My Frustrations Runath Over
I finally found a doctor that was excepting new patients for my eczema swelling. He was a general practitioner and I had doubts about seeing a GP because they really don't have a specific field of expertise-- especially when it comes to fibro patients. But I went anyway because I needed some relief from my swollen eyes.
The nurse came in first and asked a lot of questions about my skin condition and I gave her my entire medical history in about 5 minutes of conversation. Being a fibro patient has some perks and having a knack to spew out 36 years of medical history in 5 minutes is one of them.
The doctor came in after a few minutes and then asked to see my hands and face. I showed him and then he asked if I was using new moisturizer. I told him that I have been changing my moisturizer constantly because nothing is giving me relief. The last "new" moisturizer was something that I've been using for about a month.
He told me to stop using it and go with baby oil and said I'm having an allergic reaction. He gave me a script for steroids and some kind of soap and then sent me on my way. It took him longer to write out the script then it did to talk to me and I REALLY hate doctors like that. Now, granted it was almost 5 PM and he wanted to go home-- in fact he left the same time we did, but I really don't think that is an excuse for sweeping my health conditions under the rug.
Doctors are like the rest of us--they are human and have families they want to go home to, but they also have an oath. My advice to people is to only go to a GP if you have the sniffles. I know that may sound harsh, but I've seen enough of them in my past to know that they don't have a clue about people and what they go through with serious health conditions. The only thing I've seen with GP's is that they are good with colds and the flu.
I'm also finding as of late that I need to argue with doctors a lot more just to get the medical attention I need and that's really not fair considering they make more in an hour than I did all day at my job as a retail manager. In fact, I had to work all week just to get what they make in an hour.
I don't mean to make this into a rant that is bashing doctors in general-- that's not the point-- please don't misunderstand. What I'm saying is that if you have a problem with your skin, find a dermatologist. If you have an autoimmune problem, see a rheumatologist. Specialists seem to be the way to go and that's sad really because specialists can get really expensive. I know I was paying a lot out of pocket when I first started seeing them-- and I had insurance. It didn't cover anything, but I had insurance. And alternative care is usually out of pocket too. Right now, out of pocket is really out of reach for most of us.
I hope that somebody out there some day changes the health industry and makes it better for the patients instead of it being better for the insurance and drug companies. These pill pushers need to be pushed out of the office and make room for the ones who are willing to treat the whole person.
As for me, I'll be making an appointment with a dermatologist tomorrow and probably start my research into finding a specialist for allergies. Hope you are all Fabulous and don't forget about the contest.
Love and friendship,
Kimberley
The nurse came in first and asked a lot of questions about my skin condition and I gave her my entire medical history in about 5 minutes of conversation. Being a fibro patient has some perks and having a knack to spew out 36 years of medical history in 5 minutes is one of them.
The doctor came in after a few minutes and then asked to see my hands and face. I showed him and then he asked if I was using new moisturizer. I told him that I have been changing my moisturizer constantly because nothing is giving me relief. The last "new" moisturizer was something that I've been using for about a month.
He told me to stop using it and go with baby oil and said I'm having an allergic reaction. He gave me a script for steroids and some kind of soap and then sent me on my way. It took him longer to write out the script then it did to talk to me and I REALLY hate doctors like that. Now, granted it was almost 5 PM and he wanted to go home-- in fact he left the same time we did, but I really don't think that is an excuse for sweeping my health conditions under the rug.
Doctors are like the rest of us--they are human and have families they want to go home to, but they also have an oath. My advice to people is to only go to a GP if you have the sniffles. I know that may sound harsh, but I've seen enough of them in my past to know that they don't have a clue about people and what they go through with serious health conditions. The only thing I've seen with GP's is that they are good with colds and the flu.
I'm also finding as of late that I need to argue with doctors a lot more just to get the medical attention I need and that's really not fair considering they make more in an hour than I did all day at my job as a retail manager. In fact, I had to work all week just to get what they make in an hour.
I don't mean to make this into a rant that is bashing doctors in general-- that's not the point-- please don't misunderstand. What I'm saying is that if you have a problem with your skin, find a dermatologist. If you have an autoimmune problem, see a rheumatologist. Specialists seem to be the way to go and that's sad really because specialists can get really expensive. I know I was paying a lot out of pocket when I first started seeing them-- and I had insurance. It didn't cover anything, but I had insurance. And alternative care is usually out of pocket too. Right now, out of pocket is really out of reach for most of us.
I hope that somebody out there some day changes the health industry and makes it better for the patients instead of it being better for the insurance and drug companies. These pill pushers need to be pushed out of the office and make room for the ones who are willing to treat the whole person.
As for me, I'll be making an appointment with a dermatologist tomorrow and probably start my research into finding a specialist for allergies. Hope you are all Fabulous and don't forget about the contest.
Love and friendship,
Kimberley
