Last night I got notice from my Weather.com app that there is a winter storm warning posted for our area beginning tonight and running through Tuesday late. Thirty mile per hour winds accompanied by up to 3" of snow means treacherous travel. So, I had to reschedule my appointment with the Doctor in Pueblo to review the results of my bone scan/x-ray. Another week of waiting since he won't talk via phone. I think something needs to be done about this process; it's certainly not patient friendly.
I made another call to my primary providers here asking for a meeting with them to discuss my condition and medical case. I'm wanting some help and coordination from them to make sure I am getting good and appropriate medical referrals and care. I need another intelligent and sympathetic brain or two to help me work my way through all of the information and choices before me. I once again got the assistant's voice mail.
It is beginning to appear that the patient is isolated from doctors by a screen of administrative assistants, processes and voice mails. Why is this?
I've been supplied with more information about PC, diet, types of treatments, resources, help lines and other information by my daughter than I have by the three physicians and their assistants I have so far seen.
My next step is to work with the PCRI and local support groups for more information and resources.
This afternoon, 17:30 hrs.
After leaving three detailed messages since Thursday afternoon, I got a call from the physician's assistant. She evidently had not listened to them, or was not given their content because she asked questions and made assumptions to me that she would not have had she done background work before she called, i.e., not understanding that I had found my own endocrinologists and made my own referral appointment, saving myself about two months. She showed no real concern for me and my health issues, although she has been directly involved in them from their discovery and through some of the testing and referral processes.
I asked for a meeting with her and the doctor whose supervision she works under but she did not "see the point" in me talking with both of them. I asked her to set up a meeting or appointment with the Doctor then. She agreed and said she would call with that information.
I also did some elementary research on the Urologist who initially did the biopsy and diagnosis. I found that he is a graduate of a "uniform services" institution, which has less than satisfactory national ratings, has been in practice less than ten years and, from what I can tell, works out of at least four offices. He refused to discuss the results of my bone scan, done last Thursday at his request - results available to him on Friday - even to the small degree of "good" or "not-good", insisting that I make an appointment to see him personally and drive an hour into town.
I know from a form sent to me by an Radiologist office that a patient may elect to have detailed discussions via the phone, or even have a doctor leave detailed messages on the patient's answering system. There was no hint or discussion of this with the urologist.
I have decided to fire him, and find another who has more experience, a better doctor-patient attitude and shows some medical empathy. I discussed this with my local physician's assistant (see above). I also told her I was willing to travel within the state to get a good one. I do not know if she will research this and offer help or resources for this or not.
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