It's been almost 9 months since a dr has tried to kill me
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This is not medical advice. Update finally my dr office agreed to abide by thier own policy and refilled my rx while I wait for the appointment. It took my husband calling in. Twice. drs still do not listen to women. This is not the first time in order to be taken seriously I needed a man to speak on my behalf. I was experiencing hypertensive headhaches and pulastive vision and hearing. I was in very bad shape. It had already been a couple of days since I ran out. My BP and heart rate would have sent most people to the ER. Hell ,my umbers while medicated on worse than usual days would send folks to the ER. That's pretty typical for POTS with ortho hypertension.
The title may feel sensational, but it's unfortunately true. For context when I say a doctor is trying to kill me I mean it literally as in I will likely suffer severe injuries/illness, even death if not treated.
Usually they just ignore infections until forced to do blood tests and cultures. Even then I often order pet antibiotics (same meds NDC as human) and treat myself. I have lost count how many times doctors ignored obvious infections and I was proved right every time. That number is somewhere between 5 and 10. And yes I have a shit immune system but no treatments for any of my main conditions like mitochondrial dysfunction, autoimmunity , and a bunch of other shit. this is the standard of care for millions of women in my cluster of illnesses. As in no standard of care because we don't get any.
Doctors do no care about female patients. Most anyway. Here's another example of my doctors office denying me care, but they do not deny my husband care. Same office.
Before you say "get another doctor' there are 0 specialists who treat my primary condition , in adults in the entire state. I am too ill to travel. I am 95% home and bedbound. John's Hopkins is a few miles away. I do not have rare diseases. Quite common actually. Hell even POTS cardiologists say I am too complex to treat (POTS is a secondary condition I have)
What is the issue this time? Refills. I was not notified until after I ran out (I called the doctor days in advance of running out) of a refill for my blood pressure /heart medication that I need an appointment fist. This office in genreal prescribes all meds for 3 months then you request refill. I shouldn't need an appointment .It's been less than a year since I went in person (which is very difficult for me to do)and this is a medication I have been on for a while. This is not a new rx follow up.
I have POTS and ortho hypertension and a bunch of other stuff. I also need a high sodium diet like 8-10 grams a day. Decreasing my sodium intake will increase my HR and BP. i know it's the opposite for most people (well the whole sodium /BP thing is more complex than most think)
The soonest appointment they could get me in was 12 days after I ran out of medication . They won't refill it until I have the appointment. There is no law forcing this, in fact the law is supposed to protect patients from this. It's not a controlled substance.
Funny when this happens to my husband first they tell him in advance he needs an appointment , second if there is a gap, even for controlled substances they fill it for him in the mean time.
It is dangerous to "cold turkey" heart meds (and most meds) but I am being forced to. this is gonna be...fun. i wonder how many times a day I will pass out? I am serious about that. Before these meds I was entering syncope/near syncope every time I stand or sit up. No I wasn't standing up "too fast" it's the condition. I actually have more than one condition that causes low blood flow to the brain. It's all in my head.
But I'm just a disabled woman. My life doesn't matter. This is the standard of "care" This is not an anomaly. I have countless stories of goin to the same practice as my husband or FIL only to be treated like an absolute POS while he is not. I am very polite and personable. Even if I wasn't they are supposed to treat patients. Except if those patients are women with disabling chronic illnesses. My FIL is by definition a moderately difficult patent (doesn't follow instructions can be cranky etc) yet he is never treated like this, blamed for side effects or even scolded for non compliance. Must be nice .
So yeah, thats where I'm at. Let's all pray I don't have a stroke or heart attack. I am serious about that. It's a huge risk when stopping heart meds like this abruptly. As a woman if it's a heart attack it's less likely to be diagnosed, too. Studies prove sytemic medical misogyny. Women simply aren't taken as seriously as men and symptoms can present differently. Funny men ,who are the minority population wise, are not held up to the symptom presentation of women. But women are held to the symptom presentation of men, usually to dismiss them.
Look up gout in men vs women for a less life threatening example of symptom differences between the sexes..
Fun times.
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Sorry to hear about the bad medical treatment you are encountering. Sending hopes and prayers that you do well in this current situation and in the future as well!
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It is ridiculous how women are treated. Prayers for you. 🙏
It's unfortunate that these kinds of situations happen...