The things that come with being sick...

I'm laying in my bed sick again. It's summer...can't I catch a break? The highly irritating thing is I was just sick three weeks ago. Twice in one summer is less than inviting. My levels of productivity have gone out the window. I was happy to get my dishwasher loaded and unloaded.

I have become accustomed to being sick throughout the years. My immune system is apparently not that great, and I end up with weird things that intrigue or boggle doctors. However, among all the random sicknesses and intriguing things that have happened to me I have learned that good doctors and a good nurses are equivalent to tapping into a gold mine.

Nurses can pull off amazing things. They can get you in to see a specialist sooner--which you wouldn't think would be a big deal but oh it is, they can get you into the doctor sooner, they can sometimes pull off talking to the doctor and getting a prescription without you going in again or sometimes at all (that's usually when someone you live with has strep and then you start feeling sick). The things they pull off amaze me. But only if they are good. The stupid ones don't return your phone call, never offer to call the specialist and see if they can get you in sooner, just tell you they can't tell you anything over the phone and always come into the doctor, give you massive bruises when taking (mind you I'm not giving) blood...or worse yet they just miss and move the needle around in your arm--don't worry, it's a metal object in my body being shoved through parts that weren't supposed to have it shoved there--I'm sure I'll get over it.

As lame as this will sound I love my doctors, well only the good ones, and I have no qualms going to see them again and again...well maybe the gyno. I'm particular with my doctors. They need to have good bedside manners, which you wouldn't think would be the most difficult of tasks, but you'd be surprised by how many doctors will treat you like a chart number. I am not a number and if I'm going to be in and out of your office you better never treat me like just another chart. One doctor never looked at me and was typing on the computer notes about what I was saying until I said that I had had some suicidal thoughts and then turned and told me that I could call him if I ever needed anything. Why in the world did he think for any moment that I would in my lowest of moments call someone who never looked me in the eyes? Really? What did they forget to teach you about human interaction in medical school? Did you forget in your eight years or so of schooling that we are not a textbook? Hello?

The other kinds of doctors that drive me nuts are the ones who won't believe me. As I said I've been sick many times and it's just become something I live with. One year I got sick Oct, Nov, Dec Jan and March. Thus the pickiness with doctors. I know what usually happens to my body when I get sick. It starts out viral--or so that's what they'll tell me, then it goes into my chest, makes my asthma bad very slowly and then turns into a bacteria. The frustrating thing is this is what happens 98% of the time (and probably no exaggeration on that). But in order for the doctor to believe me I have to wait until my asthma is bad enough that they will give me the medicine I need to breathe which is usually accompanied by anti-biotics at that point in time. When I tell doctors that the asthma won't get better by itself they rarely believe me and come back with "your lungs sound fine there is no wheezing". Well thank you but I'll call you in a few days when I can't breathe. And call I do. Those equal dumb doctors. You can read all about me on my chart, but you usually only have from when I came to your office and past. What about the plethora of years and multiple other specialists I've seen that you have no idea about but I do? I'm not stupid. Trust me. Those are the doctors I ditch and don't go back to. And for all I care all of you who get sick once a year can land those appointments and I'll take the appointments of the good doctors.

I have plenty of good doctors that I love: my pulmenologist, my nureologist, my chiro, my rehab dr (that sounds bad but it was after a car accident), occupational therapist and several PA's (physician's assistant): Todd and Anna to be specific. I have several other doctors that I love as well that I'm sure I could list if it wasn't late and I was feeling better but those are my top favorites. I suppose it appears sad that I know that many varying doctors, but nonetheless I come full of good recommendations if you ever need one by where I live.

I will tell you that there was a time in my life when I was seeing multiple doctors for varying reasons who were all located in the same wing of the hospital. I was in and out of that place for a good amount of time. About a year after my visits had been scarce I went back for a checkup from one of the doctors. It was amid finals week and I was studying with a friend for a brutal final. As we were in the middle of being really productive and scared of failing I told her she could come with me to my doctors appointment and then when they came in it'd be like a ten min wait and then we could continue studying before the visit and then finish up studying afterwards. She came with me to the hospital and I we sat in the lounge of the doctor's office there were several nurses and several doctors that came by and saw me and all said hello and asked how I was doing. I think there was four at least and maybe another one that I can't entirely remember. I could see the look on her face when several of the staff and dr's remembered me by name and asked about my well being. She was obviously a little shocked about the amount in one area and their ability to remember after it being so long. But nonetheless it goes to show what a difference good doctors can make. It is frustrating when doctors don't realize what you are going through and treat you as a number. I read in a magazine that one of the top med schools was starting to have their residents follow a particular patient around and see what it was like to attend multiple doctor appointments from several different specialists. I'm all for that.

Have them get an idea of the wait time in the waiting room, dealing with the poking and the proding, the insane amount of questions sometimes, the looks of disbelief, the looks of I haven't the slightest idea what's wrong with you so let's try this...or I've even had a massive medical book pulled out and thumbed through in my presence. They should also get a feel for having to wait in the room where you are going to see the doctor and stare at the charts of the human bones, or the human heart, or all the ways things can go wrong with your lungs, or this that or the other while waiting for them to be done with the ones ahead of you. Not to mention if you ever have to put a gown on it's like they think it takes you as long to get a gown on as it does to get ready in the morning. I'm not showering, washing my hair, blow drying it, curling it and then tying the ties on the gown. Seriously, give me three min. maybe five for those who are older or lacking in motor abilities and then you can come back. I realize they use it as a tool to make you think they are coming or that there is some progress on your visit while they run off to fit another 10-15 min session with another patient but I already did my waiting--twice in fact. Once in the waiting room and then once after the nurse put me in this room and said "(s)he'll be right with you" which is almost always a lie. Then maybe when the resident is on the other side and being the doctor they will remember what it's like to be a patient. Maybe just maybe.

I suppose my rant should be over seeing as my eyes are starting to hurt, my headache is coming back and the pure exhaustion of being sick is starting to come. I didn't even get to the part of pharmacies. I suppose that will have to be saved for another day. I will however leave you with a picture of one of the reasons why I hate being sick. I took a picture of the medicines I've taken today. This does not include the anti-biotic which was haphazardly not filled today at the pharmacy. It is just sometimes irritating to take the medicines. This one with medicine, this one at morning and night, this one with food but don't eat grapefruit (one seriously said that), this one make sure you wash your mouth out afterwards or you could get a yeast infection in your mouth (that just brings a horrible horrible picture to mind). So I've taken all the medicines for the day, let's hope anyways, and now I am off to bed.