Sometimes, I do not like the medical field
The past week or so, I've been waking up with a feeling of heaviness on my chest. Sarah and I have been attributing it to the dust kicked up when moving, the fact that the piggies are now in our living space again (not a bad thing, but something my body has to readjust to), and the wicked pollen counts as of late.
Yesterday, the feeling got worse through the day and I was coughing a lot. It was an issue of not getting enough air, or at least feeling like it. So, rather than wait it out longer, we took me to the doctor. (This takes a lot, as I hate the doctors. For various reasons. Continue reading.) We went to an urgent care clinic, as I don't have a primary care physician in Baltimore and don't really want to find one. (See above about hating doctors.) We went in and I was seen pretty quickly. (Score one for the office.)
Except for the check in person and the nurse who came out to check my oxygen levels when I first got there (apparently, chest discomfort and breathing issues has the front desk person send a nurse out nearly immediately to check those things), the staff was not very nice. When I asked nurse #2 how she was, she snapped at me and said "Ready to go home. 15 minutes." Oh. Okay. (Minus one for the office.)
When the doctor came in to see me and asked for my symptoms, when I told her I had a heavy feeling on my chest, she was like, "I'd have you stop there and go to the ER." Um. Okay. I'm feeling pretty intimidated and wanting to go home, but I'm trying to be a good patient. I told the doctor I was also having coughing which just started that morning. Her response was, "Oh, coughing is another symptom." Then, she checks my breathing, nose, ears, etc. I have a slightly red throat and slightly swollen nasal passages. "Possibly allergies, but you've never been diagnosed with them before," is her response. She says nothing else about it. She tells me she can't hear any wheezing, so can't understand why I'm saying I feel like I can't really breathe. So, she sends me for a chest X-ray and an EKG... at this point, texting with Sarah, she's asking what in the world they are doing. (At this point, probably around, oh, minue 4 or 5 for the office.)
My tests come back normal, and since she doesn't hear wheezing and can't figure out why I'm saying I can't breathe, she returns to her suggestion of going to the ER, that it could be a heart attack or a pulmonary emoblism. When she asked what ER I was going to, I said I wasn't going to go to one. Her response was, "Well, if you're feeling as bad as you're telling me you are, you should go." Um? What? Dismissive much? At this point, she tells me that she is required to put in my record she recommended going to the ER and that I'm declining to go. She makes me promise to go if it gets worse. Just before I leave, she's like, "The only other thing I could think of is to take Claritin or an anti-histamine... when I'd already told them I've been taking the generic Allegra. *sigh* (I've lost count by this time.) I simply nod and walk out.
So, I left work early to simply be told to go to ER. The doctor spent less than 10-15 minutes total with me, and does tests that are probably very expensive. During the time, I was never told why the tests were done, and, at points during the intial exam, didn't really explain to me what she was doing, including points that required her to touch me. Less than impressed.
I don't expect doctors to have all of the answers. I do expect them to be up front with me, listening to what I have to say, and not making me feel like I'm "faking it." I do expect them to not just punt me off to the ER, when they don't know my financial or medical situation, and have not really looked into other aspects or asked additional questions. I understand chest pain could be very serious - but when you have someone who is relatively healthy, who has not experienced something like this before, and who is showing signs of allergies? Don't dismiss that as a possibility. Especially when wheezing is not a "requirement" for an allergic reaction.
I'm still alive today, so I'm guessing it's not major. I'm continuing to take the Allegra, and I'll try out Claritin starting tomorrow. I think i'm more frustrated and disappointed with the medical care and what felt like a lack of respect for the patient. It was very frustrating.
I am grateful for the ability and resources to go to the doctor, as I know that it's precious. I also know that this has not been the first time I've experienced care like this, and it is, in large part, that I have to feel pretty miserable or really have to be needled into going. It makes me sad, that the person who can give you the most information about what's going on inside of their own body is not given the time or space to talk, is intimidated by the responses she gets, and is not given information in order to make informed decisions about her care. And I know, in part, it's my fault, that I need to take on a larger role and not be so intimidated... but, I don't appreciate feeling steamrolled.
This entry was originally posted at http://dancingwaves.dreamwidth.org/876453.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Yesterday, the feeling got worse through the day and I was coughing a lot. It was an issue of not getting enough air, or at least feeling like it. So, rather than wait it out longer, we took me to the doctor. (This takes a lot, as I hate the doctors. For various reasons. Continue reading.) We went to an urgent care clinic, as I don't have a primary care physician in Baltimore and don't really want to find one. (See above about hating doctors.) We went in and I was seen pretty quickly. (Score one for the office.)
Except for the check in person and the nurse who came out to check my oxygen levels when I first got there (apparently, chest discomfort and breathing issues has the front desk person send a nurse out nearly immediately to check those things), the staff was not very nice. When I asked nurse #2 how she was, she snapped at me and said "Ready to go home. 15 minutes." Oh. Okay. (Minus one for the office.)
When the doctor came in to see me and asked for my symptoms, when I told her I had a heavy feeling on my chest, she was like, "I'd have you stop there and go to the ER." Um. Okay. I'm feeling pretty intimidated and wanting to go home, but I'm trying to be a good patient. I told the doctor I was also having coughing which just started that morning. Her response was, "Oh, coughing is another symptom." Then, she checks my breathing, nose, ears, etc. I have a slightly red throat and slightly swollen nasal passages. "Possibly allergies, but you've never been diagnosed with them before," is her response. She says nothing else about it. She tells me she can't hear any wheezing, so can't understand why I'm saying I feel like I can't really breathe. So, she sends me for a chest X-ray and an EKG... at this point, texting with Sarah, she's asking what in the world they are doing. (At this point, probably around, oh, minue 4 or 5 for the office.)
My tests come back normal, and since she doesn't hear wheezing and can't figure out why I'm saying I can't breathe, she returns to her suggestion of going to the ER, that it could be a heart attack or a pulmonary emoblism. When she asked what ER I was going to, I said I wasn't going to go to one. Her response was, "Well, if you're feeling as bad as you're telling me you are, you should go." Um? What? Dismissive much? At this point, she tells me that she is required to put in my record she recommended going to the ER and that I'm declining to go. She makes me promise to go if it gets worse. Just before I leave, she's like, "The only other thing I could think of is to take Claritin or an anti-histamine... when I'd already told them I've been taking the generic Allegra. *sigh* (I've lost count by this time.) I simply nod and walk out.
So, I left work early to simply be told to go to ER. The doctor spent less than 10-15 minutes total with me, and does tests that are probably very expensive. During the time, I was never told why the tests were done, and, at points during the intial exam, didn't really explain to me what she was doing, including points that required her to touch me. Less than impressed.
I don't expect doctors to have all of the answers. I do expect them to be up front with me, listening to what I have to say, and not making me feel like I'm "faking it." I do expect them to not just punt me off to the ER, when they don't know my financial or medical situation, and have not really looked into other aspects or asked additional questions. I understand chest pain could be very serious - but when you have someone who is relatively healthy, who has not experienced something like this before, and who is showing signs of allergies? Don't dismiss that as a possibility. Especially when wheezing is not a "requirement" for an allergic reaction.
I'm still alive today, so I'm guessing it's not major. I'm continuing to take the Allegra, and I'll try out Claritin starting tomorrow. I think i'm more frustrated and disappointed with the medical care and what felt like a lack of respect for the patient. It was very frustrating.
I am grateful for the ability and resources to go to the doctor, as I know that it's precious. I also know that this has not been the first time I've experienced care like this, and it is, in large part, that I have to feel pretty miserable or really have to be needled into going. It makes me sad, that the person who can give you the most information about what's going on inside of their own body is not given the time or space to talk, is intimidated by the responses she gets, and is not given information in order to make informed decisions about her care. And I know, in part, it's my fault, that I need to take on a larger role and not be so intimidated... but, I don't appreciate feeling steamrolled.
This entry was originally posted at http://dancingwaves.dreamwidth.org/876453.html. Please comment there using OpenID.