I am frustrated and *stuck* with current doctors (long)

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I am frustrated and *stuck* with current doctors (long)

Postby steennd » Jun 08, 2004 12:41 pm

I am so frustrated with the group of doctors that I go to. They have no protocal for ANYTHING! I am in an HMO, so I have NO options.
Currently I go to a family practice in a large teaching hospital. There is probably 25 residents and maybe 30+ faculty/attendings. For a family practice, they have a lot of obstetric patients. As with most teaching hospitals, the patients get completely pushed on the residents. This would be fine if they were competent or they had some established protocal for dealing with patients. Instead they have no freaking clue. My only other care option is that I could go to the hospitals OB/GYN clinic, but same deal if not worse with the residents. I saw these same FP doctors with my previous pregnancy (HG) but of course they have new residents now. There is one attending doctor that I have been going to for most of my prenatal appts (both with my previous pgcy and current). I like to have some continuity in my care. But unless she is on call when I'm sick or have questions, etc- then she wouldn't even KNOW I'm hospitalized or whatnot. Let me describe to you the two instances I have had so far:

#1 I was very ill and going downhill fast, couldn't keep the zofran down, no water or food for at least 30 hours. I call the FP and they page "the resident on call" GREAT. The resident call me and with zero sympathy at all tells me that she is going to call in a script for phenegren suppositories. I told her flat out that phenegren makes me incredibly dizzy and therfore more sick. She said all snotty, "well it's either that or go to the ER". I was so mad. My dh calls the FP clinic and strong arms the front desk lady to squeeze me in to see an intern (it was like 4pm) that day. The intern was shocked that I had 3+ ketones (the drs there are always shocked when I pee heavy ketones- I feel like saying, "you think i'm lying, i really can't eat or drink, why would it be so shocking!") So the intern tells me that I need to go to the ER. Fine whatever. Unfortunately the FP doctor that is on call is the nasty one from the phone who is thrilled to have me there *sarcasm*. After 12 hours and 3-4L, 8mg iv zofran, and still vomiting the ER doctor admits me. The unfriendly FP resident came to see me once in the ER and tried to tell me that my bloodwork was all normal (in other words, you're faking or something) and I told her that they didn't take blood and she tries to tell me they did! LOL, I think I would know if they took blood and they didn't. (Not from the iv or anything). And she tries to tell me that they cannot do IVs in the family practice clinic. I told her this must be a new policy because I got IVs twice during my last pregnancy which wasn't that long ago. She's a 3rd year (last year) resident and she didn't know that they can give IV fluids in the clinic!! Okay, so once I was admitted I was totally fine. I generally loathe the hospital, but I had a very good experience there with a private room and very competent pleasant nursing staff. I only was there for another day because I started to feel better almost right away.

#2 A couple weeks ago I had another episode where I started to go downhill. I even vomited blood which freaked me out but after reading a little bit on this site I think it was just esophogus damage from all the vomiting. My dh calls the FP and they page the resident....here we go again. She (different one that we've never met) calls back and my dh and her get into an arguement about my Zofran....LOL. She says that it MUST be orally dissolving tabs because they don't make the swallowing kind. WHAT? My dh says no they aren't orally dissolving and she says well then it can't be zofran, it must be phenegren. Whatever. So she says that she will prescribe some phenegren suppositories!!! Or I can go to the ER (I had a really bad experience there that time and I will not go back) or I can suffer it out until morning and go to the clinic to get an IV. At this point I was well over 24 hours with no food or water. My dh argued with her that can't she just admit me. No. Okay, so I do vomit blood and bile the whole night and then go the clinic the next day. Problem is that the nurses there rarely if EVER put in IVs and I'm severely dehydrated so my veins are zip. They (3 different nurses) blew 4 veins before finally having an IV half hanging out and fortunately they were able to give me a zofran shot. That was the only reason I was able to pull out of that funk. Then they send me on my merry way.

I have so many examples like this from my other pregnancy, it's sad. They don't care about me at all. The care varies from one day to the next, just depending on who the resident on call is. I feel like there is no one that I can call there if I have a problem. I don't even know the doctors there so it's not like I could see if they have a doctor there that would care.... I don't know, thanks for listening to me vent.
steennd
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Joined: Jun 07, 2004 9:55 pm

Re: I am frustrated and *stuck* with current doctors (long)

Postby MamaLily » Jun 08, 2004 8:36 pm

Steennd -

I'm sorry to hear about the horrible care that you are getting. It's so unbelievable that some doctors are WONDERFUL and some doctors are HORRIBLE with treating HG.

Even though you are in an HMO, there must be another option. If you could go to a specialist (a perinatologist or a Maternal-Fetal specialist), I'm POSITIVE that you could get better care.

I'd love to help you, if I can.

And keep venting!

- Anna
"The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over." - Aesop
MamaLily
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