On the outside, I try to project an image of having it all together. But underneath that, I'm kind of a disaster. Hence... the name of the site: GlossyVeneer. Health insurance is a major pain in the ass. Because I telecommute, my insurance is through my employer, located in a different state. This makes it hard to find doctors that accept my insurance. I’ve never made the decision to visit any health care providers based on actually liking that person, it’s more of a “who is closest to my home and accepts my insurance” type thing.
The doctor I found has never been that great. He kind of makes me uncomfortable in the way he brushes off questions I ask. Plus he made me really angry when I went to see him after my knee gave out during the marathon in January and his answer was, “That’s what you get for attempting a marathon at your age.” AAAAGH…..
I’ve been content to visit a doctor that didn’t really jive with me for quite some time. For some reason I just feel that all I’m worth is “settling” in things like this. It’s not worth the hassle to find someone new. But my husband has needed to see a doctor for a while now and I sent him to my doctor. The way he has been treated has put me over the edge.
Kevin has been experiencing some pain in his upper abdomen for about a year now. Sometimes the pain is so intense he is doubled over on the couch in agony. We called to get an appointment and they basically said they could see him in a month (after they answered the phone, that took several calls). The doctor is only in the office near our house 2 days a week which makes it difficult to schedule a time slot, especially with all of Kevin’s business travel.
Last week the time for his appointment rolled around, but the day before they called to say the appointment would need to be rescheduled since the doctor was going out of town for a conference. He had to have known about this in advance, why the hell wasn’t his schedule blocked off?
So we rescheduled and his appointment was today. First he had to stand at the reception desk for 10 minutes while the receptionists ignored him. They were just 4 feet away from him, often they would glance at him and then look away quickly so as to not make eye contact. Other patients in the waiting room were commenting to him on how rude they were behaving.
Then when he was in the examination room with the doctor, the doctor wouldn’t listen to him further than the abdomen problem. Kevin also mentioned that he’s had an infection on the side of his nose and he wanted it addressed (these items were both mentioned when scheduling the appointment), but when he tried to bring it up the doctor said, “You’re only scheduled for 10 minutes. I can’t look at that now. We could make an appointment for November to look at that.”
The doctor is concerned that the issue with Kevin’s abdomen is gallstones and that he may need surgery. So he sent him for x-rays today and scheduled him for an ultrasound…. in a month.
I’m angry and frustrated. Sure, I sit back and let them treat me like crap. But when they fail to give my husband any care or compassion, I’m ready to attack. So beginning tomorrow I will find a new doctor that takes my insurance. I will try to make certain that I like this person. Then we will get our records from the other doctor’s office and send them a note stating that we don’t appreciate the way they treat patients. But I’m sure that will just get laughed off and thrown in the trash. What do they care if patients are upset?
What more can I do? I just really want my husband to feel well again.
Maybe that’s not a foolproof way to choose, but that’s an indicator that maybe they’re willing to join the current century!
