Let's start at the very beginning: About 3 weeks ago I started to have a pain near my left shoulder blade. Naturally this is concerning because it felt similar to the pulmonary embolism pain, just on the other side. It eventually moved from next to my shoulder blade to below it. Then I got sick with a cold type thing and thought maybe it was fluid in/on my lung, so last Saturday (Oct 20) I couldn't sleep and decided to go into the ER. They did blood work, all was well and then they did a dye CT scan to check for PEs and that was clear too (yay). The dr said that there was no evidence of pneumonia, so they just sent me home saying it was a cold/virus. Then throughout the week the cold continued to stay about the same/get worse. I'd think it was getting better, then it'd get worse again, etc. The pain in my back however, got much worse.
Fast Forward to today: I made an appointment over the phone this morning to see my PCP since I still have this cold thing and the pain in my back...so thought it might be a sinus infection and a bruised rib? Anyhow, got an appointment at 2:30, great, my mom came in to watch the kids. So the first issue is that the person on the phone scheduled me for tomorrow, not today. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me and it's getting a little old! Anyhow, they took me anyway. Then the dr comes in the room and I said something like, 'geez, you're quick!' because she flung open the door without knocking or anything and she responds, 'well you're early!' as in, a day early. I brushed it off with some mumbling about well, the appointment was today, that wasn't my fault. Moving along, I go to the exam table and she asks what's going on. I start out with 'well, I have been having this pain in my back for about 3 weeks...' She immediately stops me and says, 'we can't do this today. You need to pick ONE thing you want to talk about. I am fitting you in, so I don't have time to do more than 1 issue, what would you like to talk about? Your sinuses or something else?' I'm sure I was making some disgusted face at her by this point, probably rolling my eyes, you know me, I'm not very tactful! I said, 'well I guess we'll go with the sinuses then. Sure the sinuses.' Argh, I was sooo mad! So she checked things out, said she didn't want to give me anything because my lungs were clear, I didn't have a fever, and it should just pass on its own. Then when she's typing this all into her laptop she says, 'well now you have me really curious what you were going to start out with. I can't give it any attention, but what were you going to tell me?' Now this set me off into that whole gray area where you are trying to keep everything together, but you know you're on the verge of breaking into a crying fit. I start out saying 'well I went into the ER over a week ago with this pain in my back that felt like my PE pain. They did a dye CT and everything was clear so they sent me home.' She goes, 'they couldn't find anything so they just sent you home and said "good luck"?' I said, 'Yep pretty much. Said it was a virus and no signs of pneumonia so they couldn't do anything.' She says, 'Well you were right to go into the ER. When did your back pain go away?' Now I lost it. I was trying to talk while trying to pretend that I wasn't crying when it was so ridiculously obvious that I was...lame. Anyway, I go, 'it didn't go away, it's gotten worse!' Now here's the kicker, she says, 'Oh. Well that combined with the cough etc...that could be something serious. I'm going to write you a prescription for a Z-pac. (pause, thinking) You know, maybe we should send you in for a chest x-ray. A lot could have changed in the last 8 days.' OH MY GOSH, I sooo wanted to yell at her but I was completely crying by then and just trying not to snot all over myself.
Cried in the car in the parking lot for a while, composed myself, and went to get the x-ray done since my mom was already here watching the kids. Ugh, I hate that, it's just so humiliating for me. I'm sure it won't show anything, but seriously, shouldn't doctors be a little more concerned about their patient's health than with getting to the next appointment on time!?
4 comments:
I think you ought to send that blog to your Dr. I have been with you to one of your Dr's. and they are very uncaring and very rude. When you have Lupus you have lots of aches and pains and they have a hard time trying to figure out what is wrong. But that is no excuse to act like a jerk. Maybe it's time to change PCP. I think a lot of the problem is that the Dr's are so presses for time with there patients that in order for them to make any money they have to run them through like cattle. To bad I wish you could get a kind understanding Dr. Because that would be so refreshing. check around maybe you could find one.
Lea I just spent 15 minutes commenting on this post. but it did not post. So I will just say Dr's suck. I know how you feel its really hard to even get one that cares at all about your health. It's bad enough to be sick but when you have to be humiliated for a mistake that they made I think I would call them on that. You should not have to deal with that kind of disrespect. I have been with you to Dr's and they don't seem to understand what Lupus is all about. It is very sad.
I think you ought to send that blog to your Dr. I have been with you to one of your Dr's. and they are very uncaring and very rude. When you have Lupus you have lots of aches and pains and they have a hard time trying to figure out what is wrong. But that is no excuse to act like a jerk. Maybe it's time to change PCP. I think a lot of the problem is that the Dr's are so presses for time with there patients that in order for them to make any money they have to run them through like cattle. To bad I wish you could get a kind understanding Dr. Because that would be so refreshing. check around maybe you could find one.
I think you ought to send that blog to your Dr. I have been with you to one of your Dr's. and they are very uncaring and very rude. When you have Lupus you have lots of aches and pains and they have a hard time trying to figure out what is wrong. But that is no excuse to act like a jerk. Maybe it's time to change PCP. I think a lot of the problem is that the Dr's are so presses for time with there patients that in order for them to make any money they have to run them through like cattle. To bad I wish you could get a kind understanding Dr. Because that would be so refreshing. check around maybe you could find one.
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