Our sickness maintenance system.

I work in a field where people are taken to doctors, given medications, and don’t know how to ask questions. 

It’s not unusual to see people on 4 psychotropic medications.  Shortly after that, a couple  of meds are thrown in for blood pressure, a few for high cholesteral, at least one for heart problems — and by the time the doctors are through, they’re on ten medications.

Statins can cause heart problems.  Few people seem to understand that turmeric can do the same thing as statins without the side effects. 

The way doctors give out Statin drugs, you’d think they were candy.

Can you see why I might be reluctant to take any pill a doctor throws at me?

And yet…my present first-world problem is finding a doctor.

I wrote about the problem finding a PCP in this post:  https://rantingalong.blog/2023/02/23/another-in-a-line-of-first-world-problems/

Now, I’ll tell you the rest of the story:

The phone at my endocrinologists office rings and rings.  Not that it matters: As of 2023, he’s not in-network for my present insurance, or my former insurance.  

I called 7 doctors offices.  None of them take my insurance.

In the meantime, I had been using the 10 and 20mcg componded thyroid meds to create 80mcg.  My 90 day supply quickly dwindled.

I had two days of medications remaining.

Anyone who has had the misfortune to visit my house knows that I save everything.  That included 3 year old Armour Thyroid stuffed at the back of the fridge. 

That gave me another month of…um…questionable medication.

My daughter called to ask how I was doing.  After a half hour of my complaining, she said, “Go to urgent care.  I’ll put $100 in your bank account.”

Did I mention I have the world’s best and kindest children????  ♥♥♥♥

I love the doctors and ARNP’s at the local Medex urgent care clinic.  Caring, kind, and they actually know how to take blood pressure with a stethescope to their ears. 

Medex can’t be my Primary Care provider, but they gave me the name of a doctor who works for an off-shoot of their company.

So I thought…okay, I’ll fill out the paperwork and have an appointment in a week.  Why bother to get the medication now?

Bwahahahahaha!  It would be funny…if I had more than two weeks worth of 3 year old armour thyroid medication left.

So…I downloaded the application, typed out the information, and headed toward the clinic.  I was told by the receptionist, “The doctor has to look at it.  If she accepts you as a patient, I’ll call you to set up an appointment.”

What 3rd world country had I inadvertantly moved to?  Lower Slobovia? 

I waited for a week, called, and an overworked front desk person answered the phone.  “The doctor accepted you as a patient.  I’m inputting the information from your application as we speak.“

 Oh, well.  I had over a week’s worth of medication left.  What could go wrong?

!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ask that question. !!!

I received a call from the doctor’s office 4 days later and was told she’d accepted me as a patient, “Can you come in on March 31st?”

“I have one week of medication left!”  I said.

“The doctor is on vacation.  That’s her first day back. You can always go to urgent care.”

That’s what I did the next day.  My bp was 136/82. They actually take your blood pressure with a cuff and a stethescope.

When it’s taken with the mindless “touch a button” BP kit, it comes out to 204/110.  I have skinny arms, and after the D@#$%d thing has nearly broken my arm from squeezing it so hard well….yeah…my BP is going to look like it’s going through the roof.

You don’t know how many times I’ve vehemently declined statin drugs.

My medication is on its way.  Yes,  I called the compounding pharmacy to ensure the doctor’s order had arrived.  I didn’t, however, ask what the dosage was.

The bottle I gave the doctor with the name of the compounding pharmacy, and the number, was for the 20mg capsules I take at mid-day.

90/4 = 22 days if I take 4 a day.  That’s enough time to see my new PCP and decide whether or not I’m walking out the door or I’ll stay with her.

If they’re using the mindless BP system and she tries to prescribe a statin drug, I’m outta there!

Then, it’s back to urgent care…again. 

At the rate I see my primary care doctor (about once every 2 years), $80 for the year isn’t going to kill me. That’s the doctor’s job.