sucky health care bites!

I haven’t had a primary care doctor for 8 years and I am having a hard time getting established with a new one. I went through breast cancer treatment 8 years ago and for awhile I didn’t need to see anyone else but my oncology team due to seeing them so frequently for the first 2 years. After that I saw them for most other things I needed since everything for awhile was something they wanted/needed to know about my health. I have been in the position of needing to find a new dr for about 3 years now but struggle in doing so. The PA I was seeing before that left his practice and no luck in finding someone else who is even close.

Every time I call to set up a new patient appt with a new dr, I usually have to wait 3-6 weeks to actually get in to see them and then it’s a crap shoot whether or not we will get along. If I go in with a specific issue, they either don’t believe what I’m saying, don’t give me credit for being an intelligent human being, or just are so rude I could scream. I tell them I know a lot about my medical history due to all the time going through cancer treatment and having all the oncology team teaching me all about all the tests and proceedures they were doing. I am not an MD or nurse but I listen and learn and know what I’ve been through and have some idea of what’s what with my health. I hate and resent it when medical people ask "well, do you have a medical degree?" as if to tell me I’m a complete and utter moron and can’t be trusted to know anything about my own body. I have walked out in the middle of appts before if they are too rude to me.

I am not a difficult person to get along with nor are all doctors bad in my eyes, just a lot of clueless and rude medical people out there. I actually had a dr tell me once I could have parvo because I have dogs! WTF!!?? It doesn’t work that way, Hubby is a research Biologist and even he knows that! I walked out when the NP told me I MUST have sleep apnea since "You’re the right body type" even though that wasn’t the reason for my visit. I have had one dr refute the results of texts done by another dr as if what they were looking at in black and white wasn’t the truth. I had a dr ignor me when I had an allegic reaction to a drug and told me to stay on it  until I saw her again, in 3 months!!! Later, when researching that drug, I found out someone with an iodine allergy should never take that drug!

It really makes me wonder what the Hell is going on when they educate these people. Do they take a class in "God complex" and learn how to not really talk to they patients! It’s no wonder malpractice insurance is so high with all these crackpots out there "practicing" medicine!!  I don’t know how and when I’m going to get established with another dr but someday I’ll get there…..maybe

keep smiling!

J