Feeling very disheartened......

Yesterday my boyfriend found out that his co - workers wife has fibromyalgia and has suffered with it for quite a while. He was very excited to hear this and asked for her phone number to give to me so that I could speak to her about it, apparently she has had much experience with different meds, most of them with bad side effects such as losing hair and she has finally found what combinations of different things have helped her the most, so I am very interested in being able to talk to her.

My boyfriend was also told from his co - worker of a great doctor just a 5 minute drive away from me who has experience with fibromyalgia and gave us his number. After hearing this I was extremely excited as I have been searching for a doctor familiar with fibro for months now, so I had much hope that this doctor could give me a somewhat normal life back again.

But I was wrong........

the co - worker also told us that the lady you deal with to get an appointment can be difficult at times, geez I think that is the understatement of the century!!!!! I rang and asked if I could make an appointment, being a new patient I was put through to the manager which was this lady...... I explained to her that I was referred by a friend and I had heard the doctor was familiar with fibro and had much experience with it. Long story short we argued for 20 minutes, I stayed as polite as I could but I was so distressed by her that by the end of it I was fighting back tears. She wouldnt allow me to make an appointment because she thought it was "unethical" to leave my regular doctor and that I would be "too much of a hard case"...... I feel like crying just typing this out, I had so much hope and she shattered it all and made me feel absolutely helpless....... I explained to her how my regular doctor literally laughed at me when I told her the symptoms and said there was nothing wrong with me, when I got back to my car after that last doctors visit with her I broke down and balled my eyes out that whole way home..... my now new "regular" doctor who I have only seen a handful of times in the past 6 months is a 40 minute drive away which is far too long for me to do so i need to wait for a family member to have a day off work to take me, also he is not very familiar with fibro and I wouldnt doubt at all that I know more about the condition then him, he cant answer any of my questions about it. I explained all this to her in tears and that im desperate to speak to a doctor that may know what is wrong with me. She kept making up excuses as to why I couldnt have an appointment, telling me I had to stay with my regular doctor and telling me how LUCKY i am to have TWO different doctors I can go see (she thinks im LUCKY????? I would love to see how lucky she thinks I am after spending a day in my shoes!!!!! )

Anyway by the end I gave up, the conversation was too distressing and it was mentally exhausting, I got off the phone and broke down. My boyfriend was very upset and furious by her rudeness that he called her straight back and told her how worried he is of me and he just wants to help me, he was angry at her for the fact that her doctor could potentially help me but for some unknown reason she wouldnt let me have an appointment, he couldnt get an answer out of her either, he ended up hanging up on her.

Well thats my vent over, and I feel better lol, last night I couldnt sleep I was that furious and upset, Its hard knowing there is a doctor literally living on the same road as me who could help me and who is accepting new patients at this time but some heartless, snobby women wouldnt allow it because I would be "too much of a hard case"........... absolute bull!!..... I think that is so wrong!!!!!!...... I thought doctors were supposed to help??????.....

I wish that there was another way for you to get an appointment with the doctor? Could the lady going there talk to the doctor and let him know you need an appointment? Without the manager lady being involved? Do you have to give your past medical records?

I am so sorry that you had to go through this. It doesn't sound fair. I don't think it was fair of her to make this decision just because you already have a doctor. Too bad she had to find out that, but who would of thought that she would hold that against you?

I hope that you get some help soon. Keep trying and looking for another doctor. Don't give up, things will get better.

Hugs, Karen

Well, as far as I'm concerned the office manager had no right to screen the call. Her responsibility is to run the office effeciently....not decide who gets to see the doctor!

Pick a day you have plenty of time and go to that office. Don't let on that you ever called. Tell the receptionist that you really need to talk to the doctor. She might say she can set up an appointment for you and that would be great. If she asks why you need to talk to the doctor, tell her you have extreme pain from fibro and you had heard what a wonderful doctor he/she is and you were in the neighborhood so you wanted to talk to them if possible. You would be willing to wait.

If you get an appointment, then let the doctor know what his office manager did. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate that....turning away prospective patients.

Sherrine

No doctor is THAT good that you should put up with such nonsense! I think a letter to the state medical board would be in order, but theres no way I'd see this doctor.

One would have thought Dr have a ethical duty to help those who are ill. I do think the office manager is very rude and out of line. If the doctor has been highly recommended by someone who's had FMS and felt they are good, I personally would do whatever it takes to get in for a consult.

They should either say the doctor is not taking new patients or are still taking in patients. They shouldn't just screen who to see.

Like some many has mentioned, try get in using other "illness", or get there under some urgent situation "tummy ache" is always a good way to get some attention... and nausea and the need to vomit will always get you priority :)

Another way to approach it is, you've just moved to a new area and need a Dr nearby... No matter which part of the world you're in, Medical Practices will always have to give priority to those in the immediate vacinity of their catchment area.

I'm sorry you were treated so rudely by that office manager. I agree that going down to the office personally, not saying you had called earler to try to schedule an appointment. Many rheumys have a long waiting time for new patients...my rheumy has a six month waiting time for new patients. Perhaps asking your primary caregiver if they can give you a referral for that doctor and let them set the appointment for you.

Wishing you the best of luck!

Hugs, Robin

I think it's wrong for the office manager to be deciding you will be too much work for the doctor. I know you must have been pretty excited to get a line on a Dr that not only believes in FM, but comes highly recommended. I would *cough* or have a possible sprain if that's what it took to get my foot in the door. Then after meeting the dr you can make up your own mind if this doctor is worth the grief of dealing with the staff.