I’m in hate with the health care system right now. As a matter of fact, they should not get to use the word “care.” Because, to use that word, you should care. Don’tcha think?
This is the third time in my life I have run into a system that treats the symptoms instead of finding out the cause of the symptoms.
So, yeah, I get this GERD diagnosis. But why? Instead of throwing Prilosec at me, can’t you do some blood work? How about finding out why my pulse was 49. The nurse even tried taking it again and when I asked if there was a problem she commented that the number was low so she thought she had done it wrong. How about, when I call 2 weeks later asking to get a blood test to rule out Lyme’s disease – because I’m experiencing muscle aches and joint pain and did you know, nurse-on-call, that Lyme can trigger all kinds of things, including GERD? And did you know that an outdoors person like me is probably high risk for it, even if I didn’t find a tick on me or a bullet rash? Did you know that someone just told me that there is a town on the north shore (can’t remember where) where pretty much everybody tests positive for Lyme?
And your comment, when I say I can’t get in to see my doctor until December 10th, that December isn’t that far off, made me want to cry? Prompted this whole blog post and the “care” comment I started off with? Because when you are walking around in pain all day, not able to enjoy food, not getting better, getting worse, actually, December is very far off.
Luckily, there is a caring integrative doctor in town, with a caring receptionist who, despite the fact that I haven’t been there in a few years (last time I was feeling lousy and not getting any help from the health-not-care system), got me in to see him next Wednesday? He was the one who years ago did extensive blood work and found out I had a vitamin D deficiency and a low red blood cell count. Got me on a high dose of vitamin D and iron and told me in a couple of months I was going to feel like a whole new person. Luckily the health-not-care office did give me a referral. I had to make up a reason so I told them it was to see a thyroid specialist. I couldn’t just say I needed to find a real doctor who would actually help me.
The one hopeful thing in all this is that a friend told me about a functional medicine facility out towards Boston. It’s an hour away, but I don’t really care. It’s the type of medicine I believe in, with nutritionists on staff, too. As a new patient, I couldn’t get in for my current woes, although they do have me on the cancellation list. (Disappointing.) But I will meet with the doctor in March, and hopefully switch over to her as my primary care physician. A physician who will work with someone (me!) who believes in food as medicine and about finding out the root cause of a health issue. A physician who looks at the whole person. A physician who won’t throw pills at me and say, let’s try this and if it doesn’t work, we’ll rule out the GERD. Yeah, I’m ready to say goodbye to that kind of a health care system.
Today wouldn’t be too soon.
Okay, glad that I got those toxic feelings out of me. Sorry, dear readers.
photo credit: DES Daughter via photopin cc