Taking Control of Healthcare

A Patient’s Journey to Self-Advocacy

Frustrated with disrespectful healthcare, the author advocates for self-management and critical questioning of medical practices.

The author recounts a frustrating medical appointment where they felt disrespected and dismissed by a provider. They note inadequate intake procedures, inaccurate paperwork, and a lack of thorough examination. After repeated negative experiences, the author decides to manage their healthcare independently, prioritizing self-advocacy and critical questioning of medical practices.

I will NEVER trust another Doctor EVER Again!

Well, she was an MSN, not a doctor; but, she was representing one whose schedule was booked out five months. This was my LAST attempt at getting my health issues looked at by a medical professional. After this appointment, I am done and will be taking my healthcare into my own hands from now on. I had said this before; but, now I am including ALL aspects of my healthcare, including emergency situations. I would rather die than be treated like an idiot ever again by a medical practitioner.

Here are the low-lights of this visit:

Intake Paperwork

1. Intake paperwork included no form to gather personal health and family health histories.
2. Instead of having me fill out a blank Release of Information on which I fill in each medical provider I wanted this office to pull the records from, this office tried to get me to sign a BLANKET ROI for every hospital in the County, pre-filled on the form. When I crossed off all but the one hospital I wanted them to contact, I was told they couldn’t accept an ROI with writing on it and I must sign two blanket ones to be seen at their clinic. This was discussed with me by the desk clerk after the appointment was over; the appointment in which, the doctor agreed we would “start from scratch” without any records pulled except from the one I circled and one other I was willing to fill out another form for in the same manner—crossing off all but the one.
3. Each of the signature lines on all of the forms was pre-filled with a date earlier than my appointment date. I crossed off and initialed the incorrect date and wrote-in the correct date on each form.
4. I refused to sign the form affirming I had received a copy of their privacy policy; because, they had yet to give me a copy of their privacy policy.
5. I refused to initial two items on the itemized agreement list. The first was, “My treatment plan has been discussed with me.” The second was, “I have discussed reasons why I may refuse or stop taking prescribed medications.” I had never met nor spoken with the provider at that point; so, neither of these had been discussed between her and me.

As a former government employee who handled legal documents as one of the main parts of my job, I know full well what is legally allowed on a legal document such as those described above as well as my legal rights and responsibilities in filling them out. This had the appearance of the assumption by the provider that new patients are ‘provider shopping’, a symptom of Munchausen Syndrome. This is an extreme assumption by a provider when the reality is, new patients are likely either switching insurance providers at open enrollment or have recently moved to a new County.

Exam Room Encounter with Provider

1. Usually, a provider will greet the patient in the exam room, ask how they are doing and what brings them in. Before any further discussion, the provider will take the patient’s blood pressure reading, listen to heart and lungs with a stethoscope, and use a lighted scope to look at ears, eyes, nose, and throat. Of these, the only things this provider did was take my pulse oximeter and blood pressure readings and listen to my lungs at only 2 spots—on each side of my spine–not all 6 diagnostic locations, at the END of the 30-minute appointment—after she had pissed me off by disputing several of my symptoms, doctor-assigned diagnoses, and prior bad experiences with providers that I shared with her and telling me that I’m using my symptoms as excuses. I know my blood pressure has been high for the past couple of years; but, taking a blood pressure reading after having an upsetting conversation with a patient will give a higher than baseline result. A provider can then use those inflated numbers to pressure a patient into accepting a hypertension medication prescription that may be unnecessary.
2. After taking my blood pressure reading, she advised me on hypertension medication and I told her I would rather address the cause instead of masking the symptom. She pushed the issue and I told her, “Medications slow or stop metabolic processes and I already have enough problems with that having hereditary chronic pancreatitis.”
3. After listening to my lungs, she disputed the validity of the COPD and pneumonia diagnoses given me by an MD; because, my lungs sounded clear. I told her I feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen to my brain and she told me I’m not a candidate for oxygen therapy; because, my pulse oximeter reading showed adequate blood oxygen saturation. I told her pulse oximetry only measures blood oxygen saturation in the extremities, not the organs. She said the difference is minimal. I told her I have cervical spinal stenosis that has an effect on getting oxygen to the brain and causes agitation. She told me, “That’s just an excuse.”

What Are the Symptoms of Pneumonia?

“Older adults and people who have serious illnesses or weak immune systems may have fewer and milder symptoms. They may even have a lower than normal temperature.”

https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pneumonia/symptoms-and-diagnosis

Physical signs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

“A reduction in breath sound intensity (BSI) is often seen in patients with COPD. Wheezing may be absent in patients with severe obstruction.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330798/

Anatomy, Head and Neck: Cerebral Blood Flow

“Regulation of cerebral blood flow is vital because it allows the brain to get its nutrients and oxygen.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538134/

Vertebrobasilar circulatory disorders

“Vertebrobasilar circulatory disorders are conditions in which the blood supply to the back of the brain is disrupted. Other causes include: Problems in the spinal bones of the neck.”

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/vertebrobasilar-circulatory-disorders

The Relationship Between Spinal Stenosis And High Blood Pressure

“Spinal stenosis can also cause high blood pressure. This is usually due to the narrowing of the spinal column putting pressure on the arteries that supply blood to the brain. This can restrict the flow of blood and lead to an increase in blood pressure.”

https://www.brandonorthopedics.com/the-relationship-between-spinal-stenosis-and-high-blood-pressure/

[The effect of reduced oxygen saturation during sleep on depression]

“Hypoxia during sleep and duration of hypoxic periods are a risk factor for the development of depression with therapeutic and diagnostic consequences.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31081357/

What Is Agitated Depression?

“With agitated depression, the mood may be irritable or change from moment to moment. They may be overly talkative and present a flight of thoughts or ideas. It may seem to others as if the individual is looking to start a conflict or flight, and can’t seem to self-soothe in a healthy, normal way.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-is-2020/202306/what-is-agitated-depression

I refuse to trust the prescriptive knowledge of a medical provider who seems to have no knowledge of bio-mechanics. The fact that I know all of this without having gone to medical school is a blaring sign this medical provider either has an ego problem with scientifically-minded patients that causes her to automatically nay-say the patient’s contribution to the conversation about their own healthcare or she needs to go back to school!

Everyone needs to keep in mind that a medical degree is no guarantee to a patient that their provider earned excellent grades in medical school. Any grade above ‘fail’ is a ‘pass’ and some medical schools’ grading systems are simply PASS/FAIL.

Medical School Grading: Everyone Gets a Trophy

https://www.physiciansweekly.com/medical-school-grading

If you take your health seriously, question everything.

“The quality of your health is determined by the quality of your questions.” ~ Dr John Bergman