ladysprite: (Default)
ladysprite ([personal profile] ladysprite) wrote2010-08-31 01:18 pm

This Is Ridiculous

There is something deeply, fundamentally, enragingly wrong with our medical system.

I admit, I hate going to the doctor, and I will postpone it as long as humanly possible; usually longer than is safe or rational. But a large part of that comes from the fact that, on the rare occasions that I get up the guts and activation energy to go, it turns out that I can't get an appointment anywhere for love or money.

This is the second time I've tried to get an appointment with a dermatologist, mostly because I've finally hit the 'actually worried' stage about the funny-looking mole on my back. It's tiny, but it has every single hallmark of being something dangerous. Unfortunately, the soonest any of the local doctors can see me is the end of September.

This is better than last time I tried, though, for another problem - when out of four different clinics, not a one could get me in in less than two months. That time, I just gave up and didn't go at all. And, to be completely honest, that's what I think I'm going to do right now. By the time I get in anywhere, if it's malignant it'll be metastasized beyond treatability - and if it's benign, I will have wasted a lot of time and frustration for nothing. So honestly, there's absolutely no point in going. Screw it.

And this is all triply frustrating in the face of my day job, where people call at 10am, demand an appointment before 2pm the same day, pitch a screaming fit at the receptionist if we can't do it, make me cancel my lunch break to see them for their "emergency" (usually either vaccines or a problem that's been going on for at least 3 weeks), and then ultimately fail to show up, deciding that they didn't feel like coming after all.

Right now, I hate the world. MD's most of all.

[identity profile] pale-chartreuse.livejournal.com 2010-08-31 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I've had suspicious moles removed at my regular md's office without a problem. They're going to send it to a lab for diagnosis in either case. The "do I need to see a specialist" part of this, is part of the annoyance. You can let your regular dr. make that call, if it's needed.

[identity profile] ladysprite.livejournal.com 2010-08-31 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
That'd be assuming I have a regular MD.

My one experience with dealing with a PCP was so ragingly unpleasant that I fired them and haven't been back. I just go to specialists as needed....

[identity profile] pale-chartreuse.livejournal.com 2010-08-31 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
True enough. If you have a Gyn/Ob, it still could be a possibility though. I've had great dr.s and fired some as well. Right now I'm making do with an ok large practice, so that at least I can get seen by someone.