hope to find the right doctor soon specially since I haven’t been doing so well lately. But I hope to someday report a good experience with a doctor like the ones I had as a child. Maybe I am too picky or too easily hurt? Yeah I am, but this is my health and if I do not care about it than who will.
I leave you with these quotes I found online for your enjoyment:
I wondher why ye can always read a doctor’s bill an’ ye niver can read his purscription. ~Finley Peter Dunne The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. ~Voltaire Doctors think a lot of patients are cured who have simply quit in disgust. ~Don Herold The only equipment lack in the modern hospital? Somebody to meet you at the entrance with a handshake! ~Martin H. Fischer I recently became a Christian Scientist. It was the only health plan I could afford. ~Betsy SalkindTreat the patient, not the Xray. ~James M. Hunter
helloally 