Adventures with Doctors
Photograph by a.drian
For all those who inquired about my accident yesterday (my quick trip down the stairs), thank you for your well wishes! I am a bit sore today, but doing quite fine. Yet, I did go to the doctor yesterday (I grow old, I grow old). But this is where my story grows complex.
A year or so ago, I ran into complications with having health insurance and found myself without such for a bit of time. Since that particular little nuisance, I have had an interesting time (as in the fortune cookie saying “May you live in interesting times”) with doctors. I had one who was so completely intrigued with the idea that I am a hypnotist that she forgot I was the patient. Another stopped taking my insurance.
Alas, I found myself recently without doctors. Who would have thought such a thing possible? They are everywhere. Buildings are full of them. Surely there would be a doctor out there that would be perfect for me? In a recent post, I applauded a woman who came back for extraordinary odds, partially because she picked the right medical team (yes, yes, yes, hypnotism was a part of it). I thought she was brilliant. I had no idea how hard a task that really was. Since I marveled at her genius, I though I would take a cue from her and be selective in my physician care.
Instead of happily choosing from a vast number of potential candidates, I rather felt like I ran the gauntlet. I checked my insurance provider list. I did internet searches on each potential primary care physician. I made notes about what I found (one was a soccer mom on the side, one was thinking about going into politics, one was a Christian, one was criticized for being a woman-hater) and found the potential list narrowed. Then I called the few remaining names on the list.
As it turns out, finding a doctor is not as simple as doing some basic homework, making a call, determining if said doctor is seeing new clients, and making an appointment. Instead, I was asked a million questions by a seemingly dispassionate voice at the other end of the phone connection. They would take my health information, consult with the doctor and the rest of the staff, and decide if I was a good fit for them. Mind you, this is without actually seeing my medical history or meeting me. Good grief.
Now granted, as a hypnotist, there have been clients that I have referred to other hypnotists, councilors, doctors, or clergy. I did this usually after actually meeting with the client, discussing their expectations, hope for outcomes, and basic mental health information. I do know my limits. I have also passed on a client or two who I had issues developing proper rapport (I make a terrible dominatrix). But with each of the clients I passed on, I hated to do it. They had come to me for help, and I passed. But ultimately, my passing was their gain, I believe. They received the help they really needed, not just something to sooth my ego.
But this doctor thing, now this seems strange to me. I understand passing a client on to a specialist, but ultimately, I am in good health. I would not be a lot of trouble and what this reeks of to me (call me paranoid) is insurance ugliness. With times the way they are, maybe they only take clients that will be more profitable (i.e. - has more issues than a bruised tail bone). Maybe I do not fit into a demographic. And here is the thing…I discovered this morning that I have been rejected by one of the doctors. They do not feel they can accommodate me at this time. No reason, just a recorded computer message.
Has anyone else had similar doctor issues?
Did I find a doctor? Yes. I found a new practice that had opened within the year. The doctor has a history of being an emergency room physician. She agreed to see me straight out and is very compassionate, is not intimidated by holistic medicine, and makes me feel welcome as her patient.
April 15th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Wow, you are lucky to have found what sounds like a compassionate doctor. Sorry for your fall but good on you for finding a doctor who hopefully you can have confidence in.