Why I'm Fed Up With Doctors - True Story

What you expect, not what you get. - Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0

This post may be a bit long, and it is from my perspective of the experiences I have had recently and some a little back. I wanted to share with people how shitty the medical profession has become.

Also, this is my first announcement that I may have cancer, but I can't get the fuckers to test me for it. My medical bills are getting stupid, and I was hoping to raise money with this post.

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Tiny Bit of Back Story

Start with the short version of the long story, it ties in but not what I'm going to the doctor for. April 30, 2007, I broke my back. For the last 11 years, I have been accused of drug seeking more times than any person should have to go through. Apparently, I'm making up the fact that this (below) hurts like hell and has since the surgery, it was never really fixed.

I'm not sure if this is mine or one I found online.
The screws are exactly the same if it is.
This part is the tie-in to my current situation; about three years ago we came extremely close to having a wreck on the interstate. We missed it and went into and back out of the ditch. As you can imagine it jerked me around pretty good and my pain level got to, I'd say a 9. I was already wearing a Fentanyl patch. Having that kind of pain while on a drug that fucking strong told me to go to the ER. I went to the one that is across the street from the apartment complex that I live in.

This was the result of that visit:
"Michael you are a fucking drug addict, go home and take a hot shower." - Physicians Assistant

I've tried to go to this hospital a few times since, similar results, I'm labelled a drug seeker there, and they will not help me, in any way ever. I avoid it at all costs. I don't care if I am dying of a heart attack in their parking lot, I will not go in.

There is another hospital that is about 10 minutes away down the interstate. (Well there are plenty, this is Vegas.) This hospital has treated me with nothing but respect. I always choose this one.

The Recent Story

Around my birthday, beginning of February, I started to feel a sharp pain in my left side. I assumed it was gastrointestinal, I have a history of ulcers and various other stomach problems, so I tried just to wait it out.

Fast forward to the end of February and the pain was so severe that I was going in and out of cold sweats and dry heaving. I called 911. The ambulance or first responder, I don't remember which, showed up and entered my house. He told me it was a waste of resources to call 911 over heartburn. I said take me anyway; I want to go to Centennial Hospital (the good one), he said drive yourself, or you can go to the one right here. I thought I was dying and said fuck it, take me.

They take me in the back entrance to the ER, I'm laying on the gurney, within hearing distance.
"This idiot called 911 for heartburn."
The nurse told me to get off the gurney and sit in one of the chairs in this little room off the side with other minor cases. Then the pain hits again, I start sweating so bad that I am having trouble keeping it out of my eyes. The nurse then comes in to as for a urine sample and then looks at me. I'm rushed to a room, and they put the EKG on me, she thought I was having heart problems. I wasn't. A DR, PA, NP, I'm not sure at this point, I can barely think, comes in and I explain the pain is in my abdomen. He orders a CT scan like he's supposed to. They rush me to radiology. Afterwards, I wait, alone, for four hours without being checked on, not once. A nurse finally comes by and gives me a cup of Mylanta and says jokingly that "I'm full of shit," then laughs, "No really, you are a little constipated. The DR is going to release you. My paperwork is written that it was: History of Peptic Ulcers.

I'm pissed off and walk out and walk home, in pain, a lot of pain, in my side because, you know, heartburn.

Aftermath Of That Visit

I suck it up and deal with it for another month; it didn't get that bad again till this last Friday, March 23, 2018. Yet I still don't call this pain a "10", I've had a ten twice, I know what that feels like. At this point I'm not sure what to do so I use a TeleMed service and am told it's probably an infection and if it gets worse to go to Urgent Care.

I wait for my roommate to get home so he could drive me to Urgent Care, the one next to the "good hospital." I see the doctor there, and he is quite concerned and sends me to the ER. I get checked in, I get a shot of Morphine, Zofran for nausea, and Pepcid, just in case it was ulcer related, BEFORE I EVEN SEE THE DOCTOR.

The doctor comes in very shortly afterwards, I explain the past of this issue, and she is disappointed in them, although I'm not entirely sure she believed that visit was that bad. She orders a CT of my abdomen as she should.

After I return from the CT, I wait a while to get the results. An hour passes, and a nurse comes in and puts 4mg of Ativan in my IV. (Similar to Valium if you are unsure.) I couldn't figure out why, there was no medical reason for it, I wasn't panicking or convulsing. She tells me that the DR would be in shortly. That's when it dawned on me... They were preparing me for bad news.

The doctor comes back after about 20 minutes, long enough for the meds to set in and tells me that I have a mass on or in my left kidney. She says that she is going to release me because there is not much they can do for that in the ER, but to follow up as soon as I can with my family doctor and tell him I need an MRI, it's pretty bad.

Today

Five minutes after my doctor's office opened I called. I tell the receptionist I need an appointment ASAP, I ask if there were any cancellations, none, she asks me what the rush was and I tell her. She says she will call me right back; she will get the doctor to sign off on an appointment. I get a call back in about 4 minutes. I have an appointment at 3 pm.

I showed up at 3; I wait in the office for a little while, I go back, wait with my wife for the doctor, I'm super nervous and anxiety-ridden, this could be horrible.

The doctor walks in... "Hows your stomach?"
I tell him it's fine, a bit of nausea daily.
I ask about the "mass', he looks at me and says: "Oh, that's probably a cyst, it's common to get one if you have one on your liver. We could take an ultrasound, but we generally ignore those."

Me: "But the pain, can you please help me make it stop?"

DR: "I'm afraid I can't do that, your tests and scans don't show anything to cause pain."

Me: I'm crying at this point.

DR: "We need to get you scoped, I'll set up an appointment with the GI this Friday, he's my partner."

My wife: "What about the Ultrasound?"

DR: "I guess I could schedule that too."

He writes me a couple of prescriptions, Protonix (similar to Pepsid or Prilosec), and Bentyl (dicyclomine, as stomach muscle relaxer.)

I'm PISSED. I'm crying; my wife is upset. I want to break shit, really bad.

I leave there with a card for the GI for Friday and an Ultrasound scheduled FOR MY STOMACH.

Why Am I Pissed Still?

Ok, really easy, the doctor did not even talk about what I came in for. My side, the pain, and the "mass" (Now TWO?)

He showed no concern for my side, all about my stomach, WHY? WTF? MY SIDE HURTS.
He completely blew off the "mass" or "masses now?" "Liver?"
I was told to get an MRI, by the hospital I like, it was important, they were worried.
I get an Ultrasound ordered for my stomach and a scope, that I already know I have ulcers, I've had surgery for them!
I didn't know you could tell if someone was in pain by tests and scans. Is this a new technology? I would love to his method, do you know how incredibly useful that would be?

So, now I'm at home, still in pain, no answers, no idea if this is cancerous and incredibly pissed.

Thanks for listening,
Michael Garcia a.k.a. @TheCrazyGM

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