I have been struggling with what I have come to understand is a very rare neurological condition, which I've had for over a decade, but which became chronic just over a year ago. I liken my process over this last year to being a general contractor of my health, hiring migrants at the Home Depot parking lot for the day.
I've been through 8 doctors now. I've had 4 specialists in different areas tell me that there was nothing they could do for me, and just leave me hanging, without even giving me an idea of what to look at next. The only reason I've been able to get any help was because my wife just happened to stumble on a couple of doctors (who work together) by researching my symptoms online. Luckily, the last two have identified my problem, confirmed the diagnosis, and one of them just operated on my back a week ago.
During this year, I wasted time, health, and money on a surgery I didn't need, and which the specialist who performed it SHOULD have known wouldn't help. I can't help but think that he saw an opportunity to do a surgery, covered by my full-blown, "Cadillac" insurance plan, that might have helped, and he took it.
Now I've had an experimental surgery (i.e., uncovered by insurance), and two trips to California. I figure I'm running about $30,000 out of pocket on this whole fiasco. The good news is that the surgery seems to have been a success, but I won't know for sure for 3 to 6 months. Maybe even a year.
> I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to move the process forward.
My feelings directly echo this. No one in this process is responsible for my overall HEALTH. I'm old enough to remember that it didn't feel like this. Your PCP would have been the "general contractor" several decades ago. Now, all anyone cares about is selling me a service, and then getting paid. And my PCP is notorious for trying to upsell me (per the FA) and get me to do tests and labs that I don't need.
I've been through 8 doctors now. I've had 4 specialists in different areas tell me that there was nothing they could do for me, and just leave me hanging, without even giving me an idea of what to look at next. The only reason I've been able to get any help was because my wife just happened to stumble on a couple of doctors (who work together) by researching my symptoms online. Luckily, the last two have identified my problem, confirmed the diagnosis, and one of them just operated on my back a week ago.
During this year, I wasted time, health, and money on a surgery I didn't need, and which the specialist who performed it SHOULD have known wouldn't help. I can't help but think that he saw an opportunity to do a surgery, covered by my full-blown, "Cadillac" insurance plan, that might have helped, and he took it.
Now I've had an experimental surgery (i.e., uncovered by insurance), and two trips to California. I figure I'm running about $30,000 out of pocket on this whole fiasco. The good news is that the surgery seems to have been a success, but I won't know for sure for 3 to 6 months. Maybe even a year.
> I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to move the process forward.
My feelings directly echo this. No one in this process is responsible for my overall HEALTH. I'm old enough to remember that it didn't feel like this. Your PCP would have been the "general contractor" several decades ago. Now, all anyone cares about is selling me a service, and then getting paid. And my PCP is notorious for trying to upsell me (per the FA) and get me to do tests and labs that I don't need.