Among the big “talking points” in the upcoming Presidential election (other than the economy, of course) is health care. Let’s face it – many Americans just aren’t that thrilled with the health care system. Sure, we have extremely skilled doctors and nurses – if you can afford them. Getting sick in the United States is expensive.
I have never really had a problem with the health care system. But then, for awhile I was being covered by my parents’ government health insurance, and after that, I never really got sick or injured. I never experienced why so many people had issues with the health care system.
In late April/early May, I began to experience stomach problems. While not painful, the symptoms were bad enough to cause nearly constant discomfort. Only lying down caused some relief. I decided to see my general practioner, someone who never really steered me wrong in the past. She took some blood, took an x-ray, and was honest enough to tell me that I could have any number of problems. Thus began my odyssey.
First up was a Colon specialist. After a brief examination and questionnaire, the doctor promptly scheduled me for some tests at the nearby hospital. One was a simple Ultrasound to check for gallstones and the like. The other not so simple – a test involving ingesting a large amount of liquid containing Barium, so that the doctors can “watch” you digest it. The purpose behind this is so that they can check for blockages in your digestive system.
Some time passed, and I hadn’t heard anything. It was like pulling teeth, but I finally reached the doctor to get my results. The tests came back “normal” so the doctor quickly washed his hands of me. I had to go see another specialist, a Gastroenterologist.
To make things extra fun, the company I work for switched medical insurance companies on us in the middle of all this. I went into the Gastroenterologist with a brand new insurance company. I spent several months dealing with the specific Gastroenterologist, who eventually came to dislike a lot. He was inattentive when I first went to see him. I spent all of about 5 minutes talking to him, the rest of the time was spent dealing with his nurse practitioner. The entire time he did not directly answer my questions, and while I was talking all he did was say “Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm.” (This to the point where I could probably tell him I was an alien from Pluto and still get the “mmmhmm” response). His strategy? Some blood tests, a couple of procedures, and, the most fun of all, a stool sample. Let me just say, getting a stool sample for this guy was probably one of my most unpleasant experiences.
He scheduled me for an EGD and a Colonoscopy – simply put, they stick a tube with a camera at the end of it through your digestive system so they can look at certain things. The EGD goes in from the top, the Colonoscopy from the bottom. They scheduled the procedures for consecutive days. It was when the time came for the first procedure when I began my dislike for this doctor. With little advance warning, he cancelled the first procedure for “personal reasons.” The office called and told me. Problem is, they didn’t bother to tell the hospital. They were quite surprised when they called to go over a few things with me, only to have me tell them that the procedure got cancelled. I still took the other procedure the next day, and the guy showed up half an hour late. He didn't bother to stick around afterward - the nurses at the hospital gave me my discharge information.
I had a follow up the next week with the doctor, who still had his "I really don't want to be bothered spending too much time with you" attitude. I still didn't feel better, so they scheduled me for the procedure that they had cancelled earlier. Oh, and they ordered more blood tests.
The fun continued when I started receiving some bills, which were a lot higher than I expected. I curiously checked my new insurance company's website, only to find that they declined to pay many of my charges because, apparently, my coverage had expired. I called them up and explained the situation, which was a somewhat humorous situation. The representative's response went somewhat like this: "Yes, I see that the claims were denied because your coverage expired..
...oh...but I see that your coverage started on the 1st." Had I owned a bell I certainly would have rang it for him. They said they would reassess the claims, which they did - after I had to make several calls reminding them.
By the time that was all sorted out, It was time for my next procedure. I was still uncomfortable almost constantly. The next procedure went almost the same as the first, with the doctor really just there to "do his thing" and let other people deal with the aftermath. When I went in for my follow up, it was quite surprising - the doctor asked me how I felt. As if somehow, in the week between the procedure and my follow up, I had magically healed. When I told him there was no improvement, he seemed almost shocked. He pushed some pills on me and pushed me out the door.
I took the pills for about a month, and they offered absolutely no relief. I headed in for another follow up. I was ushered into the examination room, where I waited for 45 minutes. When he finally showed up he offered no apology. He also didn't seem to give a damn when I told him I was not improved, and I really wanted to find a way to get better. He didn't offer one. He just wanted to run more tests. I'd had enough.
I got a referral for another Gastroenterologist. He was a vast improvement over the previous doctor. He flat out dismissed my last doctor's appraisal, and told me he had a good idea what it was. The downside? Another test.
The final test I had to run was a $250 breakfast. I arrived at the hospital and was offered scrambled eggs, toast, and juice that had a radioactive material in them (a different one this time). In this test, called a Gastric Emptying test, they were wanting to watch how quickly food left my stomach. I ate the irradiated food and sat on an extremely uncomfortable table for an hour and a half, instructed not to move.
I was called days later and told the test came back normal, but I guess they had another look at it, because a few days after that they called me and said that they noticed the food did not digest as quickly as it should, a condition called Gastroparesis. I got more drugs, and I will be following up with the doctor at the end of the month.
So, 5 months later, I am for the most part feeling better thanks to the new medication. There are still some bad days, but its not constant like it once was.
Also, 5 months later, I face a slew of medical bills. I will be paying off the several doctors visits, lab tests, and procedures for a long time. All I can say is that I am thankful I did not have something seriously wrong with me, because if I did, the 5 months it took to diagnose me may have been too late. I can see now why people just hate the health care system. Doctors that don't tell you anything, doctors that are jerks, test after test after test...and of course, the costs. For two of the procedures, I had to have anesthesia. I had to be put under 20 minutes for one, and about 40 minutes for the other. The cost of the anesthesia, before insurance stepped in and paid its cut, was $600. Yep, $600 for the near-equivalent of taking a nap. I feel for the families with long term illnesses, as its doubtful they will see a debt-free life soon or at all.
My beloved home of ranting, this blog, has suffered. My personal life has suffered. So, come on, Obama. Come on, McCain. When you're elected, get to work on that health care system. Quit wasting money on Congressional hearings for steroids in professional sports. It's time for the American people to start trusting their physicians again. If for nothing else, than to prevent long, boring, ranting stories like this one.
