Find Yourself A Gp, Head To Your Gut & Purpose Your Patient Voice!

I’ve been battling a coughing for 2 months. The coughing started out nasty, but slow it got better. And  then it would come upward dorsum all loud together with obnoxious again. 

Not as loud or obnoxious as the initial coughing - but as as annoying together with resonating deep inward my chest. 

All along, my blood sugars own got been OK (for the most part,) together with the phlegm ( I abhor that word) was clear, except when it was white - So I simply idea it was a cold. 

Still, I knew I needed to larn it checked out. 

And for weeks together with weeks I’ve tried my damnedest to brand it amongst a GP,(General Practitioner) but evidently mutual frigidity together with influenza flavor isn't the best fourth dimension to brand an appointment. And if they did own got an solar daytime of the month readily available ( together with past times readily available, I hateful inward the side past times side calendar week or two,) they didn’t own got my insurance. 

Finally, yesterday I called a local GP amongst a practiced reputation who took my insurance together with had a Physician’s Assistant who could run across me on Thursday. 

I was ecstatic  - Until the receptionist asked me close my medical history together with I told her I had type 1diabetes, together with she all of a precipitous changed her tune. “Well, I demand information on the doctor’s desk together with it’s upward to him whether nosotros tin run across yous or not.”

Me: But I don’t desire him to process my diabetes - I own got an Endo for that - FTR, I’d simply told given her Dr’s J’s cry & info. 

Receptionist: I know, but it’s upward to the Doctor. 

Me: I truly demand to run across someone close this cough. 

Receptionist: We’ll telephone band yous dorsum together with allow yous know either way. 

And I knew correct together with hence together with in that place that she wouldn’t telephone band me dorsum together with I was furious. 

I felt similar I’d been unjustly profiled for having a busted pancreas. 

Here’s thing :I simply wanted a GP who could DX my coughing - And if I liked him I would own got considered making him my main help dr, but non my Endo. 

I demand a main together with I haven’t been able to detect one, hence I pretty much become to my Endo for everything. 

But that's non convenient together with I know for a fact that Dr. J  wants me to own got a GP, too. 

All I  wanted at the minute was a GP to tell me whether or non my coughing was normal or not. 

I wrote close the experience on my Diabetesalicious FaceBook page yesterday together with many a wonderful DOCer pointed out that they’d rather know inward advance whether or non a GP had issues working amongst pwds - And I larn that, together with unremarkably I would own got been agreeing amongst them 100% 

But I wasn’t going to get married him or brand him my novel Endo - I simply wanted to know if I had bronchitis or non - THAT'S IT. 

So in conclusion nighttime afterwork I went to Urgent Care & filled out paperwork, payed my $50 dollar copay together with gave the Dr. on telephone band the 411 on my diabetes together with my diabetes management. 

And Dr. UrgentCare told me that yes, I did indeed own got bronchitis. 

And he called inward 2 prescriptions for me. One for Levofloxacian & ane for Benzonatate. 

And me existence me, I asked the doc close side effects. He told me in that place was zip to worry close together with sent me on my way. 

I stopped at my newly reopened CVS & was picked upward my prescriptions  - And again, I asked close side affects - And I was told that I’d move fine, that the antibiotic worked good amongst my other medications together with that I should move feeling fine inward a few days

Then I got abode together with truly took the fourth dimension to read about Levofloxacin’s side effects. The nausea, diarrhea, headache together with hotheadedness were pretty measure fare as far as antibiotics are concerned- And spell I wasn’t going to welcome them amongst opened upward arms, I could bargain amongst them. 

But the side effects that specifically mentioned joint/ tendon problems and the potential of tendons bursting & tearing if yous had articulation or tendon problems jumped out at me. 

I’d simply had a cortisone shot for trigger finger inward my left mitt a few weeks ago. 

So I called the chemist's together with told them close my fears together with my tendon issues together with the twenty something Pharmacist stated: Unless you’re an athlete or are elderly, it shouldn’t move an issue.

"But I’m a writer," I said. 

"You’ll move OK," she responded.

But yous know what? My gut didn’t experience that way. My gut was like: THIS IS NOT GOOD, KEL - NOT GOOD AT ALL! DANGER WIL ROBINSON - DANGER!

So I called Urgent Care together with told the my fears to the adult woman who picked upward the phone, together with she position me on grip together with relayed my fears to the doctor.  

And according to the PhoneWoman, the doc felt that my trigger finger together with tendinitis shouldn’t move an number - because I wasn’t over 65 together with I wasn’t an athlete. 

My response: But I’m a writer, hence I am an athlete -At to the lowest degree as far as my hands, my wrists together with estimator are concerned. 

And in that place was quiet on the other terminate - I’m talking crickets, people. 

And finally I was told to beak amongst my mitt doc together with larn dorsum to them inward the morning. 

I hung upward together with I emailed some friends amongst diverse types of medical initials at the terminate of their names. 

And to move clear - I never inquire for costless diagnoses from my friends, or prescriptions for that affair - I don't curl similar that.  
But that nagging feeling that I could move doing to a greater extent than impairment together with hence practiced wouldn't become away & I  wanted to know if I was: 
1. Crazy
or 
2. My fears were truly valid when it came to Levofloxacin. 

And my friends all said the same thing - DON’T GO ON THE LEVOFLOXACIN & suggested some other antibiotics  that inward their collective opinions, would move improve for me. 

I didn't own got the LEVOFLOXACIN & I went dorsum to Urgent Care this morning time (working from abode a few days a calendar week has its benefits) together with told them my fears confront to face. 

And spell the Dr. on telephone band absolutely agreed amongst me close the Levofloxcin 100%, I was told it was Urgent Care’s policy non to override an attention physician’s prescription. 

Me: But I called in conclusion nighttime together with spoke to the nurse who spoke to the doc on telephone band & he didn’t experience it was an issue, but I create - And hence create you. 

Look, I’m nevertheless healing from tendonitis - I can’t hazard anything happening to my already tender tendons - And yous grip amongst me!

The best they could create was to offering to beak to the Director, who would move visiting their offices this afternoon together with they’d telephone band me dorsum amongst his verdict. 

If he agreed that I needed a novel RX, they’d telephone band it inward for me together with if not, I needed to come upward inward ane time again together with pay $50 bucks to move re-diagnosed together with issued a novel RX. 

Why am I posting this? Because I’m frustrated, I’m annoyed, together with I’m  also truly mad at myself close non getting inward amongst a GP sooner hence I wouldn’t own got to bargain amongst this crap.  

BTW - I made an solar daytime of the month amongst some other highly recommended GP this morning time together with volition move seeing her inward mid April. 

But I’m truly posting this because diabetes or not, if you’re given a diagnoses or an RX together with something close said diagnoses or RX  side effects gives yous that feeling deep inward the pit of your breadbasket that something’s incorrect - Listen to that feeling. 

Listen to that feeling together with role your vocalization as an empowered patient together with individual together with SPEAK UP.  And speak upward ane time again if yous own got to - Speak upward until yous experience that you've been heard. 

Look, there's a truly practiced hazard that yous mightiness move wrong, but at to the lowest degree you'll experience that you've explored all your options together with that your questions together with concerns were heard..... and answered. 

And together with hence again.... yous mightiness truly move correct

POST UPDATE: I received a telephone band a few minutes agone from the UrgentCare nurse, letting me know that my chemist's was called & a Zpack  Rx has been ordered. #yayforspeakinggoingwithyourgutandbeinganempoweredpatient!