Monday, May 22, 2017

The More Things Change, The Less They Stay The Same

During my retirement year, I have discovered that going to the doctor is not nearly as much fun as it used to be when I was working, and took a whole day off for my appointment.

Today I had a regular check-up at 9:45. I had some errands to run first, so I left a little early. Even after stopping for scratchers (another $100 winner today, thanks for asking) and mailing the latest repair bill for our air conditioner (the second one this month) and putting a mysterious $400 check in the bank for the #1 son...I still got to the doctor's nurse-practitioner's office before the 15 minutes they told me to arrive early.

I also had both my insurance cards and my ID ready, as told. But nobody asked to see them. ANYBODY could have walked in off the street, impersonating me, and taken my appointment! Anyhoo...I sat down with a table between me and the only other person in the waiting area, a young gal in brand-new green scrubs. Apparently, she was starting work there today, but nobody knew what to do with her. They finally called her back, and a couple minutes later, they called ME back. Thank the Gummi Mary, that new girl was not the one who called me.

The nurse took vitals and confirmed my prescriptions, then the practitioner came in to spend all of 90 minutes with me. It's not like he was crowded, you know. He listened to my heart (proof that I DO have one) and looked in my ears, and nodded when I told him my knees were really causing me trouble. Grinned, actually. "Oh, so they're real stiff?" Yeah. And I can hardly walk or get up and down from a chair. But do you know his solution for that? "Well...I guess we could do an X-ray."

SWEET GUMMI MARY! Even I know that an X-ray won't show soft tissue injury. So I politely declined that offer.

And we were through! Can you believe it? The nurse gave me a lab order, and I went down up and spent about 3 minutes at the lab, since nobody was waiting. Things sure have changed since my old Army doctor left that clinic to work at the veterans' clinic a couple streets over.

The blood draw itself was not painful. Just that kind of dull pressure like when I think they've got that needle pushing against the bottom of the vein. Anyhoo...I have barely a pinpoint where my life fluid was allowed to flow out, and no bruising at all.


Do you think maybe that phlebotomist went a little overboard, strapping that gauze square on tight?

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6 comments:

  1. Sioux RoslawskiMay 22, 2017 at 9:07 PM

    HM--Yes, it looks like they were trying to cut off your circulation. You ticked them off by saying "no" to an x-ray... I think they were gunnin' for an amputation.

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  2. Kathy's KlotheslineMay 23, 2017 at 9:42 AM

    They used to apply a band aid after venipuncture, which seemed to suffice, but nowadays they seem to think you will certainly bleed out and they apply the equivalent of a tourniquet! So, you turned down the x-ray and was offered no alternative. I am surprised they did not refer you to a specialist! I mean, you have INSURANCE THAT PAYS!!

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  3. AnonymousMay 23, 2017 at 3:14 PM

    I think a Band-Aid would have done the job!!

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  4. Hillbilly MomMay 23, 2017 at 6:31 PM

    Sioux,
    You might have something there. The #1 Son actually ended up at the ER (by way of my T-Hoe service) after giving blood, because they wrapped up his arm too tight. It turned all purple, and they tried to say it was Reynaud's Syndrome, even though he never had it before or since, and it was only on one arm, the arm wrapped round and round with that gauzey stuff after he gave blood. The Red Cross workers are the one who called me in and said he should go to the ER. I was already home from school, and he had stayed after to work at the blood drive.

    ***
    Kathy,
    I appreciate the caution, since I DO take a daily full-strength aspirin for my blood-clotting history. But at least that's better than the demon Xarelto that can make you bleed out because there is no reversal antidote, and it takes 3 days for the clotting factors to work again once Xarelto is stopped.

    AND...I have TWO insurances! They were sitting on a gold mine!

    ***
    fishducky,
    Yes, especially since I applied pressure to it for over 30 seconds while she was unwinding that grippy gauze stuff.

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  5. Sioux RoslawskiMay 23, 2017 at 8:43 PM

    I will NEVER donate to Red Cross again. I used to donate platelets with them, and the last time they had to people digging around trying to find a vein, probing with the needle and they never even apologized for their ineptitude (and for the pain they were causing me).

    From that point on I donated at a local hospital. More skill. Less bruising.

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  6. Hillbilly MomMay 24, 2017 at 12:10 AM

    Sioux,
    Yeah, I used to give at the school blood drive. I think I stopped the year that the lady sticking me kind of propositioned me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Anywhere other than a school blood drive.

    I just don't notice any kind of professionalism in their workers. A couple times, there were arguments and a power struggle between members of their staff, right in view and hearing of people with needles in their arms who couldn't escape the strife.

    ReplyDelete