Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, You Can Fire A Doctor Or Other Medical Specialist

Dear Lit Loves,

Oh wow, am I reading the best memoir presently about an ordinary woman who was going about her day.  She had the flu, was in the midst of a divorce, and rushing around trying to make a brunch date with a friend in New York when she crossed the street and had a McDaddy coughing spell that caused a tear in her dura mater (membrane surrounding brain and spine).  Guess what?  She then starts having excruciating headaches to the point that she is unable to sit up straight for five minutes at a time.  What was the cause of all this?  She had a tear in her dura mater in the spinal region and her cerebrospinal fluid was leaking into her body.  Upon having this medical matter investigated, she was given tests, seen by a neuro-opthalmologist and referred to an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon.  The ENT surgeon was only trained and skilled in treating cerebrospinal fluid leaks that occur in the nasal and head area. Spontaneous cerebrospinal leaks can happen not just in the face and skull, but also in the spine.  When the ENT surgeon entered the examination room and found this woman lying down, he told her to "Get up."  Then he proceeded to belittle her symptoms, tried to get her to lean forward to obtain any cerebrospinal fluid leakage from the nasal area, and thought she must be making up this medical issue because he could see no signs of the type of spinal fluid tear he treats.  He did not admit that there are other locations where a tear in the dura mater can occur and that a tear in the spinal region of the body would cause a patient to exhibit the symptoms this nice woman was trying desperately to explain to him.  In fact, he did not even treat her respectfully until her husband, who is an attending physician at the same hospital, entered the exam room and started debating him about his wife's medical symptoms. 

Oh law, I know how this feels.  And let me tell you that just because someone has an M.D. beside their name and a business card with a medical specialty written on it, does not mean they graduated best in their class nor does it mean he/she is a doctor with a professional bedside manner.  Trust me, I have come across plenty of chauvanistic, arcane, and highly suspect medical specialists.  I sometimes think they make a beeline straight for me. 

For example, all of a sudden my migraine neurology office coordinator calls to inform me that the neurologist I had been seeing for my tension migraines no longer works at the facility.  No explanation whatsoever.  Then I find that I have been reassigned to another neurologist in the same practice.  The red flags are already waving for me medically and personally.  I figure I will give the new neurologist a try while I attempt to discover why my previous, well-qualified and highly professional neurologist is no longer at the facility.  So I go see the new neurologist who happens to be Chief of Migraine and Pain Management.  I wait fifty minutes and the man enters the exam room, does not introduce himself, sits down at a computer, and proceeds to stare at the computer and ask me about my medical history.  He then says, "I don't really treat migraines."  

Hold up, buddy.  I am now just down right flabbergasted.  "Wait," I say rather calmly I might add, "you are the chief of migraine and pain management and you don't treat migraines?"
"No," he returns,"I rarely deal with migraine patients."
"Well," I reply, "if YOU don't then please tell me who does so I can stop wasting my time here."
"Oh," he replies, "I've seen enough cases and talked with enough migraine specialists that I can probably help you."  So he changes the dosage of one of my two migraine medications, finally turns around to address me face to face, compliments my dress, and then leaves. There was no physical exam performed whatsoever.  I know what you are thinking because it most likely is exactly what I was thinking right then:  What the hell?!!

So I give this neurologist one more chance.  At the next year's annual appointment I wait for an hour and twenty minutes.  Nurses and technicians keep coming to my exam room saying the neurologist is having difficulty with the patient ahead of me.  Finally, the neurologist's resident strides into the exam room, asks how I am doing, sends refills of my migraine prescriptions to my preferred pharmacy, never does any kind of physical exam, and then walks with me down to the copy machine room to retrieve my visit summary notes.  Guess who is sitting in the copy machine office with his feet up on a desk and hands behind his head?  The neurologist that was supposed to be examining me and performing my annual migraine exam.  The resident informs him that she has taken care of my appointment today.  He does not acknowledge her nor does he see that I, his former patient, am standing right there behind him.

So I called the facility's patient advocacy department, inform them of this doctor's extreme negligence, and complete a complaint summary which I then email to the patient advocacy coordinator.  I also detail that I am firing this neurologist and give a list of reasons why.  Luckily, my previous neurologist who DOES treat migraines has now opened her own practice.  I obtain a referral to her and am once again in great hands when it comes to my migraine management and treatment.  But heaven help the suckers who continue to see the neurologist that I wrote a complaint about because hi is still practicing at the same facility.  And to my knowledge, migraine patients continue to be referred to him to this very day.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not accept substandard care from anyone in medicine.  If they belittle you, disrespect you, give you a reason to doubt them, or act like they are God's gift to the universe, my advice is to GET THEE TO ANOTHER MEDICAL SPECIALIST QUICKLY.  And do not be afraid to report any kind of mistreatment or negligent care on the part of any doctor or medical specialist when it comes to your medical care or the medical care of a family member, friend, or acquaintance.  Your life and someone else's most likely depends on you being the best medical advocate possible. My advice:  ADVOCATE LOUDLY AND OFTEN!!

Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find Out What It Means To Me

Dear Lit Loves,

I just wanted to give my heartfelt admiration here online to the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.  I was just informed she has died at the tender age of seventy-six.  She was the first woman inducted into the Rock n'Roll Hall of Fame.  She stood up for civil rights and feminists with her song, RESPECT.  I remember singing it as a little girl with my best friend;  we were inspired and fired up.  And frankly, I think respect is what most of us are looking for these days when it is so hard to come by with all the vitriol and hatred in the world today.  I hope I do as much as I can to spread Aretha Franklin's message.  And I urge literary agents to also give new writers a chance to earn a little RESPECT by signing a little-known writer who could perhaps continue to carry on a legacy of teaching RESPECT in a world gone wild.  Rest in peace, Aretha Franklin.  I will always remember you and your inspiration.

Best,
Grace
(Amy)

Dear SIBA, To Boost Profit Get Behind A Debut Southern Author With A Damn Good Yarn

Dear Lit Loves,

   Oh Lord, my literary loves, the end may be nigh!  I read today on the Publishers Weekly Web site that SIBA's or The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance's executive director wants to boost profit margins for independent southern bookstores by investing in a non-book product that will sell often and well.  And the examples of potential non-book products listed included notebooks, coffee mugs, and chocolates. Say Whhaaattt?!!

After picking my jaw up off the floor, getting a tension migraine from the sheer ridiculousness of this idea, and additionally becoming steaming mad, I decided to write this blog post.  Now, I AM NOT a marketing specialist and I do take pride in saying that I did not major in marketing, but let me just say it does not take a rocket scientist to determine that what is needed here is not a non-book product; what is needed here is an entity that gets behind and supports a fledgling, struggling, southern writer with a good yarn to spin who needs a literary agent and a book deal.  Seriously folks, new blood is needed within the ranks of southern writers.  AND HELLO!  I HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THOSE FLEDGLING, STRUGGLING SOUTHERN WRITERS who gives a damn about writing a book that is informative, entertaining, and is geared toward a female audience because let us all acknowledge this one truthful, research-backed statement:  the vast majority of individuals who buy the most books are WOMEN LIKE MYSELF. 

Once again, I am an education major and not a marketing specialist (Hallelujahs are presently emanating from my tech guru husband who equates most marketing folks with scum) .  I am not a social media brand or expert and I am DAMN proud of it.  Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. do not appeal to me.  I think those mediums are a way of spreading useless, pompous, and self-aggrandizing information.  I am a Generation Xer.  We do not flinch when our cell phones suddenly freeze and stop working.  No baby, I rejoice when my phone is off because frankly, texting and emailing are no way to attain or sustain any remote quality of interpersonal behavior or skills.  I mean when my cousin recently informed me that he sleeps with his phone, I was overcome with horror and chills.  The first thought that came to my mind was, "Have you lost your friggin' mind, dude?!  Get WOKE and get a life outside your cell phone." Generation Xers like myself, we can handle the truth and we know how to live well and happily without cell phones or any form of social media.  I get tickled pink and start singing Bon Jovi songs when I remember how much I enjoyed and embraced life before the era of social media!  Long Live The Anti-Social Media Revolutionaries!!

Now SIBA executive director, Wanda Jewell:  Here is a well-known fact especially among my peers.  Me and my well-read female peers, sisters, and goddesses are annoyed as hell when we walk into a Barnes and Noble and see all these non-book products like toys, hand soaps, quilts, puzzles, board games, etc. etc.   We go to a bookseller for, wait for it, BOOKS by our favorite authors and some new authors we have yet to discover.  So my opinion is this:  why not give a helping hand to a struggling SOUTHERN writer who truly wants to be published and has a strong book proposal and completed manuscript that both booksellers, publishers, and the struggling SOUTHERN writer can get behind and potentially witness copies fly out of SIBA doors?!!   Wow!  There's a winning idea!

Best,
Grace
(Amy)