And We Wonder Why I'm Always MAD

:::sigh:::

Today was (notice the past tense) my appointment with the sleep neurologist. My pulmonologist asked my regular neurologist to help with the leg movements, but after 3 medications and no improvement (plus a notification by ME that the movements were ONLY during REM sleep) he thought I needed to see a sleep neurologist. They referred me and my appointment was this afternoon.

I get a call this morning asking if I've ever had a sleep study. I explained that I'd had 3 at another facility and briefly explained my situation. The woman asked me 3 times "well, if you have Sleep Apnea, why haven't they put you on a cpap machine" this AFTER I told her I was on a ventilator.

Red flags went off for me so I started asking a ton of questions...

No records whatsoever had been sent to this doctor and he has no clue who I am or why I'm coming. And it turns out that the appointments they have on Friday afternoons are quick follow up appointments for patients on cpap or bipap, NOT for new patients.

She spoke to him and he agreed that my coming to see him today is a waste of time. He wants my records first to review.

So, after waiting for close to 6 weeks to get the referral, then another 2 weeks for the actual appointment, I have lost yet ANOTHER 2 months time because of stupid stuff like this.

Who knows how long I'll have to wait now, continuing doing what's not working so well. I HATE taking the benedryl, even half makes me feel lousy the next day, but kept doing it since I knew I had this appointment.

My husband just warned both my kids -- "Mom is NOT in a good mood, so you'd better not doing anything stupid to make her mad right now."

This is absolutely unbelievable to me.

Just look at your avatar. How can you stay mad after staring at that for 30 seconds.

I'm so sorry for all that you are going through, Madalot. I admire your fighting spirit.

Hang in there.

Bev

I know you are frustrated madalot and rightfuly so. Hang in there. (some day things will work out for you).

I am keeping you in my prayers.

Geeze, how awful. Just what you needed. I'm sorry.

But there is a bright side... at least you didn't show up today so that you and the neurologist could just sit there looking at each other. Someone fouled up. You're going to have to wait ANOTHER 2 weeks, it's just another wrench in the machine you don't need. But at least for your next appointment, the doctor will have had time to look over your chart and records extensively.

Mad, I hate all of this for you.

I'm praying for you.

((( hugs )))

@Madalot. What I've learned is ASK for copies as soon as you're done w/ a test. Keep them in a folder for your records. When you go for an appt, BRING THEM. That way you can show referring MDs or whomever. I hear what you're going through. Health care is chaotic here. Good luck.

I feel your anger and frustration I have experienced similar wasted visits after waiting months for appointments. I'm beginning to think I need to call these offices a few days after they make these appointments and asking them if they have all the necessary reports and if not please get them and call to confirm they have them .

Edit: I am so mad at whoever didn't do what they should have done for you!!!

Madalot wrote:... :::sigh::: ...

Sigh! Indeed!!

My recommendation is to take some "time off". Go find a quite spot. Read a book. Forget about the troubles of life. When I have bad days, I will often re-read (or re-watch) old favorites. Yup. It's escapism. But it helps remind me of joyful things. And that can make all the difference.

Though it's very frustrating to have something like this occur, it's great you are you and took the time to CHECK. While you now face yet another delay, at least your next meeting will be more productive.

Hope things improve and you (eventually) have a good first meeting with this new doctor.

Getting medical treatment is getting to be as bad as getting your car worked on these days. Incompetence, scam artists, parasites like insurance, loan companies, used car salesmen mentalities, unnecessary procedures added to the bill, etc.

Maddie,

So sad to hear of this latest snafu. Like Fitness Seeker, I've learned (or I should say, I am learning) to ask for the test results and when possible the test data itself at the time of testing. Or at least shortly thereafter. I'm also finally beginning to be brave enough to ask for the dictated office notes for visits that result in a new diagnosis or raise a concern about a potential diagnosis such as the eye doctor's dictated notes about my being a "glaucoma suspect"---gotta love that language with its unintended overtones. And when I was in the process of switching sleep docs, I demanded copies of all notes for all the office visits. It took time and effort and repeated phone calls from both hubby and myself. (Hubby eventually had to take over that onerous task because it was just too upsetting.) I brought them to the new doc's office about a week before my first appointment and had them make copies for themselves and told them I'd need the originals back on the day of the appointment. I also brought the whole kit and kaboodle to the psychologist's office about a week before my first appointment there.

You would think with faxes, emails, and secure servers that the medical community would finally figure it out that transferring relevant medical information from one doc's office to another BEFORE the first consult would improve their ability to get an accurate medical history and provide care that is not likely to mess up other treatments prescribed by other doctors.

Oh, honey!

{{{{{{{{{{Madalot}}}}}}}}}}

What a bunch of freaking screw-ups!!!! Where did these jokers get their credentials and degrees? How'd they ever get hired? And once hired how have they held on to their jobs?? I'd be tempted to bucket the entire bunch of them and start all over again.

Except the likelihood of encountering yet another bunch of incompetent jerks .......

(((hugs))), Maddy. Count to a thousand (hundred won't do it!), take a deep breath and ....

Wow... Sometimes progress has a funny way of manifesting itself. Still, I am glad to hear you were up to making sure things were in order. Now, if they can catch up to you, you may find some answers.

Maddy,

One of the benefits of having all my doctors in the same network and electronic record keeping (Emory University) is that all one doctor that I am seeing has to do is bring all my records up on the computer. I do remember when they had runners going to a central record storage area and hand deliver my file.

Well, hang in there. Sometimes I think that I would not have a social life at all if it weren't for doctor appoinments.

Love,

amos