Tuesday, April 3, 2007

I miss my old Primary Care Physician

Shortly after lunch I started to feel really weird. My chest felt like someone was sitting one it, I had shortness of breathe, I felt like I was going to pass out and things started to get numb and tingly. I couldn't concentrate. I logged onto Aetna's webpage and found the local Urgent Care and got directions. I waited about 30 minutes to see if it would pass and then told a co-worker that I was heading off to Urgent Care and she offer to take me. I have such good co-workers!

I have never experienced this before! So I get in to see the doctor and I couldn't believe the things that were coming out of his mouth. He said "well, it doesn't seem anything cardio... but I can do an EKG, but that is expensive." You are too young and you seem to be active so having cholesterol problems couldn't be it. Mind you he doesn't have a test results in front of him, hasn't asked me about my life style or eating habits to know any of this! Then he looks up at me and says do you have any family history with heart disease. I was so peeved at this point. Why do I fill out the survey, if you are not going to look. I told him yes, my Dad just passed away from hypertensive Cardio Megely (sp?) which boils down to a heart attack due to high blood pressure or something like that. And my Grandfather passed away from a heart attack at ta young age, too. He offered me a chest x-ray, but he didn't think it would show anything. What type of doctor is this? He offers me test, like I have to select what type of testing I need. I kept asking "what is your recommendation?" and "that's it?" He finally diagnosed me with a chest inflammation that comes on randomly with no cause and advises me to take 400-600mg of Advil and if it still bothers me after 3 days then to come back. WTF? Are you kidding me? Oh and he said for me to take a vacation. This was such a waste of time and $20!

5 comments:

Whine Girl said...

This is why he's in urgent care.. too stupid for emergency medicine and not smart enough to start his own practice. You're right, he can't tell you that you don't have cholesterol issues UNLESS he does a lab test for cholesterol, regardless of what you "seem" like. A chest xray could actually show an inflammation around the heart .. did they eventually do one? It may have been an anxiety attack... but it could also be several other things. This seems like it was a sudden onset since you stated it came on after lunch and you've never experienced anything like that before... I'd follow up with a primary care doc and leave broken bones to the urgent care / emergency care...

Anonymous said...

Vanessa...come to TN & I'll do a chest xray for free.

James said...

Yah, seriously, urgent care is the last place you want to go. Go to your primary are doctor anyway.

Jane Doe said...

I am so used to be taken care of through the St, Jude system. I have been going there ever since I was a little one. Now I am about 45minutes to an hour away and have new insurance I thought I would give the local one a chance. Bad choice on my part. Next open enrollment I am switching back to Blue Cross and getting back into the St. Jude system.

Anonymous said...

Or you can go to Florida for good nursing care, and to Tennessee for free x-rays. Altho the flight expenses would probably eradicate the benefit of all the "free" stuff.

You looked good last nite! Glad to see all the stuff's over with. And if Jordan says you had an anxiety attack, I believe her; you've been under a lot of stress. And now, the next time roommie fakes an anxiety attack as part of his attention-getting tantrum, you call tell him he's full of shit.