Watch out. I’m about to vent.

I’m sure everyone has to deal with medical crap, doctors, the doctor’s office staff, and insurance companies. It’s nothing new that it’s frustrating, but how often have I complained about this particular subject? Never. 

I never have because I have pretty good insurance, considering. What’s best about my medical insurance is that I don’t have to pay a dime for my medications, for which I have many. I mean a lot. 

If I had to pay for them out of pocket, we’re talking thousands of dollars every month. Truly. Some of my meds require prior authorizations since they are the most expensive name brands, and I have to wait on those, but still, I’m very lucky that I don’t have to pay for them. 

As for all the other stuff I have to deal with, it’s a pain in the ass. Seeing doctors, getting referrals, and getting authorizations to see specialists. 

Well, right now, something is wrong with my eye. I don’t know what it is yet. I’m still waiting to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist. So this has been the most significant issue, mostly because people aren’t doing their jobs.

I’m an old curmudgeon. People used to do better at their jobs when I was younger. Not anymore.

I saw my GP and told him about my eye. He wanted me to see an ophthalmologist ASAP. He made sure his office worked on an expedited authorization within a couple of hours because he was alarmed about it. 

The insurance approved it right away. All the office had to do was fax the approval information to the specialist’s office, but they didn’t. They said they did, but they did not. By the time I called to find out what was going on, the specialist’s office closed early at 4:00.

I called at 9:00 the next morning, figuring we’d get it done early, and I’d be able to get in there that day. 

Nope.

All day, my doctor’s office kept faxing the wrong information. I called them 16 times to tell them they had to fax some codes that the ophthalmologist’s office needed before they would give me an appointment. Nobody got back to me. No one there understood what to do. No one worked on it until 2:30 despite me calling over and over, being put on hold, etc.

Finally, someone there got the stupid codes and faxed it to the specialist’s office, but then that office closed early again at 3:00 for Covid-19 reasons, or I don’t know.

I still don’t have an appointment. I have to call again at 9:00. WTF?! I don’t even know if the ophthalmologist can see me today. If he can’t, I’m supposed to go to the ER. Whoever heard of an ophthalmologist waiting around in an ER? They’ll wind up giving me some brain scan or something, just because of an eye, which I know will turn out to be nothing that alarming after all. Isn’t that how it always goes?

Some years ago, I was diagnosed with Lupus Vacullitis of the eye at the Doheney Eye Center. They put me on Imuran, an immuno-suppressant, and it was under control after that, but I still have to take the Imuran every day. I bet it’s the LV that is what’s acting up. I had the same symptoms as I do now: horrible pain in the muscles and nerves in the back of my eye. I’ll probably have to get another fluorescein angiogram, which for me, was a traumatic experience. It fucking hurt. But whatever. They gotta do what they gotta do. That is, if a doctor ever sees me!

End of rant.