Why Dr’s and I Don’t Get Along
Monday while I was swimming (fast, btw), my chest started hurting.
A few months back I pulled some small muscle on the side of my sternum, a tendon maybe or a ligament or some other thing in there. I don’t remember what I did, but it started hurting when I was swimming one day and I had to stop. It took a few days and then it went away. But once it was irritated, it hurt to pick up heavy things, it hurt to pull on my bike handlebars and anything could set it off. It was clearly a muscle - not a heart - thing and it was annoying, but whatever, it was just irritated.
Then it came back 3 or 4 weeks later. Then again. And everytime I would have to stop swimming or doing anything really for a few days. Not really a great solution. My doctor, with whom I’ve had some disagreements, told me to take tylenol. (And then asked if I’d had any seizures lately.)
So when it came back this Monday, I changed my doctor first. Which was surprisingly easy. Then I tried to make an appointment with my new doctor. Which was not easy.
I called the number that had been given me for the doctor’s office. Only, of course, it was NOT the doctor’s office. It was an automated system, which asked me to press a lot of buttons and tell them what language I want and what I want and enter my member number and say my member number.
Eventually, I was put on hold. Then, eventually, eventually someone came on.
Me: Hi, I just need to make an appointment with my doctor.
Her: What are your symptons?
Me: Well, I pulled some muscle in my chest.
Her: Just a second, I need to transfer you.
Then....
“Hi, this is the advice nurse.”
Why am I speaking to an advice nurse??
Apparently, that’s the procedure now. So I explained what was wrong and that I needed to see a doctor. And do I have to go through this everytime, because I never have before?
“This is the way the system works, ok. If you have a problem with it you can call customer service.”
Cause what I want to do is spend more time on the phone.
Then, the system really broke down.
Even though Kaiser is known for it’s computer network and integrated system, so that anyone in the network-system can see the important info, so all your doctors have access, etc. Even though, all that. Apparently, this advice nurse just couldn’t go on her computer and make me an appointment. She had to check with the doctor’s office to see if they could see me. She was going to send them a message, a fucking email, with my symptoms and my phone number and they would call me back. This seems like a flawed system.
Obviously, they haven’t called back.
See, I swear, it’s not me. It’s them.
Thursday, November 20, 2008