At the Mercy of the Healthcare System

Still no word on when the MRI will be scheduled, which is disappointing. I was told I would have news within 48 hours of my appointment with the neurology doctor, but here I am, nearly two weeks later with no news at all. I called the office last Tuesday and left a message, asking if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called the office again last Wednesday, asking again if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called again yesterday, letting the office know I was thoroughly disgusted at the lack of communication on their end, and lo and behold, two hours later I get a call saying they are still talking to the insurance company about getting the okay for the MRI. The woman I was speaking to said I should have a call by Wednesday, tomorrow, with information about the MRI appointment. I'm not holding my breath.

Meanwhile, I am still experiencing excruciating pain in my hip, thigh, groin, and knee. I sleep about two hours at a time during the night, with an hour or two being awake because of the pain. The nerve-blocking meds I'm taking don't seem to be doing anything. The only thing that seems to give me any relief is Tylenol, which I don't want to have to rely on, but I am because if I wasn't taking it this pain would send me over the edge. I know I'm probably ruining my liver and other organs, which makes me furious. All because our healthcare system can't seem to figure things out. 

On top of all of this I received a chastising letter from my insurance company. Basically, it said I should have called a tele-nurse instead of going to the ER. Yeah, I'm experiencing the most extreme pain I have ever felt in my entire life, and when I think about it now, that night in the ER is the most traumatic moment I've ever lived through. The thought of going through that pain again terrifies me. To be told I should have called a tele-nurse or waited til morning to go to a prompt care tells me everything I need to know about our healthcare system -- it sucks. I've paid in to this insurance company for years. I've barely used my insurance. The CEO of this company makes 5 million a year. But I'm the problem. Fuck you.

I've had two days of minimal pain in the last five weeks. Two. I fear that if I don't get the MRI soon, if something isn't done to figure out what is causing the problem soon, I'll be living with this pain for the rest of my life. I hope this isn't the case. I hope I'm just doom-thinking. It's hard not to doom-think when everything I used to do in a day is no longer something I can do. 

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