Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Sick and Tired of Kaiser Permanente!

The reason I haven't been blogging (GRRR I keep wanting to write bloggering) is because I haven't been feeling so well.

It all started two weeks ago when Dad started feeling crummy. Eventually he went to the dr who diagnosed him with Bronchitis--an inflammation of the lungs---gave him antibiotics and sent him on his way. Meanwhile, who starts hacking up a lung? ME. Of course because my immune system doesn't play well with others I almost always catch whatever is going around. On Thursday last week I start coughing and doing what dad had been doing a few days prior. I HATE going to my primary care doctor for anything because I just hate Kaiser which is an HMO that I have my insurance through. I decided I was just going to let it run its course, which never works, and tough it out. Monday morning I wake up with yellow junk oozing out of my eye and since the very same thing happened to Dad I decided that I should go to the doctor. This was a mistake.

I called and got an appointment, not with my regular dr but with some other chick. Needless to say I left that appointment VERY angry. The dr told me I have allergies. I KNOW I don't have allergies. I have siblings who have awful allergies and THIS. ISN'T. THAT. But would she listen to me? NO! So I left with prescriptions for nasal sprays. I was thinking to myself, I'll be back next week! But I think I'll just die instead of going back there. Not really but I was very frustrated by her attitude and the fact that she didn't even listen to my very valid concerns. Do I look stupid? Do I look uninformed? GRRR. So now I feel worse, my cough is worse and ITS. NOT. ALLERGIES. DOUBLE GRR.

THEN, I have been trying to get my procrit injection from them for a few weeks but keep running into road blocks. I wrote about it here. Finally, I had the lab work done and I had contacted my dr about coming into the office for the injection. I received a call back from the nurse who told me that I needed to have blood work drawn again because I hadn't had it done since the 14th of March. I told her there really wasn't any point since I hadn't had the shot. Is it going to go up? NOPE! So she agreed and she hung up only to call back later and tell me that I had to get the labs because it could change in 10 days. I am seriously pissed at this point. I am so mad at Kaiser and all their rules and their uncaring attitude.

8 comments:

GB, RN said...

KP sucks big crusty donkey butts!!

Hope you get to feeling better, friend.

RCH said...

It does. And bloggering sounds like a British swear word. :-D

R Matthew Ware said...

Use bloggering. It's good. It'll make you quirky :)

You should have told that doctor that you've probably been in doctor's offices more often that she has. And I know you don't like to make a stink, but you do have the right to ask for a second opinion while you're there. You just say that you are concerned because you have a lot of serious health concerns and you would like one of the other doctors to take a look at you. You have a right to that.

And I've heard nothing good about Kaiser Permanente. United Health Care is getting bad too. They've decided that they get the say on what care a patient gets, not the doctor. So, some loser in some building in a city you don't live in determines the care you get, not your doctor who might actually know a thing about your history. We need major insurance reform in this country. (And universal healthcare ain't the answer).

GB, RN said...

Someone left a comment that said I give good blog.

I'm not sure how to respond to that...

monavladko said...

Until I read that you live on the other side of the country from me, I was sure that I saw this doctor at Kaiser Permanente! I went there with a horrible migraine and asked for a neurology referral and she tried to give me a psychology referral. Plus, when you tell KP that you are allergic to certain medications (like NSAIDs), they act like you are lying and trying to do something shady. I REALLY HATE this insurance!!!

K2 said...

Monavladko,
Totally, I am not technically allergic to a lot of things but I say I am allergic because if I take them it will hurt my transplanted kidney. When I first got Kaiser and I told them that I was "allergic" they acted like I didn't know what I was talking about. I really dislike their philosophies. Hate it.

Saphyr said...

I just returned from my Kaiser appointment today, and googled: "HATE KAISER". I'm so glad I found your post! My primary care physician actually called my home this morning to ask if I really needed to come in since I just had an OB.GYN appointment a week ago. One appt had nothing to do with the other. During the appt, I felt as though I was the doctor, asking for bloodwork and making [rescription suggestions. She was clueless. at the Pharmacy, I found out that the prescription medication I was on before I had to move to Kaiser, was only available to Medicare patients... not the 31 year old patient standing before them! If I wanted to get the meds, I would have to pay about $150/month out of pocket! Healthcare in America... aren't we all so lucky!

Jupirena Stein said...

Please educate yourselves about Kaiser Permanente (KP)
Kaiser Permanente is NOT health insurance! They are not a HMO! KP is a for profit human subject Integrated Delivery System. They
Use/sell ALL their members body parts/illnesses to ANY medical businesses registered in their data base for medical teaching, medical research and medical experiments.
If no one is interested in your illness you will be left untreated and or left to die.
KP will not spend money nor time with those sick members they can not sell.


Jupirena Stein. Kaiser Permanente’s medical crimes survivor/whistleblower/t.i.
Kaisertotal.healthcareless.org