medical malpractice?? Any one here a MD?

[Pandora II]

Last time I had a sore throat that looked like that I had glandular fever (I thinks it''s what you call mono?) Epstein-Barr virus anyway.... It lasted about 3 weeks and I felt like hell for about 3 months. I also had a very high temp for the first week.

I just took paracetamol and loads of ice lollies and hot mint tea as there isn''t any other treatment. Hot herbal tea is really good - but don''t have anything with orange juice in it as it burns like crazy!

It''s nasty, commiserations and I hope you feel better soon.

(If it is, don''t drink alcohol for 6 weeks after as it can affect your liver.)

 

[laine]

Date: 5/8/2008 3:52:39 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Ok so I went over to the medical office building for me to get a PCP and to make an appointment....the first date availible is May 22....

So what would happen to a normal patient? They would die? I just don''t get it...its horrible.

I had a UTI a few years ago, called my PCP (chosen out of the book, had never seen them) and they told me the same thing: soonest appointment was like 3 weeks away. I wouldn''t have made it that long, and would probably have a kidney infection by the time I got in!

So, I called the other doctors in my list of participating doctors, found one that could get me in the next day, called the insurance co, changed my PCP to her and got things taken care of. So, I''d try to choose a different PCP, one that can get you in sooner.

Incidentally, the UTI came back over a holiday weekend and had to go to an urgent care center. I paid the $75 copay, but they confirmed with my PCP that I had to go the urgent care center because the doctors office wasn''t open, and the insurance company refunded me the difference between what I paid and a regular appointment copay--maybe something you could look into for your previous visit.

 

[LAJennifer]

Date: 5/8/2008 3:52:39 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Ok so I went over to the medical office building for me to get a PCP and to make an appointment....the first date availible is May 22....

So what would happen to a normal patient? They would die? I just don''t get it...its horrible.

It always takes a few weeks to get in for your first appointment with your PCP (on your first visit they will give you a full physical, which requires more of the doctor''s time). Once you are an established patient, they will usually work you in the same day (or the next day) any time you need to be seen. That is why it is very important to take an active role in your own healthcare - whenever your insurance changes and you need to switch doctors - always call right away and make an appointment for a physical to get acquainted with your new doc. You should see your PCP at least once a year, whether you get sick or not.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/8/2008 3:52:39 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Ok so I went over to the medical office building for me to get a PCP and to make an appointment....the first date availible is May 22....

So what would happen to a normal patient? They would die? I just don't get it...its horrible.

Wow that is crazy. I guess I am lucky there is a bunch of doctors at this one place I go to, so I could see any. Maybe ask if you can be on a call list for cancellations; your throat looks awful. My heart goes out to you. Hope you get in sooner!

 

[diamondfan]

Sorry you are not feeling well.

1. Motrin comes in an RX strength, 800 mg for one pill. I used to be able to take it before my bad reaction to Vioxx.

2. Thrush is a kind of yeast but you had it BEFORE you went on antibiotics so I am not sure that is it. I have my tonsils and they used to get horribly infected, I would get white pus things on them. Gross.

3. If you have lymph pain, such as in your armpits, you might indeed have strep. I have had it twice, and it feels like you are swallowing broken glass. Rapid streps can have FALSE NEGATIVES. I always, on my kids, have them use two swabs and one goes to the lab to be cultured. I have been told THREE times the rapid was negative but then gotten a call two days later from the lab that it is positive. However, you are on antibiotics which cover throat stuff, so you should be fine. I would make sure that particular antibiotic deals with strep bacteria. Also, get a cheap new toothbrush or two, and use those while you are sick. Do not keep using your old one. After the antibiotics, get another new one.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 5/9/2008 12:15:30 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 5/8/2008 3:52:39 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Ok so I went over to the medical office building for me to get a PCP and to make an appointment....the first date availible is May 22....

So what would happen to a normal patient? They would die? I just don''t get it...its horrible.

Wow that is crazy. I guess I am lucky there is a bunch of doctors at this one place I got to so I could see any. Maybe ask if you can be on a call list for cancellations; your throat looks awful. My heart goes out to you. Hope you get in sooner!

Callling and asking to be on a cancellation list is a great idea... My daughter got a rapid strep test at University of Pennsylvania''s health center. They said it was negative. They sent her on her way... She was in agony, barely able to swallow. Luckily we live near by. I picked her up and took her to our Doc. Turns out she DID have strep, a very bad infection and was treated with antibiotics and was ok after a week or two. Strep is dangerous if it goes untreated, it can cause damage to your heart. Coming from a gal that had more strep than I care to remember.... If you are in agony, go to the ER... I know lots of waiting, but better to get the scriot and be on your way, than waiting till May22nd...

 

[diamondfan]

Lisa is right, strep is dangerous if left untreated, it can cause damage to various organs, but you are on meds currently. You can easily find out if your med covers strep, but I would do a send out. However, if you have been on antibiotics for 48 hours, you might test negative. Not really sure, but as it treats it, I do not know if it shows up in a culture the way it would if you were not on meds.

It is not malpractice, just sucky. How they think you can wait weeks when you need to be seen yesterday is just absurd to me.

 

[miraclesrule]

It is crazy...our standard of medical care in the U.S. I would always end up with an immediate onset painful UTI on a Friday afternoon. Of course it couldn''t happen on a Monday. And as Murphys Law would dictate, my doctor would also be gone for the week and another doctor on call who, of course, wouldn''t prescribe the ever popular antibiotic over the phone. It''s maddening because I would venture to guess that 99.9% of women KNOW what a UTI is and don''t need a diagnosis before getting their "bumble bee" pills.

Unfortunately this isn''t medical mal-practice, it''s the standard practice of medicine.

I sure hope you get some relief soons. Pain sucks.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/9/2008 12:54:48 AM
Author: miraclesrule
It is crazy...our standard of medical care in the U.S. I would always end up with an immediate onset painful UTI on a Friday afternoon. Of course it couldn''t happen on a Monday. And as Murphys Law would dictate, my doctor would also be gone for the week and another doctor on call who, of course, wouldn''t prescribe the ever popular antibiotic over the phone. It''s maddening because I would venture to guess that 99.9% of women KNOW what a UTI is and don''t need a diagnosis before getting their ''bumble bee'' pills.

Unfortunately this isn''t medical mal-practice, it''s the standard practice of medicine.

I sure hope you get some relief soons. Pain sucks.

Man, I feel your pain sister. I Hate UTI''s, they must be one of The most painful and frustrating things ever. And yeah, always at the worst time

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Ok so I called this morning right at 8 am and asked if they had openings because I had to be seen asap...when they did and I walked over there for my lunch and I went back, they did a rapid and a send out. The rapid came back negative again. But when the Dr came in and looked at me she said open and took one glance and said I had a massive clinical strep infection. She also checked my lungs and my ears and.........come to find out I now have a right ear infection. The z pack I was taking was basically keeping me not contagious and keeping a possible MORE sever infection at bay. She said the pills were too low a dosage to completely take care of the infection so she prescribed my penicillin 1500 mg a day plus she gave me some steriod tablets to take to reduce the swelling in my throat...so I guess relief is on the way... YAY!!

The really strange thing is when I was weighed Sunday at Urgent Care and when I was weighed today...I lost 6 pounds in 5 days......

Although its not a healthy weight loss, maybe I can keep it off now....ok...maybe wishful thinking....

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Oh sweetie I am so glad you went back and had them take a look at that nasty throat. I was worrying about you. Don't even try to keep those pounds off, you need to baby yourself with plenty of fluids and healthy food.
There is plenty of time to lose weight and this is not the time. and if you don't start feeling better, hound tham. Dr's are only diagnosing what you looked like when they last saw you, not what you are experiencing days later. Take care, lots of fluids!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/9/2008 6:42:13 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Ok so I called this morning right at 8 am and asked if they had openings because I had to be seen asap...when they did and I walked over there for my lunch and I went back, they did a rapid and a send out. The rapid came back negative again. But when the Dr came in and looked at me she said open and took one glance and said I had a massive clinical strep infection. She also checked my lungs and my ears and.........come to find out I now have a right ear infection. The z pack I was taking was basically keeping me not contagious and keeping a possible MORE sever infection at bay. She said the pills were too low a dosage to completely take care of the infection so she prescribed my penicillin 1500 mg a day plus she gave me some steriod tablets to take to reduce the swelling in my throat...so I guess relief is on the way... YAY!!

The really strange thing is when I was weighed Sunday at Urgent Care and when I was weighed today...I lost 6 pounds in 5 days......

Although its not a healthy weight loss, maybe I can keep it off now....ok...maybe wishful thinking....

Yikes, I hope you feel better soon. So Glad you got in!!!! I too was worried because your throat looked awful. Hope you feel better very soon

 

[strmrdr]

Glad to hear you got in and got some different meds.
Hope your feeling better real soon!

I find walk in clinics to be a real mixed bag.
One doc misdiagnosed a PE as a PA and sent me home.
When the clot showed up in my leg and they did the scan and found the lung clots and where it had been logged before it broke up I heard that my doc screamed at the other doc for 20 min.
That wasn''t fun!

On the other hand I have went to one by my house over the year following my surgery(it was free as part of my aid package for my surgery) and got excellent care by all 4 of the doctors there I wish I could have had one of them as a primary care.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Alexis, I''m kinda late to this thread but I just wanted to say I''m glad there was a happy ending!! I''m glad the doc you got into gave you some Penicillin....Azithromycin isn''t as good a choice for strep pharyngitis, so I''m not terribly surprised that it didn''t do the job. And the steroids will really help with the inflammation which in turn will really help your pain. You should be feeling better very soon.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I'm glad you are getting some real relief now.

It's tempting to diagnose oneself on webmd, but if it were that simple, I guess we'd put all the doctors out of business!

Health care is just generally a hassle. I had a similar experience this winter. I thought I had to flu (my throat didn't really hurt; I was achy and weak and had a mild cough which seemed to be caused by nasal drip), so I went to the doctor. I was negative on a rapid strep test. They did a swap to send to the lab for other strands of strep. The PA, whom I saw, said I could go on antibiotics if I wanted, but I know that overuse of antibiotics can lessen their effectiveness so I said no. I had a miserable week, and then I got a call saying I had strep and staph on my cultures. Well, this explains why I felt so crappy! I had these infections for over a week without treatment.

I went on the z-pack, only to get sicker. I had developed a bacterial sinus infection. I went on stronger antibiotics. Then the fatigue set in. I wasn't myself for over a month. But really, the most annoying thing is coordinating all the doctor's stuff . . . I'm glad you called in the morning, though, because while my dr's office won't fit you in the schedule for that same week, they always take walk-ins the day of. You just need to call right at 8 a.m. to get a slot.

It's been a weird year. Then two weeks ago I got horrible hives. The PA said she could prescribe an oral steroid, but again, that's not something I wanted to mess around with so I opted not to take it. I did have her write the prescription, though, because I learned from my first visit how terrible it is to find out you do need the medicine and then need to get the details worked out. I just took benadryl instead. Luckily I am not one of those people who fall asleep on benadryl. But ugh, it was miserable before I figured out that the topical steroid cream was not going to provide me relief (they were all over my torso . . . like big welts where I had obviously scratched in my sleep before I knew I had them).

Anyway, sorry to hijack with this thrilling narrative of my medical problems.

The point is, it's tricky. You don't want to jump the gun and go on medications you don't need. But it's so hard to take off work and schedule appointments, and there are copays for the visits and prescriptions . . . being sick is a pain beyond just the physical unpleasantness.