My life as an entrepreneur, grandmother, writer, dreamer and doer who lives with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and depression.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Secret Depression Diary Archive - Zero Fax Given? Here, Have a Bitchfit! Part 1
In the continuing drama known as "My Neurologist's Office", yesterday I found myself face-to-face with their medical staff. I signed in to wait for my appointment. I was there to review my most recent MRIs, labs and let them know how Copaxone is going for me so far.The majority of the staff at my neurologist's give zero fax and zero f*cks about the treatment and care of their patients. To them we are not really patients, we are a f*cking nuisance and why the f*ck are we bothering them. WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!! NO!!! That's how things run in their office. There's a whole lot of anger directed at patients and not a whole lot of evidence of basic medical needs being met.It took me two months to get the following things accomplished through their office: faxing a pre-authorization form to my insurance and faxing a prescription to my pharmacy so I could start Copaxone. This process was screwed up every step of the way. This process was only completed because I called them 3 times per week to "follow up". Why do I need to call 24 times to get two pieces of paperwork faxed that I was told were faxed while I was in the office at my last appointment? (Insurance and Pharmacy? They took under 48 hours to do their jobs. Impressive.)I gave up on the neuro office ever returning a call or fax to Shared Solutions. Seriously, someone from Shared called them every few days, they too were eventually frustrated by the lack of communication and Shared reps began to call and ask me to if I could help get through to my Neuro. Ha! Ya know what? Mentally I did not have it in me to add another item to beg for. Eventually Shared got someone at my neuro's to answer the phone and verify that I have a Copaxone Rx. (The very next day I got a pack of Shared swag. Kudos.) I'll take my fifth injection soon and at this point I do not feel I need a trained nurse to stop by. It would have been helpful a few weeks ago.There's something else I have been "following up" on for months, my medical records. I asked the front desk if they had my medical record request. They did. How soon would they be sending my medical records? Yes, just mail them directly to me, as written in the request. "Hold on, you'll have to ask So-And-So" the front desk assistant said.So-and-So grouchily yelled at me from behind the front desk, "Friday, hrmph!"Wait. It WAS already Friday.I quietly asked, "Next Friday?"So-and-So glared and yelled at me, "HRMPH!!! IF I HAVE TIME, MAYBE, MAYBE LATER THAN THAT!!"Seriously?I walked away from the front desk and sat down for a few seconds. I could feel my body trembling from the inside. My eyes began to well full of tears.
Happy 2016!
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MS aside for a moment. I've spent my life as an entrepreneur, adventurer, pioneer, scientist, nurturer and general mischief maker.
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Somebody asked me quite snarkily over 20 years ago what it was going to be like in 20 years when I'm an old grandma with tattoos and piercings. I have an answer now. It rules.
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I probably spent yesterday laughing with my grandkids.
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I love a diverse range of music and it's always cool to find new sounds or get suggestions. If it reminds you of 70s Brian Eno, it's probably something I would enjoy. Industrial Bollywood hip hop? Likely. Indie rock with lots of strings. Yes.
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I'm always looking for some cool funny sciency philosophical book to read. ---//---
My Dx for MS was May 2015 but I've been having significant neurological issues for years. ----
MS - the Special Sitcom episode:
The last thing the nurse said to me after the lumbar puncture was "I hope you don't have MS". I immediately received a post-puncture Coca Cola with bendy straw AND an official MS diagnosis a few weeks later. Jinx. Pretty sure that nurse owes me another Coke.
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