Health Issues Con't

By Heather

Okay, I am currently in a blind rage right now so I am going to try and keep it as safe for work as possible. I'll start off by giving you a detailed synopsis of my follow up visit to the doctors office.

I get there and the receptionist gives me a paper to fill out my past medical history. I do that, and not to long after I get done the nurse takes me back. She takes my weight and height and then...takes down my medical history again. She gets done with that and then the doctor comes in...asks me my medical history...again. So at this point I am not to put off because "Hey, no problem with being thorough when it comes to your health right?" So she asked me if I was anemic. I told her I was borderline but not anemic, and hadn't been for a long time. I told her that I have had a lot of blood taken over the past month because of the numerous visits. As I'm talking she's writing all of this down. So after she gets done with all that they give me the full work up because its been a long time since I have been to the doctor. So they take more blood while I'm there, enough to run an ungodly amount of tests on, many of them completely unnecessary, I'd tell you why but that's personal. I was in that office for three hours, and here I was happy that I was getting out of work early and going to be home earlier (or so I thought).

Today, I check my phone at work and see that I have a voice mail. Its my doctor saying I am anemic and she has prescribed iron pills for me...OF COURSE I'M FLIPPING ANEMIC!!!! HOW MANY TIMES DID I VISIT THE HOSPITAL AND RANDOM FOLLOW UP VISITS THE PAST MONTH AND ALL TOOK BLOOD!!!! What the heck are you writing on that note pad of yours?! Your grocery list?! So basically you had me drone on for an hour or more about medical history, asking a few general probing questions. Then, completely negated everything I had told you and formed your own opinion?! Honestly, why even ask me anything when you're going to ignore all of it. The entire time she's saying "You are awfully pale." Well here's another question that doctors should ask. How about asking for my heritage/nationality. I am Scotch/Irish/German/Hungarian, what about that suggests anything other than pasty white person?!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against doctors or the medical profession. Because when you get right down to it, we are one in the same. Doctors, retail, we are both providing a service. And within both professions there are processes that limit what we both can and cannot do. I have a lot of respect for doctors that have gone through all those hard years of med school and are putting their hard earned degrees to work. However, its just as upsetting when you have a store clerk listen to you (or so you think) and it ends up they were just thinking what that stain is on their shirt and how long it had been there instead of listening to you. So instead they suggest some random product and bullshit you into buying a product that won't work. The difference is people can't shop around for good doctors, they don't have the time or cash to do so. If this were the case, I know a lot of doctors would be out of work.

On another note, I am trying to put a stop to my cursing. As you can imagine today....I failed miserably.