i need to vent.

...about healthcare/insurance/doctors in general.

i know i am extrapalating the evidence here, but i have to think it's more general than specific unfortunately...

i left messages for my doctor twice on thursday from the beach because i'm having skin reactions to the sun, and let them know that i had stopped my medicine and needed a new prescription asap. my mom said it was probably from my medication. we got online wednesday night and google told me that you can have skin discoloration side effects from taking anti-inflamatory drugs.

i heard nothing from the 'ol doc on thursday or friday, so i called back at lunch on friday to find out that they closed at noon. happy weekend with no medication!

(no medicine + damaged 85-year-old bones = 85-year-old michelle)

the nurse called back this morning with no explanation or apology for not returning my call, and told me they had called in a pain medication for me. an analgesic medication...and that the doctor said "it might make you a little loopy, just fyi."

i asked her about 10 other relevant questions that she had no answer to, or to which she said things like "yeah i think so...yeah he probably meant this or that...well, just try it and see what happens and if you can't take it, we'll figure something else out."
____________

i spend more on healthcare every year than on anything else i've ever paid for in my life (besides taxes, but that's a blog for another day).

my family has probably paid for countless doctor's houses, beach houses, lakehouses, their kid's college education, etc. because i am constantly in and out of doctors and specialist's offices, getting charged left and right for "an opinion," be it 1st or 2nd or 10th. not to mention the RIDICULOUS costs of surgery. (also another blog)

it is ridiculous that a nurse can't call me back when i'm calling from my only summer vacation because i need medication.

it's also ridiculous that a doctor can't pick up the phone and spend 10 minutes paying attention to my needs.

and it's ridiculous that i constantly feel like the only way to get ANY attention (and still, very little) is to actually make an appointment to get face time, which i refuse to do since i will then be charged for a complete doctor's visit because i took 10 minutes of his time, while he took an hour and a half of mine while i (im)patiently waited and read the may 2008 issue of people magazine.




i think i am just sick of spending time and energy (and money) on this because there are SO many other things i would rather be doing!

and i just needed to vent. my apologies.