Why you should have a private doctor - RANT!

A week ago last Tuesday, I saw that I was going to run out of my "brain" meds in two days or so. I do NOT function without my brain meds. Heck, I don't function with them, but at least I don't walk into walls the way I do without them.

I had missed my doctor's appt the Friday before because I was busy in court fighting those tickets I got a while back for not coming to a complete stop at a Stop Sign on a one way road. The process took longer than I expected and I was still sitting in traffic court long after I should have been over at the clinic.

Now my doctor was supposed to put me on a new brain med because they no longer manufacture the old one. So, I called up the clinic LAST TUESDAY A WEEK AGO and explained that I needed a new appointment and a re-fill of my prescription. Everything is done at this clinic by voice mail - you can't get a human being even if you are in the midst of a full blown psychotic attack. The clinic calls me back the next day and tells me I have a new appointment that was scheduled for Feb 3rd, and to call the pharmacy so they could fax them my refill request. So, I did as instructed.

Friday at 5:00pm, I call the pharmacy before driving out to pick up my refill. They tell me that they faxed the doctor and the doctor's office said I wasn't on file as a patient! HUH?

Turns out there are two doctors in my town with the same last name, and the idiots at the pharmacy just called the first one on their directory which was the OTHER doctor. After waiting on hold forever to actually speak to a pharmacist and not the ditz who sells candy bars up front, they finally figured out the error and promised to fax in the refill first thing Monday. So, I went the entire weekend walking into walls.

I check with the pharmacy on Monday and after another long wait on hold, "Your call is very important to us..." (yeah, sure!) they tell me that they still haven't heard back from the clinic. So I call the clinic and by dint of guerilla tactics, actually get the person in charge of faxing back refill requests. I wait on the other end of the line as he sorts thru all the faxes and then he cheerily comes back on and tells me that my fax is there and they'll sent it in tout sweet (or however you spell that).

So I give it a good 4 hours and call the pharmacy again. Nothing. I call the clinic, and this time even my guerilla techniques can't get me a real person. So I hop in the car with Star, drive down to the clinic and procede to have a temper tantrum at the receptionist's desk. Presently, a male nurse (the SAME one I spoke with earlier) tells me that I don't show up in the system as having a doc appointment, so they couldn't fax in the re-fill request. He could have told me this FOUR HOURS BEFORE when he had me on the phone! I ask thru clenched teeth if they could please give me another appointment. They give me one for March 3rd and send off the refill request as I watch.

I drive down to the pharmacy and they give me enough of my prescription for 3 days only. "That drug is no longer being manufactured", they inform me primly. I KNOW already!

The pharmacist says they'll try to find another pharmacy that has extra's of my meds, but doesn't seem overly optimistic. The next day, I again drive down to the clinic in a rage. Once again, they take me back to see the same male nurse. I had quite a wait to see him though, and got treated to a story from a man who was homeless and informed me that the clinic won't let you fall asllep there no long how long your wait is or even if you're sick. He said he was staying at the Red Cross Shelter which kicks people out sick or healthy at 7:00am every morning and won't let them back in until 9:00pm. The guy LOOKED sick, he was wheezing and coughing like he was in the final stages of lung cancer or something. "What do you do?" I asked him. "I endure it," he replied.

So, I go back to the consultation office in an even worse mood then when I came in if that's possible, and explained to my nurse pal that they don't make my meds anymore. "Oh yeah," he said brightly. "Now that you mention it, I do recall reading that somewhere." GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I had brought in my evaluation from my previous doctor which strongly reccomended that I be put on this other medication and gave the exact name and dosage and everything. I suggested, "Look, why don't you guys just put me on this since that what was reccomended for me anyhow?" The male nurse was fascinated by this 8 page medical evaluation which somehow (big surprise!) had never found its way in my file at the clinic. "Do you think I should make a copy of this for your records here?" he asked. Well, duh! I told him it probably wouldn't hurt anything if he did and to be my guest.

So he makes a copy of this report, says he'll show it to the clinic doctor and see if he won't authorize a prescription for this med that I should have been switched to over a year ago.

Today, I get a call from the clinic and they tell me that the doctor doesn't want to put me on brain meds without seeing me first. By this time I am so filed with rage at the incompetancy of this outfit that I am tempted to round up every street person I can find and bring them all out to the clinic with me to have a sleep in on their beat up couches in the waiting room. Instead I say VERY politely, "I have Seen Doctor S. THREE times now and he HAS me on a brain med already except its no longer being manufactured!"

"Really? Too bad, you still have to wait till March 3rd." CLICK! And they hang up the phone.

Which starts ringing as soon as I put down the receiver and its the pharmacy! "We found the last place on the face of the earth that still has a supply of your medicine if you still need it," they say.

THANK YOU!