Dr. Evil? Is that a Drug Rep in your pocket?

Let's try THIS with your brain chemistry! 

Now, I have a couple of medical problems. Serious, incurable, but not contagious or life-threatening. Mostly just incredibly annoying. I see a slew of doctors, nurses, lab technicians, on a regular basis. Usually, the front desk person won't even lift their heads when I come in, they just point at door to the inner medical office sanctum.

After two years of this, I'm pretty blase. I go in, we chat, I pull out my detailed diary of medications taken, side effects and other symptoms, etc. (I'm down with OCD, yeah, you know me!) I go down the hall to the vampire's den and have a few vials of blood drained from my arm. 30 seconds after leaving the office, I've dismissed the whole experience from my mind.

I recently took on a new doctor, a specialist. So in demand is this medical specialty that I couldn't find a single practioner in my town who accepted new patients, they were so booked. So I find Dr. N, a full hour's drive away, and set up an appointment.

When I arrived, the front desk had no record of my appointment. I must have registered the ("urge to kill, rising...rising") feeling on my face, because they quickly offered to squeeze me in. I met Dr. N and was immediately put off. Forget the thick accent, it was his attitude: hurry up and let's get this over with. What the...? That's MY role, not yours!

Then, without reviewing my extensive medical records, Dr. N decides to add a medication to my already vexing cocktail of drugs. Writes a prescription and sends me packing. I'm thinking: it's not like I have a bad cold, I can't just take something without a serious cost/benefit analysis.

Once home, I talk with Superfly boyfriend about it, and he very sensibly recommended I get a second opinion. Unfortunately, that just isn't feasible. So, the next best thing is obviously internet research. A few hours later, I was satisfied with the choice of drug and dosage, and confident it wouldn't jack up the other ones. I made a follow-up appointment to review my Medical Diary.

Today was that day. Once again, there was no record of the appointment I stood in front of the clerks and made, two weeks prior. Once again Dr. N is irritated and distracted. He's disinterested in hearing how the drug he prescribed is going. He wants me to take yet another drug! When I protest, he insists in a way that lets me know he thinks I'm a throbbing moron. Needless to say, I'm pissed!

This time, when I research the drug in question, I find that it's on the verge of being recalled by the FDA because it caused a statistically significant number of deaths. DEATH! Further internet snooping finds that the drug company is redoubling its efforts to convince more physicians to prescribe this medicine.

Obviously, there's no way in Hell I'm ever filling that prescription. That, and I'm in search of a new doctor, no matter how frigging far I have to drive to see them.

Dear readers, do you feel I'm being paranoid, or right on? What would you do? Believe me, I value your input.