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I have bad luck with doctors.
It's important to note here that I was basically denied medical care by my parents. (I say basically because I would get very basic medical care. I got regular dental check-ups, and I was seen for bronchitis regularly, after one year when it got so bad I couldn't breathe in-between fits. The walk-in center doc chewed my parents out, told them it could have turned into pneumonia, and since then every time I was coughing for more than two weeks, I'd get taken to the doctor. ER visits would likely happen, and did once for a car accident. Anything beyond that wasn't happening.) Once I got old enough to decouple myself from my parents, I did, and discovered I had a host of chronic conditions that had been untreated for years. I've been regularly visiting doctors since. But... things keep happening.
My first doctor was picked by my parents. Efficient, knowledgeable, (from what I can tell) but mean. I tried to ask her what was going on with my leg, and she just told me if I wanted it treated I'd probably have to have surgery and I wouldn't want that. This was S.
When I went in for depression, they wanted to know if I wanted to see S, and I was like "uh, no!" So I ended up with Disappearing Lady. Disappearing Lady I rather liked, but well, see her name. She literally vanished.
This conversation happened at my next appointment, with N.
Me: You probably can't tell me what happened to her, can you?
Her nurse: No, legally I couldn't. But I can tell you I don't know.
N also turned out to be my mother's doctor. N did a little work on maintaining my conditions, but little else. Thestraw in the coffin (there's one of my weird neuro quirks) nail in the coffin for her was when she tried to put me on Flexeril, after I told her I'd been on it and not only did it not help, but the side effects (putting me to sleep all the time) were worse to me than the headaches. She still prescribed them.
I asked the receptionists who I should see next, and got directed to This Guy, aka "The Weirdest Doctor.
First time I saw TWD, he took me off of tramadol, which I'd been on for three years at this point, and put me on Fioricet. I had some problems at the pharmacy because he ordered the capsules and not the tablets (my insurance won't cover capsules), and he also prescribed a headache prevention medication (topamax) when he found out I was having daily headaches. He suggested I get OTC allergy meds.
Next time I saw him he got me a temporary parking pass for my leg pain, after suggesting I get a moped to get around my college campus. I was just kinda "... what?" He also told me he "wasn't coming into work tomorrow, if this computer system is going to be like this. I'm just gonna leave." I managed to get him to prescribe me an allergy medication after explaining I'd tried two OTC meds, and one killed my asthma meds, the other didn't work, and I couldn't afford to keep trying more.
I figured: fine, this guy is quirky, but he's doing fine. Then I tried to get a neurology referral for all of my weird neuro quirks. Memory loss, aphasia, smashing idioms together, and so on. he didn't listen to the list, told me he thought it was related to my depression and anxiety, and tried to get me referred to a neuropsych. Eventually I got a referral. To a neurologist. Who specialized in chronic headaches.
I got there, and the neurologist started asking questions, and noting down answers that lead towards what I vaguely suspect, which is that the hit to the head I had as a kid caused a traumatic brain injury. Neurologist scheduled an MRI and is trying again to find a neuropsych my insurance will cover.
When I saw the doctor for the last time today, to get him to change my Firocet to tablets permanently in his system until my new GP can re-evaluate all my meds, he banged on the table a few times and asked me if I liked the music, told me if I didn't see a neurospsych that was fine, "I can treat you for the headaches,"
and ignored my "but I have other symptoms."
In another post or thread I can talk about my psychiatrist, but this was just my GP.
It's important to note here that I was basically denied medical care by my parents. (I say basically because I would get very basic medical care. I got regular dental check-ups, and I was seen for bronchitis regularly, after one year when it got so bad I couldn't breathe in-between fits. The walk-in center doc chewed my parents out, told them it could have turned into pneumonia, and since then every time I was coughing for more than two weeks, I'd get taken to the doctor. ER visits would likely happen, and did once for a car accident. Anything beyond that wasn't happening.) Once I got old enough to decouple myself from my parents, I did, and discovered I had a host of chronic conditions that had been untreated for years. I've been regularly visiting doctors since. But... things keep happening.
My first doctor was picked by my parents. Efficient, knowledgeable, (from what I can tell) but mean. I tried to ask her what was going on with my leg, and she just told me if I wanted it treated I'd probably have to have surgery and I wouldn't want that. This was S.
When I went in for depression, they wanted to know if I wanted to see S, and I was like "uh, no!" So I ended up with Disappearing Lady. Disappearing Lady I rather liked, but well, see her name. She literally vanished.
This conversation happened at my next appointment, with N.
Me: You probably can't tell me what happened to her, can you?
Her nurse: No, legally I couldn't. But I can tell you I don't know.
N also turned out to be my mother's doctor. N did a little work on maintaining my conditions, but little else. The
I asked the receptionists who I should see next, and got directed to This Guy, aka "The Weirdest Doctor.
First time I saw TWD, he took me off of tramadol, which I'd been on for three years at this point, and put me on Fioricet. I had some problems at the pharmacy because he ordered the capsules and not the tablets (my insurance won't cover capsules), and he also prescribed a headache prevention medication (topamax) when he found out I was having daily headaches. He suggested I get OTC allergy meds.
Next time I saw him he got me a temporary parking pass for my leg pain, after suggesting I get a moped to get around my college campus. I was just kinda "... what?" He also told me he "wasn't coming into work tomorrow, if this computer system is going to be like this. I'm just gonna leave." I managed to get him to prescribe me an allergy medication after explaining I'd tried two OTC meds, and one killed my asthma meds, the other didn't work, and I couldn't afford to keep trying more.
I figured: fine, this guy is quirky, but he's doing fine. Then I tried to get a neurology referral for all of my weird neuro quirks. Memory loss, aphasia, smashing idioms together, and so on. he didn't listen to the list, told me he thought it was related to my depression and anxiety, and tried to get me referred to a neuropsych. Eventually I got a referral. To a neurologist. Who specialized in chronic headaches.
I got there, and the neurologist started asking questions, and noting down answers that lead towards what I vaguely suspect, which is that the hit to the head I had as a kid caused a traumatic brain injury. Neurologist scheduled an MRI and is trying again to find a neuropsych my insurance will cover.
When I saw the doctor for the last time today, to get him to change my Firocet to tablets permanently in his system until my new GP can re-evaluate all my meds, he banged on the table a few times and asked me if I liked the music, told me if I didn't see a neurospsych that was fine, "I can treat you for the headaches,"
and ignored my "but I have other symptoms."
In another post or thread I can talk about my psychiatrist, but this was just my GP.
That sounds utterly awful. *offers hugs*
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