heart breaking story, posting for a friend. can we help her ? please ?

[debra]

Birdie, I know all about the hippa law, and would never ask anyone to bend the rules or do something illegal... I had already signed this work, in April, and had an agreement with my doctor, records to her from specialists, then from her to me... You dig? This was unusual, and hasn't happened before, but I needed these faster, so to send them to my endo, for a complete picture...so... Little miss, funny man... Me!!!...

[Birdie]

Birdie, I know all about

You didn't know nothin... certainly not about the Vitamin Klondike rules.

How do we get past all those redicklus excuses?

They don't fly, nobody is buying them, smell like rotten eggs and they're old nuf to be that rotten.

If excuses had expiration dates then your's would be far past it, but at least you gots a ginormous pile of expired excuses.

[debra]

Ok, bird man! Be gentle with me, I feel like crap! Anne, passed her v, word on to me!!! Yes, vertigo!!! Not, vd!!! Oh, hell NO!!! And I'm sick to my stomach, and a special friend, who was/ is like the only real family I ever had, may have gone tonight... I can't get a hold of him, and had bad feelings all day... I called the useless er down in Saugus, Mass, but they, can't say anything of coarse.. I would like a Klondike bar, Birdie... Where is Anne??? Me!...

[annekat]

I'm here. Sorry to pass you the v-word. But your ear that's been bugging you could have something to do with it. I read something on the
web, some time ago, saying that vertigo is one of the most common reasons that people go to the ER, that accounts for a high percentage of visits there. Not suggesting it for you, unless you want meds, but just thought it was interesting. Though it could be a start for some doc figuring out all your related issues. The interesting thing for me lately is how I have vertigo while on the computer and then it goes away. This seems to happen mainly in the morning. But it sets the stage for a weird day. I'm sorry about this happening now for you, to a greater degree than mine. I am still taking the meds, but have drastically cut back. Keep trying to get ahold of your very good friend. Maybe he can help you get to Boston.

[debra]

Anne, hi... Anne, he can't help, I think he's dead!!! Anne, its ok, but I laughed when I read this... Oh, man... Anne its cool, cause he's eighty nine!!! But he's like the only real family, I grew up thinking he was my uncle... Anne, I'm having real vertigo, like pass out vertigo? And just sick to my stomach... The fevers are still up, but the weird good thing, is the horrible lung pain I had for so long is almost gone??? Very, very strange, huh? Some days ya think, ok, this is it, then bang, its gone and moved some place else... Anne, how was you're day? Gonna, hit the hay, soon, its been a long strange day... I love you, Anne... Xox...Xox...Xox...!!!333!!!...

[annekat]

Anne, hi... Anne, he can't help, I think he's dead!!! Anne, its ok, but I laughed when I read this... Oh, man... Anne its cool, cause he's eighty nine!!! But he's like the only real family, I grew up thinking he was my uncle... Anne, I'm having real vertigo, like pass out vertigo? And just sick to my stomach... The fevers are still up, but the weird good thing, is the horrible lung pain I had for so long is almost gone??? Very, very strange, huh? Some days ya think, ok, this is it, then bang, its gone and moved some place else... Anne, how was you're day? Gonna, hit the hay, soon, its been a long strange day... I love you, Anne... Xox...Xox...Xox...!!!333!!!...

I know pass out vertigo. Had it once or twice. That calls for meds if you have them, even expired, but not telling you what to do. 1mg. Ativan. If you feel your vital signs are in trouble the ER is 30 feet away. You'd need to lean on someone to get there, or crawl.... but go, if you feel in danger. I hope you can just sleep it off. Best of luck that it will just END. This is another one for your list of symptoms and concerns. Glad the lung pain is gone, weird. Love, you, kick that sucker to the curb, get some sleep. XOXOXO

[annekat]

I'm going to bed now, too.

[drz]

I understand the frustration of dealing with our health care system in USA. A lot of the political propaganda we hear about increased coverage and access is fraudulent. They brag about thousands of people now having access to insurance coverage but hide the fact that few good doctors will accept Medicaid for payment cause it pays so poorly. What good is having insurance coverage if no one will accept you as a patient.

I ran into this years ago too when I first went on Medicare. Mayo clinic wouldn't accept me for inpatient care. And no nursing home would accept me cause no doctor would accept a new Medicare patients. It is frustrating and difficult to jump through all the hoops and takes a lot of savvy and persistence and after two weeks I found one that would accept me. It cost Medicare an extra two weeks of inpatient care so I doubt it saved them any money.

I had a dentist friend that got so upset with lack of dental care for people on Medicaid that he started a special clinic just for those people, sort of like a missionary program to help poor people but they were soon over whelmed with cases and went broke and couldn't afford to keep it going anymore. We are generally lucky that most clinics in the Midwest still take Medicare but many may drop out due to increased paperwork regulations. I hear that in some areas it is near impossible to find an honest doctor that will accept Medicaid or Medicare. Some dishonest ones set up paper mills where they use fraudulent paperwork to bill for non existent work in order to make money off Medicaid.

This year Obama care added more "cost saving regulations" which meant news rules to decrease access to good medical care. It took two months and a dozen phone calls by me to get permission to stay on a drug that I have taken for two decades. Doctors are overwhelmed with these new paperwork regulations and it does reduce the quality of our care. The last time i tried their recommended decreased dosage I ended up in the hospital with suspected stenosis but it was inflammation and irritation from GERD from taking less Protonix than I appear to need.

The stupidity of these cost saving measures really upsets me since they save a few dollars on drugs and then spend thousands on more on in patient care for problems that could have easily been prevented with some adequate health maintenance care. It is especially true with diabetic care. They make it hard, very hard, almost impossible for anyone to get adequate medical equipment to monitor their blood glucose levels. I know many who are not as persistent or savvy in dealing with our system who don't get adequate care for these reasons. so they just give up and spend more time in ER rooms and hospitals dealing with side effects of poor control for blood glucose levels. Only a few can afford to buy the expensive equipment on their own.

I am lucky that i am retired and have the time to spend 30 or 40 hours on phone and doing research to get the supplies I need. But it is irritating, frustrating and very wasteful since it costs a lot more to treat people in ER rooms and hospital stays than to pay for adequate monitoring.

Generally I find I get best results by being Minnesota nice but persistent to the point of being relentless if needed. My theory is that once they realize I am not going away they decide to try help me since I will be back tomorrow with same request. And the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I am also a frequent flyer in the medical system and familiarity helps me get better service from many people. Example, I got my hernia surgery scheduled earlier because the receptionist knew me and wanted to help me since they view me as a nice guy with pain who needed help. I usually start my request with something like "I need some help" then make a clear request of what I need. Tonight I wondered about my incision being infected and called in late Friday afternoon a few minutes before they closed for the day and I got a nurse I had interviewed with during pre-op stuff. She went and talked with two surgeons and made four phone calls in five minutes to help me get good care. She called me two times to be sure I got her message too.

I have been told that I am alive today because I had a good sense of humor and was a nice patient that the doctors wanted to save and my daughter, also my advocate, worked very hard to ensure I got the best care they could provide. And the doctors loved her too and still remembered her years later.

Being a full time health care patient is tough work but some one has to do it to pay for all these new clinics and we have been chosen. We aren't wimps and can do the job better than most so buckle up and get going.

[Alysia]

I am also a frequent flyer in the medical system and familiarity helps me get better service from many people. Example, I got my hernia surgery scheduled earlier because the receptionist knew me and wanted to help me since they view me as a nice guy with pain who needed help. I usually start my request with something like "I need some help" then make a clear request of what I need. Tonight I wondered about my incision being infected and called in late Friday afternoon a few minutes before they closed for the day and I got a nurse I had interviewed with during pre-op stuff. She went and talked with two surgeons and made four phone calls in five minutes to help me get good care. She called me two times to be sure I got her message too.

I have been told that I am alive today because I had a good sense of humor and was a nice patient that the doctors wanted to save and my daughter, also my advocate, worked very hard to ensure I got the best care they could provide. And the doctors loved her too and still remembered her years later.

Thank you drz for this beautiful post.
I can totally understand the nurses and docs who were willing to help you ♡♡♡ I hope that you are recovering.
My heart is going out to you, my friends in the US. Its such an evil thing to deny people a decent care only because of money. Thanks God we have national health insurance in Israel. every citizen can get a decent enough care.
Deb, maybe the secret is to let them know you ? Go and sit there, chat with them etc. Untill they will get to know you and your irresistable charm will make them help you.

[debra]

Alysia, oh they know me!!! Haha, boy do they ever! Anne, I went to sleep on you, I'm sorry! Didn't sleep, nevertheless, it felt rude, sorry! Drz!!! Wow, I feel blessed to have you come by, and write such an awesome post! Drz, thank, you! Drz, how are you feeling today? Oddly enough, I think my brother, who I mentioned also had hernia surgery, over did it, and has an infection... Have to take it slow, its not worth it, and he's a stubborn person, so... I love you guys... Me!... Xox...!!!