Monday, August 18, 2008
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11:13 a.m.
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As most of you know, I've had my fair share of medical problems in the past. Most of the time I ignore all of these things but when I start to add them up I realize that I am not always at my best.
For a while (4 months) I dealt with my feet. It got so bad I thought I was going to lose them and just when I was about to give up after visiting 12 doctors, they suddenly got better and stayed that way.
No arguments here.
Now I have stomach problems. I don't know why but it started not long before school let out for the summer and has more or less made my vacation time less enjoyable because of the need to evacuate soul every so often. I've gone to the doctor twice so far and nothing much has happened yet. Now I get to receive a colonoscopy but the damn place I was referred to (which is at my doctors office) wouldn't let me make an appointment while I was there, instead saying they will only write down an appointment time if you CALL them. The receptionist in charge of the appointments was right there and simply nodded her head.
I went in today to get a mole removed. Nothing serious, just something I had been meaning to do. Well, this is the second time I've been screwed by that clinic. The signs all say "$20 plus $4 per mole" making it reasonable. I went in, and the hack doctor who misdiagnosed my foot problem looked at them, said "no problem" and then informed me that the price was $50 for the one and $100 for the other.
Needless to say I argued with her. In the end, I decided just to have the problem mole removed (only because it can be uncomfortable, not because it's harmful in any other way) and she said "oh, well, then it's just $100." Apparently, it was a cut one off, get a second one off half price day.
The way it works is that your family doctor can do most of these things for you and that's their fee. Instead of doing it for you, though, they refer you to these other people in the same offices who charge you much more. They just don't tell you about it, or, the first time I had something I wanted done (ingrown toenail) and they jacked the fee, my doctor didn't KNOW that the cost was so much more.
I don't have much faith left in the medical profession and now I'm about to let them violate me to make sure I'm not going to die. Hell, even if I WAS going to die, the stupid assholes probably wouldn't know it.
For a while (4 months) I dealt with my feet. It got so bad I thought I was going to lose them and just when I was about to give up after visiting 12 doctors, they suddenly got better and stayed that way.
No arguments here.
Now I have stomach problems. I don't know why but it started not long before school let out for the summer and has more or less made my vacation time less enjoyable because of the need to evacuate soul every so often. I've gone to the doctor twice so far and nothing much has happened yet. Now I get to receive a colonoscopy but the damn place I was referred to (which is at my doctors office) wouldn't let me make an appointment while I was there, instead saying they will only write down an appointment time if you CALL them. The receptionist in charge of the appointments was right there and simply nodded her head.
I went in today to get a mole removed. Nothing serious, just something I had been meaning to do. Well, this is the second time I've been screwed by that clinic. The signs all say "$20 plus $4 per mole" making it reasonable. I went in, and the hack doctor who misdiagnosed my foot problem looked at them, said "no problem" and then informed me that the price was $50 for the one and $100 for the other.
Needless to say I argued with her. In the end, I decided just to have the problem mole removed (only because it can be uncomfortable, not because it's harmful in any other way) and she said "oh, well, then it's just $100." Apparently, it was a cut one off, get a second one off half price day.
The way it works is that your family doctor can do most of these things for you and that's their fee. Instead of doing it for you, though, they refer you to these other people in the same offices who charge you much more. They just don't tell you about it, or, the first time I had something I wanted done (ingrown toenail) and they jacked the fee, my doctor didn't KNOW that the cost was so much more.
I don't have much faith left in the medical profession and now I'm about to let them violate me to make sure I'm not going to die. Hell, even if I WAS going to die, the stupid assholes probably wouldn't know it.
Posted by
Parallel
2 comments:
I so agree with ur story! What happened to the way the doctors years ago used to be, actually listening to their patients as if they knew what we were going through! I am right their with you!
B, I'm glad that despite the health problems you and Catherine are happy and doing well. Randomly thought of you today and looked you up to make sure you were living out all of your dreams. - L
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