Venting · 3:55pm May 14th, 2021
This story begins on Tuesday. I called my doctor's office, called Island Healthcare Associates
The reason for that is that on Saturday evening I had a very sudden onset of very intense vertigo, while laying down, and still felt like I was going to fall over. This was as I was preparing to sleep, and it was really uncomfortable. Sunday Morning, Mother's Day, and the vertigo is mild in the morning, but still there. Now with a headache to go with, though that too is mild. The vertigo goes down to mild, but often elevates to intense and gives me pause when it does. It was still there Monday morning, then again on Tuesday morning. So I finally called Island Healthcare Associates, and got a doctor on the phone and we went over my symptoms and overall feeling.
Doctor said the symptoms were telling, but she needed to see me in person, run some tests, see things for herself. Told me to schedule an appointment and put me with the appropriate department. Appointment was scheduled for yesterday, Thursday, at 1PM, and I get there. I'm in the parking lot, call in to check-in per instructions of the sign in the front door, and they ask me about some symptoms. I answer yes to the following.
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Chills
- Shaking with chills
Symptoms I already went over with the doctor on the phone prior to making the appointment. But they put me on hold for a few minutes, come back and tell me they can't let me into the building and that I should find an Urgent Care and seek help there. Okay, so, there is a CityMD right near me so I got there, only they don't take my insurance. Oh.
Well, I get that they're concerned I have Covid. So I go online, schedule a test, and head over to Rite-Aid. That was at 3:00PM yesterday, the test results did arrive and I'm negative. Thankfully. So I called the doctor's office to schedule a new appointment. The person I had originally spoken to put me on hold, and another person identifying herself as Mary picked up, explaining that they told her to pick up the phone.
She explains to me that I still have "sick" symptoms, and this means they won't schedule me for me an appointment. And I explained that that was a strange policy for a doctor's office, and she went on to say something else but by that then I'm already furious and not listening. I said Bye, hung up my phone, and now I'm just sitting here frustrated, feeling ill, and with no options. She already knew I was Covid Negative too, and acknowledged it before saying that they couldn't schedule an appointment with someone presenting "sick" symptoms.
What the hell?
You're not the only one who's annoyed by all of this. Seriously, Doctor. I don't have Covid-19, and the likelihood of me becoming seriously ill from it if I do catch it is very low, so could you please stop worrying about this and maybe actually get down to diagnosing and treating my illness?
Well that really sucks, and really, COVID has been a curse for everyone all around.
Doctors get paranoid, families are seperated, so many bad things are happening that really shouldn't be.
I hope everything works out for you, and that you are able to solve this problem. Doctors are meant to be able to treat people, and the fact that they don't have a system for people with symptoms says a lot.
I mean, even if you're paranoid about it, at least set up a system for the ones who have symptoms, no? Otherwise, how are people supposed to treat their own illnesses/others?
I wish you good luck, and that you'll be able to visit an actual non BS doctor soon.
Damn that's messed up, and doesn't make sense for a doctor's office.
A doctor's office that won't see sick patients. Even with the paranoid about Covid, that's less about taking so-called precautions and more being cruel.