Friday, August 21, 2009

A Quack Doctor, I still have no answers for my horrible health siutation

This is a letter I wrote to one of the places I am a member of in regards to health care reform. I have been so totally torn up about what happened to me this past Wednesday when I went to a referred Rheumatologist. Not only was I treated like crap, he basically told me I was either causing the horrible bruising (petechiea & purpura), or he insinuated Jim was causing it. Here is the letter and you will see why I am totally wiped, weary, and ready to just say to hell with it all!

The people of this nation have made it quiet clear, we speak as a majority to vote this health care reform bill into action. It is more than time that Congress puts the bipartisan back stabbing, acting like toddlers mess away, and get down to the brass tacks. Our present health care system is non-existent, old and antiquated, feeds on the insurance companies thriving, while the patients are being bled dry by the sky rocketing costs of medications, doctors visits, tests, and health insurance. NOW is the time for that to change! No MORE "pre-existing" bull, no more running not needed tests such as blood work, MRI's, CT's, and the entire gamut of what doctors do to get paid properly, as the insurance company slaughters the doctors by not paying what they truly owe them. I am totally shocked when I get one of my bills from a doctor. I am an established patient, not a new one, I see the doctor for a quick follow up, he is in there with me no longer than 3 to 5 minutes, yet the bill is over 250.00! And gosh knows from the nightmare of yesterday how much of a charge there will be by a total jerk of a physician I went to. I go to a new rheumatologist, he "blew off" the very reason I went to see him for. After I have had an entire battery of every blood test in the world by my hematologist in the last 3 weeks, this so called want to be a doctor, rheumatologist wanted to RUN THOSE TESTS AGAIN!! Why??? Well for one thing, the lab was OWNED BY THE RHEUMATOLOGISTS! Makes send huh... they also get the lab payments... so they can run up thousands of dollars worth of blood work that patients have already had done, so they can collect MORE MONEY from the consumers and our insurance companies. I would bet when I "see" the bill, he charges 500.00 plus in his fee, when HE NEVER ONCE TOUCHED ME, OR EXAMINED ME IN ANY FORM OR FASHION!! He has his "assistant" briefly ask a few questions, half way look at me, and I had provided A LARGE AMOUNT of brand new blood test results that I gave her... along with the reasons I was there. She left, was gone about 5 minutes, brought the doctor in, he said basically my other doctors were "idiots", that nothing was wrong EVEN THOUGH I AM COVERED HEAD TO TOE WITH EXTREMELY SEVERE BRUISING. I am constantly bleeding under my skin, and it has been going on now for almost a year!!! Yet this idiot said "he was NOT concerned about the bruising" and insinuated there was NOTHING to worry over, they are just “garden variety” bruises is what he told me...This is after 4 other doctors, along with lab technicians, and nurses, that this type of petechiae and purpura was NOT regular bruising. The other physicians seem to think it could be a type of vasculitis, due to the autoimmune illnesses that I have, which as Lupus, Sjogren’s and Raynaud’s. Everyone that knows me and sees me including my doctors are EXTREMELY CONCERNED about my health situation, and honestly every one including the nurses, lab technicians, and my doctors told me they are praying for me. That tells you this what ever it is that I am totally covered with is something potentially extremely serious. Now I am left at a cross roads once again, not even knowing where to turn, especially since my PCP and the hematologist told me, if I were to fall, or be in an accident, I could bleed to death internally!!! That if I fall, I go straight to the ER, or if I have any symptoms of internal bleeding. My story is a nightmare, just like so many. The doctors, insurance companies, and medical personnel care about MONEY! Not all of them, but many of us encounter this type of greed, not caring, non sympathetic physician, that wants to rerun tests, run up our bills, and make a fortune while like myself, I may NOT live if I don't find out what is causing this horrendous petechiae and purpura (special bruising other than a normal bruising caused by an autoimmune disorder. My own body and antibodies are attacking my blood veins, arteries and capillaries and basically destroying them)...

I am depressed, mad, hurt, shocked and most of all myself and my family and spouse are terrified I could bleed to death.


So something needs to be done... AND DONE NOW TO FIX THIS MESS we call Health care!