November 20, 2009

I took Ayme to our Family Physician on Monday afternoon, well, the Physician Assistant that she has been seeing for the last 5 years.

I filled her in with all of the information - basically that we are right back to where we started at 1 year ago - having to WAIT to get in to see yet another Specialist (Pediatric Rheumatologist/Pediatric Immunologist) at DeVos Children's Hospital -- and we have to wait until February 16, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. for the first available appoinment to see this Specialist. I am calling first thing on Monday morning to see if they will put her on the cancellation list, so they might be able to get her in sooner.

Anyway, Monday, at the appointment, the Physician Assistant was stating that she is wondering if Ayme may have Raynaud's Disease...... ------- because of the Blue, Pink, Red Blotches.....

Well, I KNOW this is NOT what Ayme has!!! I've taken Pathophysiology (study of Diseases) at College and I have an Associate's Degree in Applied Science - and I've taken tons of other Medical Classes, and I even have a HUGE NURSING Encyclopedia with tons of Colored Disease Photographs from different Colleges and Universities! What my Daughter has is NOT Raynaud's Disease!.......

I really think that the Physician Assistant does NOT want to ADMIT that a PATIENT, and her Well-Educated and College Graduate Parent are 99% certain what this Disease may be! I Do NOT know why Physicians have to be so STUBBORN and AFRAID to ADMIT an error or even a chance that a Patient may be Correct on a Diagnosis! If they would just ADMIT that patients may be Correct at times, Do you know how much MONEY could be saved in this country?

The Physicians are a HUGE PART to blame for the Enormous COSTS of the Healthcare and Insurance Industry! I even see this EVERYDAY when I am at work in the Pharmacy. I see Doctors Prescribe a New Brand Name Drug, that actually consists of 2 Generic drugs, yet, they write a prescription for this barely Prescribed Brand Name - and None of the Insurances will cover it, so the patient's Health Insurance Requests a Prior Authorization --- meaning the Patient's Physician has to call the Patient's Health Insurance Company and tell the Insurance Company WHY the PATIENT needs to have this particular BRAND NAME DRUG.....

and then there is the part where they do NOT get the Approval by the patient's health insurance company --- yet the Doctor REFUSES to let the patient know that the Brand Name Drug that they wrote the prescription for was DECLINED by their (patient's) health insurance company, and the physician STILL DOES NOT call in a drug to REPLACE the one they wanted the Patient to have in the first place, so the patient goes WITHOUT either medication at all.....
Or, wait, the Physician gets the Insurance to approve the medication, but the Physician REFUSES to NOTIFY the Patient or the Pharmacy, so the Patient still goes WITHOUT any Medication ---------

Well, I ask: Why Prescribe a MEDICATION for a Condition for the Patient, when in fact you could care less about seeing the patient get well from the condition?
So - the Patient's still are sick, and the Physicians still drag the patient through more and more appointments, so the physicians still RECEIVE payments from the patients for office visit co-pays, and the Physicians still RECEIVE payments from the Health Insurance Companies for "TREATING the PATIENT..." ----

This United States Health Care System has GOT to CHANGE!! The Drug Companies are charging a fortune, the Physicians are charging a fortune, the Health Insurance Companies are charging a Fortune.... and No ONE gets WELL.......
the patient's just go broke in the process of trying to get well and find recovery...

It is so depressing, no wonder we all feel terrible.

I just want my children to be healthy and get well. Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

Any thoughts, please feel free to write to me. Thanks.

-Janice
jevisger@yahoo.com

November 9, 2009

Just letting you all know that we are still waiting...

It turns out that when we went to see the Pediatric Neurologist at DeVos Children's Hospital, he referred us back to the Pediatric Neurosurgeon's Office at DeVos Children's Hospital, but with Dr. Skarli, the other Pediatric Neurosurgeon in the same office.

So, I took my daughter, Ayme, for the appointment. Well, the Secretary came out and talked to Ayme and I. She said, "Why are you seeing Dr. Skarli, you have already seen Dr. Foody here? I think you should stick with Dr. Foody." I said, "The Pediatric Neurologist referred us back here..."

So, Ayme and I told her everything... how we ended up here... we started here, and now we are right back here. I told her that The Ped Neurologist, Dr. DeRoos also referred Ayme to see a Pediatric Immunologist at DeVos Children's Hospital as well, but they can't get Ayme in for an Appointment until February 2010.

Ayme and I left with her: New Tests Results -- the Sleep Study (Which Ayme only slept 1.8 hours -out of 7 hours total), the Evaluation from Mary Free Bed Pain Program (which was very thorough... unfortunately, I do not have an extra $1, 000 just laying around --our part AFTER the insurance picks up the rest). We also left the Psych Evaluation -- yes, Ayme does have a Pain Problem, and it is not "all in her head..." Also, we left tons of color photos of those AWFUL blotches (BIG blotches) - pink and red, with no raised borders on them and they don't itch, - and I left notes on the backs of the photos describing that the blotches come and go, and that where they are red, the skin TEMPERATURE is HOT to the touch, and where the skin is normal color, the skin is much cooler... And where the skin is BLUISH, the skin is COLD to the touch. Very Drastic Temperature Changes...

We described Again: the Burning, Shooting, Stabbing, Gouging Nerve Pain.

She promised that she would have Dr. Foody look over all of this information and these new test results.... and that she would get back with us to schedule an appointment when we were there a month ago.... I've called twice and sent a couple e-mails stating that my Daughter needs to be seen for a follow-up appointment...

Today I get a phone call from their office at my work. It is a different person. This lady is not the one that Ayme and I seen 3 or 4 weeks ago. This lady asks "Why does Ayme need to be seen? Is it for the same problem that she was seen last time for?" I said "Yes. I left new tests results and photos for Dr. Foody to look over and records for him to read through... new information that he did NOT have when we seen him in March 2009... Didn't he look through any of the information that I left for him?" She said, " Dr. Foody doesn't treat skin disorders...." and she went on and on.... I said, "I know. He is a Neurosurgeon. My daughter has a Nerve Condition. The skin SIGNS are from a Nerve Problem. I'm so frustrated because no one is hearing us..."

And she got all rude with me on the phone........ I finally said, "We just want a referral to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, please." She said, " I'll talk with Dr. Foody and I'll call you back at your work."

What is it going to take? If this was their child, they would be getting something done...
I am so frustrated. I just want to crawl under a rock.....

Any thoughts or ideas, please write me. Thanks for listening.

-Janice
jevisger@yahoo.com