Nikademus
Posts: 25684
Joined: 5/27/2000 From: Alien spacecraft Status: offline
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Starting last Tues, i began to suffer intense abdominal pain in a very localized region. Its so bad i can't have any pressure or weight on it. I tried to shake it off with pain medicine but it got worse till i ended up in an emergency clinic that evening. They couldn't tell me much but drew blood to check for Pancreatitus, which they said would run Stat. It didn't run stat, 16 hours later on Wed they still hadn't even run the test! I then went to my MD who suspected Ulcer, gave me a GI cocktail which only served to prove my GI doc (who i saw last week) was right in that he felt there was no ulcer. She was able to get the test results finally.....normal. I then was sent to the ER room at one of our hospitals to see a GI doc ASAP because my workplace will not allow me time off. She tried calling ahead, but apparantly that didn't work. The staff there knew nothing and refused to listen to what i had to say because procedures are procedures, they treat everyone like a shock victim and have them see a nurse, then an ER doc or intern. I didn't need any of that, only the GI doc who supposedly knew i was coming. Turns out he went home for the evening! I walked out......i didn't need an ER charge Thurs morning, wake up in intense pain.....wheeled into ER. I am again poked and prodded....yes it huts....that has been established. They fill me full of Michael Jackson drug take more blood, but do nothing else....they are "only an ER" they don't have the means to help me since my gall bladder has already been removed so no need for MRI or ultrasound. He recommends i see a GI doc. (oh really?) Blood work again normal except for a small abnormality in liver value Thx to my GF who refuses to take no for an answer, i get to see my GI doc same day. He proceeds to poo poo the ER doc's diagnosis, who in turn had poo poo'd my MD's diagnosis, wants more blood taken and FINALLY, i get scheduled for an ultrasound today. Meanwhile....nearly 96 hours has gone by, i'm still in intense pain......and i have no answers and every doctor i have seen acts like i came in with a stubbed toe. But i got my THIRD bloodwork results in 72 hours..again normal save for one value in Liver function. I guess it pays to have a gull bladder......when that went down i was in surgury within 4 hours of the first symptoms and it was a good thing because there was necrotic tissue involved and any delay might have killed me. Had i had to wait 96 hours while doctors scratch their heads and go "thats unusual" during that episode i'd be dead. Ironically this whole mess coincides with Obama's recent speech on health care reform....he mentioned specifically on the need to streamline processes and eliminate needless or redundant testing by different doctors for the same patient with the same illness to cut costs. (what was that......3 blood works in 72 hours for the same thing? what's that about a grand's worth of charges for the insurance company?) As if thats not enough, my workplace will write me up for all this unless i'm approved for STD. I could even be terminated if it goes on for any longer. Sickness is not allowed at my workplace......bastards. Meanwhile i'm high on Percocet which only cuts the pain in half........but at least i'm enjoying SPMBT.
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