Color me doubtful Next Door Neighbor is, as her son said "Doing okay" because yesterday I spied what looked to be a care team of two visiting nurses exiting her unit.
As for me, first priority for yesterday was to get the button on the phone fixed, but before heading out for technical assistance I turned to Google where I learned it’s not unusual for that button to fail.
It just picked the worst possible day to fail on me.
A so-called easy fix was to go into the settings, remove "swipe" replace with "one tap".
That worked because, shortly after changing the settings, a call came in from the medical center and I had no problem tapping in.
Individual on the line was calling to schedule an appointment with my doctor to go over the test results.
Good luck with that, thought I.
As she began checking the doctor’s schedule, I could hear her on the line going "hmmmmm?"
"It looks like your doctor is booked very far ahead".
"Ha! Welcome to my world", thought I.
It’s so difficult to get in to see my doctor that I’ve not seen her since August of 2022, and I won’t even both you with how it was the visit solved nothing.
It’s not that she’s a bad doctor, it’s just that the medical center’s system is broken and fixed to particular procedures I'm guessing the doctors have to follow if they want to continue to be employed there ………… us members are fast food and pushed through with various medications. Focus is never on solving what brought us there in the first place.
Like the time I had an allergic reaction to something. Luckily, I managed a one-day appointment with a doctor new to the Center who examined my legs, arms, said, "I don’t know what that is, but here, let's give you a shingles shot".
I kid you not. A medical professional uttering the words, "I don't know what that is" and left it at that. Didn't call anyone else in. Didn't try to research.
I walked out with what I came in with.
I’ve had to research symptoms, find holistic ways to cure what ailed me then and since.
And when I did have a problem holistic could not help and called or texted the doctor’s office, I’d run into Know-It-All Beoches whose job it was to shield the doctor from being bothered. This created such a problem for me last time that I had to go to the clinic down the street for care and later file a complaint against the doctor’s care team.
So, anyway, "Let's see if I can book you with another doctor" said the woman on the line.
More "hmmmmm?"
Finding no doctor available in the near future, I was asked if I’d be comfortable with a video visit.
That would be no. Too much technology for me who didn’t even know the TV wasn’t working because the cable box had been turned off.
The call ended with my being scheduled for a phone visit next week to go over the test results …… not with a doctor, but with a "physician’s assistant".
That sounds like code for a Know-It-All Beoch, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s going to be the usual bull crap whether coming from a doc or an assistant.
I already know the tests are not going to solve the mystery of fading in/fading out. I’ll probably get the standard pat answer they give everyone, that it’s due to aging, so eat healthy, get in some exercise, maybe even lose some weight.
In the interim, watching my BP run high first thing in the morning, then fluctuate from high to low to high during the day (165/74 …… 146/61 …… 124/54 …… 141/63), my instincts are telling me to avoid the stimulates I’m so fond of for the time being, like coffee, jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, anything that might cause BP to spike.
Other than that, it’s business as usual, with still the occasional lightheaded sensation, as I wait to hear what this Physician’s Assistant has to say on Thursday.
Thanks for all the good wishes and concern.
I'm not a fatalist, but I'm good with whatever.
On the other hand, perhaps I am a bit of a fatalist because for quite some time, I've been going through the motions, taking life as it comes, having fun with it, but not all that vested in it. I equate myself to the character Beth from the TV comedy-drama "Good Girls".
One particular scene Beth did sums up how it's been for me for far longer than I care to admit.
I see medical professionals as assembly line workers. That's how it feels to me. 20 minutes and out, on to the next. I think being a dr now would be a miserable work life. Maybe just miserable all around if your one who sort of cares about the patients. I do hope there is some answer to what is going on with you. I would have loved, as long as I wasn't shot, to be Beth!
ReplyDeleteBeth was my hero throughout the entire series. She rolled with the punches, lived in the moment, mostly enjoyed but otherwise didn't give a care.
DeleteI know in Canada it can be difficult to find a new GP physician. Is it that way in the USA too?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. One can switch to a doctor, a new one who is just taking on patients, but it's like what's the point, they are even more afraid to buck the system and lose their position.
DeleteThe idea that technology makes things easier when, in fact, it does not.
ReplyDeleteWord!
DeleteMedical care is non existent these days. The ER is the only place to get care now. So when you have an extra 7 hours to wait.....ugh. I guess better than waiting 7 months. My brother is a doctor and he is pretty fed up. I told him that I had to wait until October to have a bone density test. I thought it was because they were all booked up until then. No. Apparently medicare only pays $80 for them so they just don't do them that often. They focus on MRI's and Mammograms. That is where the money is.....can you imagine? Who ever thought our old age would come to this.... Roberta
ReplyDeleteThe meds they push on us, the poor service, it's all about the benjamins, the money.
DeleteI get light-headed from time to time. I've found that GatorAde Zero (no calories) works well on that. It also stops the cramps I get in my feet at night. You might try it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it.
DeleteI was just talking to SWMBO about this. She said the problem I occasionally have could be due to low blood sugar and and GatorAde Zero wouldn't help with that. It might also be dehydration. She said the drink has electrolytes which DOES help with my foot cramps. Good luck to you with whatever you choose, whether Zero or just plain water.
DeleteI did look into zero and it's no bueno for me, but thanks.
DeleteOn the news the other night they had a segment on how it's averaging a month to get to see a doctor. The doctors main complaint was all the computer input they have to do for each visit.
ReplyDeleteOne month would be a gift at my provider's office, where the wait is 3 months, but I don't know about that computer excuse.
DeleteThat video clip is kinda deep, Miss Shirley. And I get it. Olivia
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteAccess to docs is slowing down. In case you didn't know what real "mid-levels" are: Nurse Practitioners are Masters level nurses. Physician Assistants are also mostly Masters level providers. Some doc practices and states tend to prefer one or the other. I LOVE NPs and PAs cuz they can spend more time with you, can write prescriptions for most things, and do 80% of what most docs can do. If you have a weird question that they can't answer, they can run down the hall and grab the doc long enough to get your answer. If you look at websites of large practices, like cardiology, one-third to half of the staff are mid-levels. Take your list of questions into your appointment. Give them a chance! Old RN in Kansas, Linda
ReplyDeleteAs an old RN, I'm sure you've come across NPs and PAs that think they're God and talk to patients from that standpoint, but we'll see how it goes.
DeleteFunny, cuz most people run across docs who think they're God. I have a file of bad nurses and docs. I've actually only encountered one bad NP who didn't know what she was doing, forgot stuff and thought she knew more than she did on our cardiac floor. Yep, there's some I wouldn't send my dead dog to see. Linda in Kansas with Toto
DeleteI'll let you know which side of the spectrum the one I communicate on Thursday lands ... whether he or she thinks they're God or not.
DeleteMedical care nowadays is so frustrating. You try to take care of yourself but, unless you want to go to the emergency room every time, you have to wait weeks to see your own doctor. I hope you get the answers you deserve! And, yes, you are Beth.
ReplyDelete"Frustrating" is the correct word, so frustrating that I'd all but given up on even bothering with the medical center until granddaughter's dream prompted me to do so. I'll know on Thursday if it was another wasted visit.
DeleteUnfortunately the insurance industry runs our medical system.
ReplyDeleteIt's just all so sad. We're on our own insofar as finding ways and means to stay healthy, out of the medical system.
DeleteI'm all for a holistic approach as well... most of which insurance doesn't cover. In 4 years, I have never seen/ met the doctor I'm assigned to. I've only ever met the Physicians Assistant, and fine by me, whatever.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some relief from the lightheadedness, either way.
Health care is a mess. I'm for bringing back the old system of witch doctors.
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