This really p****s me off

[Ftse 100]

I get so annoyed when you are sick and you ring to get in the doctors and they give you an appointment at least two weeks away.

Dont you usually want to see the doctor because your sick not in two weeks time when your probably better or even worse DEAD

The problem is when some people come out they make another appoinment, yeah good if your sick but I know of so many people that go for the most ridiculous reasons and I even spoke about this with my doctor once and she said some people are so lonely they invent things to see the doctor for just companionship yes this is sad that some need to do this but even sadder for the those that are really sick and need to see the doctor and cant.

Well I have had my whinge for the day. Sorry

 

[ChrisRN]

I know exactly what you mean. I had a kidney stone that had me in the emergency department a couple years ago. They wanted me to follow up "immediately" with a urologist. His office said they could see me in 2 months!

 

[Ftse 100]

Tht is just

 

[giuseppe]

They should give the hypochondriacs the dates 2 months out instead of people that are actually sick. My cousin had the flu pretty bad and called her doc and they told her not to come in if she's sick!? Then the person she was talking to said she sounded wheezy (over the phone) so they are calling her pharmacy with an antibiotic for a bronchial infection. Holy smokes...

I hope you feel better!

 

[Vikinggirl]

And that is why the Emergency Departments are packed full, because you can't get into your family doctor, but you're sick, so you have to see a doctor, and end up going to the emerg department. So instead of your doctor seeing you for a cold or the flu, you wait for hours at a hospital for something not serious, and that takes away from the real hospital emergencies like heart attacks, fractures, accidents, and stitches etc.

 

[Ftse 100]

And that is why the Emergency Departments are packed full, because you can't get into your family doctor, but you're sick, so you have to see a doctor, and end up going to the emerg department. So instead of your doctor seeing you for a cold or the flu, you wait for hours at a hospital for something not serious, and that takes away from the real hospital emergencies like heart attacks, fractures, accidents, and stitches etc.

Totally agree with you and thats the worst place for catching what ever virus is going around too usually walk out sicker than when you went there

 

[Henry]

We have medical centers out this way called Immediate Care. Anyone can visit them. No appointments are necessarily, walk-ins are welcome, and they offer non-emergency care 7 days a week.

These centers are great for when your primary care provider is not available or if you don't have one. There should be more of these. They are a great alternative if you can't get to your own doctor or a trip to the emergency hospital is not necessary. Completely affordable when a person is not insured, because they don't charge the emergency fee hospitals do. There is an office visit co-pay and if you don't have insurance, you are not gouged with a huge bill. They take the load off emgergency hospital for non life-threatening conditions and are a great option if your doctor is not available.

There are four just in the general area we live in and are a fairly new addition to medical care out this way. Maybe more will pop up across the country.

 

[mer55]

I managed a medical office as an RN for 6 years. Let me tell you a little trick. When you are sick and need an appointment, and they give you one 2 weeks out, or anytime other than that day for that matter, very politely tell them that is fine, but I need to speak with the doctor before the end of the day, so please have him call me. If he does not call you, call again and insist on speaking to him. Trust me, if you get the doc on the phone, he will either treat you without seeing you if it warrants, or he will tell his staff to "find" a time to squeeze you in. Works everytime. If you get a doc who will not call you back, it's time to find a new doc. Just one of the tricks of the trade. Good luck!

 

[cali~jenn]

We have medical centers out this way called Immediate Care. Anyone can visit them. No appointments are necessarily, walk-ins are welcome, and they offer non-emergency care 7 days a week.

These centers are great for when your primary care provider is not available or if you don't have one. There should be more of these. They are a great alternative if you can't get to your own doctor or a trip to the emergency hospital is not necessary. Completely affordable when a person is not insured, because they don't charge the emergency fee hospitals do. There is an office visit co-pay and if you don't have insurance, you are not gouged with a huge bill. They take the load off emgergency hospital for non life-threatening conditions and are a great option if your doctor is not available.

There are four just in the general area we live in and are a fairly new addition to medical care out this way. Maybe more will pop up across the country.

Yeah we have urgent care centers here for the same thing. We don't even bother going to the dr if we have something like being sick anymore. Only dr that is good at getting you in same day is the kids dr. I usually just take them to the urgent care anyhow, it's easier. [MENTION=7064]mer55[/MENTION] that is interesting!

 

[ChrisRN]

And that is why the Emergency Departments are packed full, because you can't get into your family doctor, but you're sick, so you have to see a doctor, and end up going to the emerg department. So instead of your doctor seeing you for a cold or the flu, you wait for hours at a hospital for something not serious, and that takes away from the real hospital emergencies like heart attacks, fractures, accidents, and stitches etc.

you are so right on this one! That is why our emergency departments are having trouble. I have seen people come in with a non-emergency get angry because the staff is working on a traffic accident or heart attack! They think it's first come, first serve.

On the other side of this, I once sat in a very crowded ED for 7 hours with a fever over 102. I was incoherent, sweating profusely, and didn't know where I was. After exposing a full waiting room to me for that long, they decided I had infectious pneumonia and put me in isolation for 3 days!

 

[anatess]

I'm Filipino living in America... you know the saying... you must be Filipino if half your family are either nurses or physical therapists. So true. LOL. My sister is a nurse living halfway across the continent from me, my brother a neurologist living halfway across the globe from me, his wife is a pediatrician. I have cousins, aunts, and uncles scattered all over the globe who are nurses or physical therapists or a doctor of some kind or other. And then I have a Primary Care Physician, a GYN, and a pediatrician for my kids. I have not seen the GYN in... hmm... my kid is 9 years old now... that long. Last time I was at the PCP's office was before I had my firstborn - at least 11 years ago. My kids see the pediatrician about an average of twice a year - she's a holistic pedia and so when we're doing well-checks it's at least 2 hours long going through the "year's plan". One of my kids have allergies so we usually end up seeing the pedia around March in addition to the schoolyear's well-check.

Anything else I need healthwise, I call my sister or my brother... yep. Way over yonder. Being Filipinos, they understand my need to do things the "Filipino way" - with the least need for drugs (medicine is very expensive in the Philippines and health insurance is even more expensive! Hah!) doing holistic diagnosis. So, I don't have to argue with my PCP... I tell ya, everytime I go there - it can be the sniffles or pneumonia - he looks at me for 1 minute and gives me an antibiotic prescription. I don't even think he bothered to learn my name. So, when we have our family visits (that happens a lot) with the cousins and such, I get my well-check. LOL!

 

[kim n the guys]

three years ago my then 13 year old was in our pediatrician's office and she suspected a brain tumor and was referring us to a peds neurologist to have an MRI done. Needless to say she decided on her own not to wait for the referral visit and scheduled an MRI for that weekend. Got the results on a Tuesday (it was Memorial Day weekend), in the hospital that night, surgery to remove the tumor on Friday. While he was in the peds intensive care unit, got the letter from the peds neurologist that they could see him on August 28th!! So glad my pediatrician decided not to wait. That would have given that tumor 3 full months to keep growing and the outcome might not have been full removal and now in remission.

 

[2BullyMama]

UGH... so true and so beyond annoying.

i have been very lucky with my general practitioner -- he can usually accommodate something within a few days, he does Saturday AM hours just for follow-up and emergencies so it does help to keep his office hours a little more open

 

[ChrisRN]

three years ago my then 13 year old was in our pediatrician's office and she suspected a brain tumor and was referring us to a peds neurologist to have an MRI done. Needless to say she decided on her own not to wait for the referral visit and scheduled an MRI for that weekend. Got the results on a Tuesday (it was Memorial Day weekend), in the hospital that night, surgery to remove the tumor on Friday. While he was in the peds intensive care unit, got the letter from the peds neurologist that they could see him on August 28th!! So glad my pediatrician decided not to wait. That would have given that tumor 3 full months to keep growing and the outcome might not have been full removal and now in remission.

Your pediatrician was awesome! I love to hear when the system works right!

 

[Vikinggirl]

So glad he's okay. That's a good doctor, you should never have to wait when it ones to a child