The Medical Establishment Sucks

I'm so sick of it, sick of getting no help from the people who are supposed to be giving it!!!

As you may know, I've been complaining of headaches. I have one right now, in fact, and sitting here staring at this white screen will indeed make it worse, but I'm hoping I can get this off of my chest quickly. Well, my friend Jen said to me over the weekend, "You know, you said the other day you hadn't had any headaches or migraines for awhile, but you've been having them a lot lately. Do you think it's because of the Tramadol?"

--- light bulb ---

Derh. Yes. So I reread the info that came with the prescription and it said that if blah, blah, blah, call your doctor immediately.... So, it was after hours, so I emailed my PCP about what was going on. I figured she would tell me to call the specialist I saw at WVU, but the WVU specialist told me to talk to my PCP first. So, what do you think I heard when I picked up the phone from my PCP's office?

"You need to call the doctor at WVU."

Quelle surprise. Not.

So I called WVU...and they never called back. So I called the next day...and they never called back. Never called back. So I called my pharmacist and he told me what to do in order to get off of them safely. And they have still not called.

I've had it.

And I'm not going to let it go this time.

I think this may be one thing I'm supposed to do--fight the system and change it.

And by cracky, I want to. No one should be treated--or not treated in this case--this way!!! What is wrong with the Medical Establishment that they have stopped health CARE? I think there's a lot going on behind the scenes: the love of money--the fear of lawsuits--the pressure from insurance companies.

The Love of Money
Let's pack as many patients into one day as possible, and "treat" them as quickly as possible. I have so many things going on with me, and so many prescriptions that I have to write things down in order to remember them. My PCP actually told me once I could pick two, that's all she had time for. My mom's dog gets more time at the vet.

The Fear of Lawsuits
They're everywhere on TV: Call the law offices of So-&-So, they'll sue Such-&-Such and get you the settlement you deserve. Doctors are playing the C.Y.A. game--cover your assets. They don't want to get sued, so they do as little as possible to get by with.

The Pressure from Insurance Companies
Insurance companies call the shots. I used to joke with my PCP--when there was time--that I should just go see the insurance company and then they'd let her know what was wrong with me. I'm thinking I might get somewhere quicker if I did just that! But I think the enormous pressure they put on doctors and hospitals is a big reason why CARE has been left out of the health industry.

Well, as I feared, my headache has increased and I'm shaking again so I will need to quit so I can go do what my pharmacist recommended so that my head won't explode from a @#&$@&$ headache no thanks to some lousy doctors. I'm not through, this is wrong. This is so wrong and I can't imagine what it's like to be someone who is gravely ill, what must sub-standard care feel like to someone that desperate? Oh, I don't want to find out, but I know I need to add all of them to my prayer list!

And by the way, I know there must be some awesome doctors out there, but when I consider the nearly dozen I have to deal with for my care...they are SO not around here! And boy, do I wish they were!!!!!

:) Jan