Soooo... frustrated!

STILL getting the "runaround" today with the hospital where I see my neuro. Grrrrr.....!

Last night, I missed the return call before 5 pm, to try and get an appointment. I called to get ahold of the on-call doctor; when I was connected to the hospital operator, he kept telling me that the on-call doctor couldn't help me and that I needed to go through appointments (they had already connected me to this guy ).

Finally, after I spoke again with the appointments line, they connected me with a different person. That person had the on-call doctor call me moments later. He told me to call in the morning to arrange to get into the urgent care clinic. Why was it so much easier in September?

I called and tried to get into the urgent care clinic, but (because I mentioned the doctor who is normally there; as per the on-call doctor's advice) they said they'd have to "check with the office" and call me back. Needless to say, NOBODY called back today.

So...meanwhile, I'm still in pretty bad shape and just wanting to be seen. Even if there isn't much they could do (tx-wise), I need to speak with them about a prognosis; whether or not I should expect to be able to work again in the fall. Plus, wondering WHAT I can do in the meantime. Not teaching this fall, but not able yet to take care of home and family; barely able to care for myself.

Whew... Thanks for letting me vent.

[Thinkimjob]

That kind of sucks.
Tomorrow will be better.

[mjan]

I called and tried to get into the urgent care clinic, but (because I mentioned the doctor who is normally there; as per the on-call doctor's advice) they said they'd have to "check with the office" and call me back. Needless to say, NOBODY called back today.

So...meanwhile, I'm still in pretty bad shape and just wanting to be seen. Even if there isn't much they could do (tx-wise), I need to speak with them about a prognosis; whether or not I should expect to be able to work again in the fall. Plus, wondering WHAT I can do in the meantime. Not teaching this fall, but not able yet to take care of home and family; barely able to care for myself.

Whew... Thanks for letting me vent.[/QUOTE]

Sorry for the confusion and runaround ~
the on call doc really cannot do much except tell you to go to ER or as he did tell you get into urgent care. Not sure why they did not call you back..geez.

But what IS going on that is urgent, if you think there is nothing they could do for you? That confuses me. As far as discussing your prognosis.. it may be hard to say for sure in 9 months time.

Is it an answer about teaching next Fall that you need to know now? Is that what is bothering you the most?

Hope you get relief.. the rest.. WILL get decided.. in time hon.. in time. I know its been hard though.

Hugs, Jan

[rdmc]

We'll I'll join you in your frustration rant. I guess it's what's happening in modern medicine today.

These last 2 weeks have been soooo frustrating for me with my neuro. I'm an established patient (probably 4 years or more) and only see them for my 6 month check up. I don't take steroids, so during a flare I usually just wait it out and don't have to call them.

But two days after Christmas I was hit by an attack of trigeminal neuralgia (I've had it for years but it's been manageable, but this time it flared big time.) So I called for two days last week hoping to get in, but the best I got at the end of the two days was a called in Rx for Lyrica (I'm allergic to Neurontin and Tegretol.)

Had horrible side effects from the Lyrica, and was not going to take it, but the pain was too bad, and it did handle the pain, so I kept at it.

This week, however, the neuralgia has progressed into some type of cramp/spasm...and it's gotten so bad I can hardly open my mouth, my tongue is balled up on one side of my mouth, and eating is extremely precarious because of the choking aspect.

So I called the neuro's office yesterday, first thing, talked to the receptionist...once again couldn't get an appt. Talked to the nurse, she said she'd talk to the doctor and get back to me....and here we are almost 24 hours later and nada...I got no call. So I'll probably have to visit the ER, which I HATE!

I'm trying to get into an MS specialist, but it's been a 6 month wait...so the end of February, I'll have changed.

Sorry for the rant...but I just wanted you to know this kind of stuff seems more common than usual lately. I guess docs are really busy...my GP is as hard to get into as the neuro On call doctors, in my experience, mostly say "Take 2 aspirin and call THEM (as in your regular doc) in the morning." LOL

Hopefully you'll get some face time with your doc.

(sigh) ...finally; and yet...

I did get in to see my neurologist on Thursday. I called and spoke to the same person as before. She apologized for nobody getting back to me. It seems that the on-call doctor didn't "note" this incident , and she had to pass it along to the office manager...who never got back to her about it.

Oddly enough, when she spoke to the "right person," I was able to come in to see my own neurologist ("squeezed in" when I could get there). My hubby took me and I waited, but not for as long as I expected. I gave him the details of what was going on (transcribed by an assistant b/c my neuro has Parkinson's), stood for him to see how weak I was and how it was affecting my back, and had him track my vision with his little pen light. Apparently, he took interest in my right eye being sluggish b/c he made both the transcriptionist and a young resident on rounds with him watch again.

When I mentioned that he'd suggested an injection instead of IV steroids when I had my flare in September, he gladly wrote me a script for it. He didn't even discuss with me if he thought I should work in the fall. I guess he wanted to see how things go with the injections. As for my terrible backaches, he merely suggested a heating pad (been there, done that, NOT working ).

Oh, and those injections?? Turns out to be ACTHAR gel; a ridiculously expensive treatment that isn't normally stocked in a pharmacy. Currently awaiting news from Curascript to see if my insurance will pay for it. If not, guessing I'll have to either "ride this one out" again or try for a greater dose of IV steroids.

He wrote another script to have me evaluated for a power chair, even though I told him I was trying to go through OVR b/c the PT says my ins. will turn it down (live in a split level with no first floor bath or bed). I'm supposed to go back in a month for a follow-up; we'll see what happens between now and then.

Understand my "and yet..." phrase?? Please pray, not only for me, but for my dh and kids as they try to take on so many extra duties; things my parents were doing when they stayed for several months.