Posted by Christina (216.192.96.29) on August 04, 1999 at 09:26:11:
Hi All,
Thank goodness after a 5 week bout of anywhere from 5-12 clusters a day, they are finally tapering off. I actually had 3 cluster-free days in a row, over the weekend, but Monday they returned only by hitting once a day now and a migraine pain here and there.
BUT, Last Friday, I left with my Dr's physician assistant, that I felt terrible that no other doctor seemed to be able to help me with my clusters, with my drug interaction (see message from 7/24, CH can hit entire head), what type of headache I was having throughout my entire head, down my arm, sometimes in my neck and down my upper back, and we left it as my dr was coming back from a month long vacation (or whatever, she was unreachable) on Monday and that she may not be able to call me Monday but that she would talk to her and try to have her call me or she would talk to her and call me back herself, blah blah blah. Well it's Wednesday and guess what, no phone call Monday or yesterday from either of them.
She said she may be too busy to call me on Monday, but come on... what is she calling her publicist. I can't believe. After I left a voice mail for the NP, she called me back and left a message apologizing for me feeling abandoned and those were HER WORDS. If she thinks I felt abandoned last week, can you imagine how I feel now.
I do not get it. First I'm in the emergency room and the doctors aren't sure if I had a seizure or not and they call the Diamond Clinic at about 10:00am only to get this horrible doctor who in my opinion has no business being a headache doctor or maybe any type, who seems to be the only one ever on call, who tells them to give me a shot of Nubain and send me home. It turned out I was having a serious drug interaction to two drugs that the clinic put me on, Wellbutrin (a antidepressant) and Phernergan (an anti-nauseant). Why didn't he stop to figure this out. Whenever ever I have been in the hospital in Chicago, anyone I talk to who has him can't stand him, but the clinic won't allow you to change doctors. And I've sat it on his discussion called Doctor's bag, and he is the most arrogant sons' of a b (sorry) then I have ever met. And he treats everyone like their headaches are in their head and you need a phsychiatrist. It's really awful.
Throughout the entire month of July, we always ended up talking to him and he always said, "There's nothing else". And we weren't asking for pain meds, one time my husband called because I had only 4 hours sleep in a 3 day peroid, and we tried ativan which I have never been given before, and doesn't do anything, and nothing was helping the pain enough so I could fall asleep (not even Stadol) and once again he said that there was nothing else. Well luckily my husband told him that was unacceptable and that I needed some kind of help so finally it was as if he gave in and said ok, she can take 2 ativans. Of course, my husband made sure it was o.k. with my weight and height. And unfortunately, that didn't help either, but that was 2 weeks ago.
I'm just so fustrated because my dr. and her NP, still think I am just as bad. I was going to call and be fair to tell them hey I'm better, but you know how these headaches are, you may think they are gone, and they may really not be, so I didn't want to jump the gun. Plus, I couldn't come out for my visit, so I'm due for an appointment, if so over the phone. I deserve an explaination as to why did my health care stop just because my doctor was away, what exactly happened to me with that drug interaction, a neurologist out here called it Occular "something?" Crisis, then they called it Dystonia, and he agreed 3 days later. Dystonia apparently is an incurable disease associated with Parkinson's disease and that's how they left it with me (well I found out on my own what Dystonia was) they gave no explaination whatsoever. And should I keep my combo of meds the same, they changed it while she was gone. I can go on and on (like I haven't already).
I am so sick of doctors, I really am. The Diamond Clinic isn't the worst but in my opinion, it is by far the best as they claim to be. and the hospital unit, please. I can't tell you how many times in my 3 visits, the mistakes that were made and the ignorance of some of the nursing staff. Some are wonderful and others do not have a clue. Dr. Seymour's NP is now working in the hospital to oversea things, that's how bad it is. So they realize they need improvements and they are working on it, but in the meantime I'm thoroughly disgusted.
Soooo, Amanda, I am going to take your advice and call your Dr. at Montifiore. I have heard wonderful things about the clinic and they are not to far from my home. I just hope that my case isn't too complicated for him. I get that a lot. Dr. Seymour used to call me a "special case" to the doctors who were studying under to him. I promise I'm not this hard on all doctors, just the ones who blow their patiets off.
Thanks, I'll let you know how it works out. I hope all is well, I read your 1 and 2's hurt just before I wrote this and my heart broke for you, I hope you are finding comfort.
Take care to all, Christina
Thanks for letting me vent. It stinks to be sick, and on top of it you have to worry whether your doctors or the clinic their at is going to take good care of you.