My Health - An Update
Monday, December 8, 2008 at 7:01 PM Well - I got the test results back from my blood work - sort of. I talked to some girl who sounded like she was 13 and had her first job (with special permission because she was underage). She informed me that my results were all 'normal.' I thanked her and asked what was next. She beat around the bush a little and then said if I still had pain I might want to schedule a follow-up appointment.
I don't want to schedule a follow-up appointment. I want my doctor to tell me what to do. That is what he gets paid for, right? I pay for his professional opinion and his care. Frankly, I felt a little awkward with this meek gal on the phone. We left it that the doctor would call me if he thought I should see him again.
I waited, talked with my wife, and called him (her) back. I asked for the Doctor to give me HIS professional opinion as to what to do. C'mon - I don't know what to do. I had extreme pain. It has subsided but it's still there. HE SHOULD TELL ME!
So - long story a little less long - I have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday of this week. That should be fun. Doctor's visits are always a good time. That's the update. Thanks for the prayers.
Reader Comments (5)
1. Glad to hear you are 'ok'
2. I work in the healthcare field, so take it easy on the person calling you about your results. I have been that person, while I might have handled it differently, be nice!
3. One thing I learned from my dad, get the labs emailed/faxed to you, so you can actually see the numbers. (Or ask for the specific numbers) You might not know what the numbers mean, but it tells the docs office,you are involved in your healthcare and might gain you some different service. (I know it has me)
4. question: Who is the person most responsible for your health?
answer: You are. Not the doctor, or the nurse, or anybody else.
5. Last statement. Healthcare is not a science it is an art that involves science. Decisions aren't always black and white.
I hope you do figure out what is causing the pain in your side, though.
Welcome to the world of HMO's....
As a nurse and a wife and a mother I have learned one thing from the healthcare industry....PERSISTANCE....You have to be persistent because YOU are the only one looking out for YOU...doctor's see patients every 10 minutes, all day long, everyday. I am sure your doctor is thinking, "Barry who?" This isn't the way it is supposed to be, but it is the way it is.....
Welcome to my world of Frustration dealing with some of my physicians and their nurses and the general world etc. I love it when the staff says "Doctor or Nurse will call you back' and never does. I do feel very sorry for you, but very funny how you described it.
Thanks Wes, Cindy and David for your kind words.
WES - I am thinking that pain the side... it might be you. :) Seriously, point well taken. I was not upset with the gal on the phone... even if she was 14. I was upset that my doctor, who knows WAY MORE about what is going on inside of me than me... that he did not ask to see me again... or to not worry about it. It was just left as... "ummm... I'm not sure what to do from here... I'm only 14." Thanks for the input. If my health is bad because of my faults, I'll take the blame, no problem.
Doctors are not God, they only think they are. I worked for a Cardiologist who once said, "I feel like God, I can stop a heart beat and start it again at will". They do not always have all the answers. But they can give you their best guess is some cases.
But it is true that persistance pays off when dealing with Dr.s and Nurses. Bug them enough and they wont say "Barry Who?".
My Doctor now knows me by first name and all of his nurses know my voice on the phone. But, I was at the point I was just (barely) walking in to his office on a daily basis. I kept telling him I was going to die, and he would say ,"not today"..
It did all start with some kind of ecoli strain. My sides (both of them hurting) but alternating one then the other. Though I never found out why I was so sick for 4 months (eight weeks on disability), now it isn't important because I am okay now.
I still have people ask me if they ever figured out what was wrong with me. Sometimes even the doctors and all 10,000 dollars(its okay, they take payments) worth of test cannot figue it out.
Glad you are better.