Do I Ask for This Stuff....?

Do I look like a Loser? Am I invisible. Do doctor's just NOT HEAR me... HHHHEEELLLLOOO. I have gone through a lot this past three years. Simple things gone wrong that could have been avoided. One after another it seems to one individual, ME. I will post what I have journaled soon. You guys can read it and determine if I'm crazy (tho crazed I am at this point) .

This is just one "little" example of what has become commonplace with me it seems. I had to find a new cardiologist because my old one retired. I get irregular heart beats which I sometimes treat with a med. No biggie, but I do need to be set up with a cardio or I ain't gonna get this drug... lol I wasn't nervous of having to go through a big discussion of previous history like I do when seeing new doctors about my shoulder. This appointment was gonna be a breeze.

So I prance into the office to what I felt was finally a "no-brainer" appointment. I take my blood test results from last year because my cholesterol has been on the high side for the past few years, upper 200's. I showed them to to the doc and also told him I tried a couple statins but they cause side effects of joint and muscle pain and with all the other pain I'm going through right now I just didn't need that. We talked about diet and even where to buy oatmeal...

He prescribed the med for my ocassional irregular heart beat (yeaaa), he prescribed a statin, gave me some 5mg samples and a script for 10mg and told me to cut them in half. The script would last me a bloody lifetime He told me to take it every other day and to eat oatmeal, lowfat diet, yadyada. He orders a blood lipids profile. Like I said - SIMPLE APPOINTMENT...

I get my blood test. I begin taking my statin every other day. Almost a month goes by and I get a letter (not the actual test results) in the mail. I am the poster child for cholesterol readings. My cholesterol is 174 and other things are low and within range. I'm like - uhhhhh, why am I taking a statin?

It turns ugly... I call the doctor's office asking for a copy of my blood results as I always do. But, because of all the things I've experienced in past few years I say "Why didn't you call me and tell me not to take my statin since my cholesterol is so low. What if I had been an elderly patient and didnt know by reading this letter that I could stop taking my statin." Nurse responds "The doctor didn't prescribe a statin for you." I argue with the nurse for a while and finally ask to talk to the Supervising Nurse. I tell her I am amazed that the doctor didn't even have notes in his file that he prescribed a drug for me. She said she would talk to the nurse and have either the doctor or nurse call me.

A few days later I get a message from the nurse. "The doctor says the statin is doing a great job and to continue taking it and to be sure to keep your follow up appointment in January." O M G I wasn't taking ANY statins when I saw he ordered the blood test. At this point, I called the doctors office and just asked for a copy of my whole file.

When I receive my medical file from the cardiologist, I'm not surprised to see there is no record of him prescribing Crestor, although I have the bottle with his name on it. It's NOT a good practice by any doctor to not record what he has prescribed to a patient.

The rest is ok until we get to the bottom and he says

"The patient has been AFRAID to try statins."

I grasped the paper so hard it began to shake. Growled at my husband. THIS is the kind of experiences I've been having with doctors for three years. What I told this doctor was that I have tried two statins, Pravochol and Zetia, and that because of the side effects I didn't wish to take them, especially at this time with all the other pain I'm having. I'm NOT afraid of them. It blows my mind away that this is what he heard? Do I have a big L on my forehead and doctors forget me as soon as I walk out the door and make up "stuff" based on the little detail they remember?

Needless to say, I'm looking for another cardiologist. However, I wanted whoever wishes to follow my story of medical disbelieve, to see yet another doctor who didn't know the truth nor the facts of the matter.

What is wrong with this world?