Friday, August 21, 2009

Dr. Crazy Woman

Choosing a doctor from a list of physicians my health insurance company provided was like trying to find a light switch in the dark. I decided to the narrow the search options down to my zip code. Finally, the list was a bit easier to manage. I browsed the list for a female doctor and came across a Dr. Tracey Woman. I called her office and made the appointment.

Flash forward to the day of the appointment.
I'm settled into a room and go over the routine of identifying to the nurse the reason for my visit. She briefly goes over a few medical questions just as Dr. Tracy Woman enters the room. She was nice and friendly. I had high expectations of this new doc and the introductions had gone quite well.

The first 7 minutes of the visit was taken up by the discussion of my teenage diagnosis of the prolactinoma. I talked while she typed away at her mini laptop, charting everything on file. For the remaining 18 minutes of the visit she discussed socialized health care. She ranted on and on, non-stop, about the dangers of socialized medicine, how America was on it's way to becoming the next country with medical system crisis. I was so disappointed. Was the country not already in a medical system crisis? I was not paying a $40 copay to sit and hear someone rant their opinions about America's sucky medical system. I honestly do not want to hear about Dr. Crazy Woman's salary of only $100,000 from the previous year and her inability to live the posh lifestyle provided by her posh physician's salary. The appointment turned into a grand example of just how terrible our medical system has become. Here I was, sitting in a physician's office as a first time patient, as she complained about the downfalls of the medical professional. I nodded and smiled as best as possible. My visit to the Dentist play out much better than this. Soon enough it was over. She sent me for lab work and referred me to the endocrinologist.

... And that, ladies and gents, was my first and last visit with Dr. Crazy Woman.
Never again.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

New Blog Paint

The blog just received a much needed makeover. I'm still experimenting with the new look. I may end up changing it again soon. Haven't really made up my mind about this one... yet.
Too girly?

It has been 9 months since I began nursing school. Already? Yep. It definitely does not feel like 9 months have passed. All I remember is long lectures and the never ending drives to L.A. This is another reason why I should make time to post here more often. Soon enough I'll be in my last term of nursing school and wondering about how the time flew by so quickly.
Nursing school has been going pretty great. I'm averaging a 3.0 GPA each term and have gotten into the routine of being a student again. I like the smaller class size and the ability to interact with the instructors on an one-to-one basis. This is a huge change from being a student at a traditional 4 year university. Flashes of being lost in a large lecture hall with the other 150+ students still cross my mind. I'm over the hype that comes along with studying at a big campus. Not to say that I'm bashing my former education. Those 4 years have made a very big impact on my character and personal drive. But being lost in the big university lifestyle as a fresh-faced 18 year old was not the easiest transition considering I was raised in a small town. But it was still an experience I'm glad to have undergone. It's an experience I paid $20k a year to experience. So I better have learned my lesson at that price. Whom ever thinks that life's lessons come free of charge should take a better look at their bank account.
I can say that if my choice of career and major had worked out better, much like I had it planned in my head as a 21 year old, I'm sure that I would not be pursuing a degree in Nursing.
I'm happy where I am now, I'm happy to have made this decision, I'm happy to have finally found my niche.

Because I just need to post.

I was 17 when I was diagnosed with a prolactinoma. I couldn't even spell that "P" back word back then, but thanks to being more mature in age, and the internet, I am quite up to date on what prolactinomas are. Long story short, I've been searching for affordable health care for the past 11 months. Well, 11 months is a bit exagerated because I wasn't actively filling out insurance enrollment forms during that whole period. The searching is now over and I am officially insured. I've scheduled my appointment with the primary doctor. I'm dreding the visit because I already know the outcome, I just need it verifed by a M.D. because I'm just a lil' nursing student. My body has been giving me every warning sign for the past year that the little prolactinoma of mine is back in full swing. I'm ready for the treatment, but it's a bit depressing to think about popping a pill every morning for the next few years... if not longer. It seems like one more thing slowing me down.

Lately, I've been very impatient and agitated. I want to graduate, hold my degree in my hands, and move onto a career. I want to move on with life on a personal level. I want to love that idiot of a Boy that has superglued himself to my heart, I want babies, a house. I want to be the PTA Mom who drives the hybrid Escalade with her adorable kids and is envied by all. "Yes Bitches, I earned this shit."