Friday, May 08, 2009

Rant Redux

So, I got to see the new doctor yesterday.

Now I guess I know why the other doctor's office was so reluctant to return phone calls or talk to me about anything.

Seems the two tests that they did were so poorly done that I'm basically back to square one!

The doctor failed (after TWO attempts in the office) to get enough tissue to do a proper biopsy. This was a painful "digging around" procedure, done totally without any kind of prep on my part (physical or mental).

And the ultrasound technician was so inept that they even failed to get a picture of one of the ovaries --- don't you think they would have noticed while they were doing it!?

The fact that these procedures were painful and in the case of the ultrasound, humiliating because of the way it was handled, I am not happy that the hack job shop masquerading as a medical facility that performed them will get any money from my insurance company.

In fact, I have decided to write a letter of protest to them and copy our state medical board.

So, yesterday, the new doctor, with copies of the reports in hand (such as they were) walked me through what they said --- and didn't say. She explained what she would be looking for and why it was important to check things out (for instance, one of the things that can cause the post menopausal bleeding is cancer, or something that can turn into cancer, in which case we want to deal with it pronto).

She spent an entire HOUR answering my questions, reasurring me and yes, drawing pictures!!

The end result of this appointment is that in a couple of weeks I'll go back to her office and they will redo the ultra sound --- right there in the office, with a female technician that has been doing this for 20 years and only does ultra sounds on WOMEN ---- I'm guessing she'll know there should be two ovaries in the pictures. At the end of the appointment for the ultra sound, I'll see the doctor --- yes, ON THE SAME DAY! and she'll explain what the pictures from the ultra sound show -- and let me see them.

Then, in the first week of June she'll do a procedure that will take a look inside and remove any polyps, etc. and a proper tissue sample will be sent to the lab (which I will know the results of within 48 hours --- from the doctor, not some office clerk!)

And where will this be done? Not in the office. In the hospital as an outpatient procedure. After I've had time to get a couple of medications that I take daily out of my system so they don't interfere with the test or put me at risk of excessive bleeding. And who will do it? The doctor herself --- no passing me off to yet another butcher for his share of the monetary pie ---

I'm still a little nervous about the whole issue, but reassured that even if the lab results come back with something unpleasant, it's something fixable.

I slept better last night than I had in a while

Ok, now it's time to go write that letter!

1 comment:

Alison said...

A good doctor changes everything. EVERYthing. I'm glad you got a good one, finally! And good luck with it all.

--AlisonH at spindyeknit.com