Diane's Diary-ah

Okay I have tons of work to do and shouldn't even be posting but I have to gripe. 

My mom has been bugging me and bugging me to get 'established' with a doctor...find a family doctor..so that if ever need be, I can have a doctor to go to.  All sounds well and good and I finally caved and went to a doctor she highly recommended that she now goes to.  And he is like the third one she's tried since living here.  So....I go to this doctor yesterday. Waited the typical over 30 minutes to get in to see him. 

His actual examination externally was quite short. Looked in my mouth, quick pen flashlight in both eyes, listened to my heart front and back and that was it.  Didn't look in my ears (and I did not mention that they often feel clogged, more likely due to allergies...) but i just assumed looking in ears was part of an initial visit.  He didn't feel my abdomen for anything ...like I thought would be typical. Like I said really quick exam.  Oh and the nurse did take my temperature which I'm guessing was normal because she didn't tell me what it was, and my blood pressure which much to my delight was not high (as I thought it would due to white coat syndrome)...it was 122 over something low.

Then the doctor suggests a colonoscopy ...which I said I wasn't really ready for yet.  The nurse came back in with a form for me to go get blood work.  Okay, I thought they were going to just do that there, but nope I have to go somewhere else.  Well since I'm going to have to end up paying for all this medical stuff, I may schedule that in a few weeks.  The deductible on my insurance is like $5000 and I never meet it each year, but I don't want to pay through the nose for insurance either.

I told the nurse at one point that I hadn't had a tetanus (sp?) shot since I was like 23 and she said she'd tell the doctor.  Well she must have forgotten because by the time I left I had forgotten and so no tetanus shot was given yesterday.  Okay well I've been fine without one for 27 years...

One thing the doc DID do for me was my pap smear so I don't have to go to a gyno. My mom told me he did offer that so that was one of the main reasons I agreed.  But then after that, the nurse said she was bringing in the EKG cart...WHAT?...why do you need to do an EKG?....Oh always required on first visit...for an internal medicine doctor.  This is the FIRST time I've ever experienced that.  So...well okay.  Painless...but I could hear the ca-ching...after that was done. 

I told the doctor when he came back that I had mitral valve prolapse in which he asked when it was last checked with an echocardiogram.  Oh...when I was about 25 I think.  Well of course he said I need to have one done. More ca-ching!  But I didn't set up an appointment for that one yet (maybe toward the end of summer).  He told me many had been misdiagnosed with MVP 20 years ago and I may not even have it. Okay great.  But then out of his mouth comes, "but you are taking one baby aspirin a day as a preventative right"?   Okay what an oxymoron.  No I am not taking one a day.  And haven't for 25 years.  Oh well you better start doing that....as MVP increases the risk for strokes.  Yah and high medical costs increases my risk for strokes!  So maybe the end of summer I'll get the echo done.  I did ask the nurse if all these tests were necessary and she did tell me he could reject me as a patient if I don't get recommended test done - Well isn't that just wonderful!

So I asked them about getting set up for a mammogram. I always have gone way down to 30th street in Austin for a digital mammogram and wanted to go to a place closer to home. The doctor knew of a place a lot closer than Austin for a digital and the nurse told me she'd set it up.  I asked the doctor if I should have all my films from Austin sent to the new place so they had them.  His response?  Oh you can just pick them up from them the day before your appointment.  HELLOOOOO...did he not hear me say I didn't want to drive all the way down to Austin????  If I was willing to go drive down there to pick up my films...I would have just gone ahead and gone for an appointment which would involve driving the same distance!  Oye!

  So I get a call within 2 hours of getting home from the radiologist office to set up my mammo AND BONE DENSITY scan. Of course I said "What bone density scan"?  There was no mention of that while at the doctor. 

Okay so now I know that internal medicine doctors are hands on deficient and expensive tests happy.  Told her I am going to pass on the bone density test.   I did give her the info as to where my films are now and she said they will request them from there before my appointment - which I had to PUSH to the 24th (they wanted this coming monday).  I can't miss that much time off work.

It isn't like I have been unhealthy, or overweight, or haven't exercised religiously for the last oh 30 years !!   Besides now-a-days 50 is considered nearly half-way as so many people are living well into their 90s and some even 100.

So, I am willing to get some of these tests done and I don't plan to go back to him unless I get sick or next year for my pap again.  If he wants to run the whole gambit of tests AGAIN, I'm going to reject him as my doctor and go find a general practioner somewhere else.

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Posted by: DianeStJames    in: My entries

Modified on March 14, 2008 at 5:38 AM

So it has been since January that I posted here.

Well I am still around, not to worry. Just don't have  alot of time once again.  Besides working a lot with my mortgage work, I have been sending out lots of Affordable Mineral Makeup samplers and lia sophia catalogs and trying to get some more of my home businesses earning money. 

That and trying to refinance our mortgage and daily tasks of being a housewife and mother just about sums it up!  The weather is finally suppose to be nice and warmer these next few days and it couldn't come any sooner for me!  This winter although not icy and snowy, was not what I would consider nice for Texas.  There were many nights and some days in the 30s and dreary, cloudy, icky sort of days...for the most part. 

Well I need to get to work but at least wanted to pop in and post.