My name is Carol, and I am a 30 year old single mother. Please let me set the scene for what happened. For the past few years I have been on various anti-depressants (from a psychiatrist) since I've suffered from anxiety and depression all my life.
I've found a med that works very well for me (yay!), but it has caused me to gain ALOT of weight. I used to be 5'2" and 105 pounds. I now am 205 pounds! Yikes! So, I did not have insurance or a doctor at all for years. My kids come first, they get everything I have of course.
So, I finally was able to see a doctor. Appointment day comes, I waited in the waiting room for one hour and 15 minutes, with another 15 minutes in the exam room. This was all while the two nurses/receptionist chatted about their husbands etc. And there were no other patients in the office at all this entire time. When one of them got tired of chatting, she told me to come in. While waiting, I had went to use the bathroom. Oh My Gosh!!! I've never seen anything so disgusting, there were BUGS on the floor!!! Now, you're saying "why didn't you run far away at that moment?" Well, it's because it's the only doctor I could go to, and I want to live a long time for my kids, I'm 30 and experiencing tons of health problems due to this weight gain. It came on so fast! Pain in my legs, hips knees, feet makes it soo painful to workout, but I do!!! I watch what I eat, still nothing. So,
The doctor was very rude and brief, but he did tell me the meds I am on for sure are causing the weight gain, and that he knows I cannot go off them for my own sanity, which seemed great he understood. He said, go for this bloodwork to rule out thyroid problems, and check cholesterol/blood sugar etc... He said "make an appointment for 4 weeks from now, when the blood work for sure will be back, and we'll go from there, we need to get this weight off" great right??? Sounds like he is willing to help somehow. Even maybe just to refer me somewhere else or something.
So, I make the appointment and leave. Next morning, I go for the bloodwork. The day after I have the bloodwork, I get a phone message from the receptionist that says as follows. "Ms. So and so, You're bloodwork all came back clear, so call us back for an appointment in six months" I'm like huh? So, I figured she made a mistake right? There's no way my blood work could be back that fast, and I already have an appointment in 4 weeks.
So, I call back, and I'm very polite, (I don't believe in treating anyone bad) And I say, "I have an appointment in 4 weeks as per what the doctor told me to do." she said "You're blood works fine, nothings wrong with you, so what do you want?" omg! How nasty! So, me, still being nice as can be, say "Oh, the Doctor had said to come back, he just wanted to rule out other things, and we'd work on what to do about my weight, (oh and I forgot to mention the pain, he said we'd work on figuring out what the pains are and how we can get passed them) So, she says.."What do you mean, whatta ya want him to do? He can't help you, that's you!" And I'm like, "uh... Uh... Uh..." like just taken aback, ya know? I say " I realize that, but He said my meds were causin the weight gain..." and she says "He doesn't do that stuff, NO, he can't do anything, JOIN A GYM!!!" by this time, I am starting to get choked up, because she is being so nasty, and I'm feeling like, I thought I was finally getting help... So, I said, "Oh, well he's my Primary care doctor, I have no wehre else to go, maybe he could refer me to a dietition or something" And she says "What are you on Medicaid? They don't have dietitions! He can't refer you to anyone!" and I had said at some point also, "the pain I have is making it hard to WALK let alone excercise, and the Doc understood that, said we'd try to figure out what it is causing it, and get passed it etc..." and she interupts me again, and spits out "So, what, you want him to prescribe you some prescription pain pills? Some Vicodin maybe?" and I'm literally, stuttering and crying, and saying "no, no, of course not" and she keeps saying it, and she's SCREAMING AT ME like "HUH? Is that what you want? SOME PRESCRIPTION PAIN KILLERS?" And of course, I'm just floored, and had no idea what to do, and I'm crying and telling her what the doc told me and about the meds causing weight gain, and hard to walk on the pain in my feet/legs etc. And she just keeps screaming at me and saying "join a gym! He can't help you! Go on a diet!!! And talking over me while i'm crying etc... And finally she says "I'll talk to the doctor and call you back" yeah right!!! Of course, I know she didn't and they are going to get some complaints filed from me, they hopefully got it already. I'm not sure what will come of it, but if anything, I hope I can help someone else from going to this doctor, and having a bad experience too. Thanks for letting me vent!:-)
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