Frustration with Primary Care Doctors

We like our primary care doctor.  She's a good listener; she gives you a lot of her time and attention while you're in her office; we trust that she's a good diagnostician and knows what to do for you; she bring you in every six months for blood work and monitoring of our conditions.  Unfortunately, she is inaccessible when you need her.

In Maryland, our doctor's office kept several appointments open every day for people who were actually sick and needed to be seen that very day.  If you called when they first opened and said you're sick and not going to work that day, boom, you got an appointment.  If you went to the ER and needed to follow up the next day, boom, you were in.

Not in Florida.

Friday was the second time that Mark felt he needed to be seen on a particular day and called to get an appointment, but the office sent him to the ER.  We do not consider that an appropriate use of the ER facilities or our time.

Then yesterday we could not get any attention from them to schedule a follow up appointment.  We were also hoping she could fast track an appointment for a colonoscopy within the next two weeks before we leave for Maryland.  I called them when they opened, explained everything, and was told the nurse would call me back after speaking to the doctor.  That was at 9 a.m.  By 4:30 when no one had called, I called back, got a different person, explained all over again, was put on hold for nearly 20 minutes, and was finally cut off at 4:50, 10 minutes before closing time.  Geez, so much for patient care.

Today Mark is going to skip her office and call every gastroenterologist in the local area, which is a 25 mile radius so that's a lot of doctors.  If he can get a colonoscopy scheduled in the next two weeks, fine, if not, he is going to call the doctor in Maryland that did his previous ones and try to have it done up there in May.  That's not exactly our idea of ASAP, but maybe it is theirs.

Meanwhile I played with the new Mah Jongg card for the first time yesterday. I won four times, so it was a great day, and I think I really like this new card!  There were 8 of us playing, and I think everyone won at least once.  Nice afternoon. 

After Mahj, Mark and I went to the gym, did weights, and walked a mile and a quarter in 30 minutes.  I ate about 1300 calories yesterday.  I have definitely dropped weight this week, so I'll be excited to report that tomorrow morning.  I have an appointment with the med onc tomorrow morning, and I'll still be up a LOT since I saw her six months ago, but it will be a little better than it would have been last week!  LOL!