Hello everyone,
Kelly is in a dilema and has asked me to post a summary of her story because she's looking for some advice for her situation. I know that everyone here knows our Kelly and knows her heart and personality. She is the least spiteful person I know, on the contrary, she's the most giving and loving person I know, despite her own health situation.
Lately she's been treated very poorly by the office manager of her pain doctor's practice.
I hope it's ok, but here is an excerpt from her live journal that explains some of the story...
Monday, I called my new (nicer) pharmacy to refill 3 of my prescriptons. One was my Fentanyl patch. When I got to that one, they told me that because it was a class "C" narcotic, I had to have a paper prescription. That wasn't a big deal, so I called my doc's office and spoke to the "stupidest girl on earth" ie, the receptionist. She proceeded to tell me that I couldn't have a refill because they only gave refills when you come in for an appointment. So I told her that because my next appointment was 12/27 (the absolute SOONEST) I couldn't wait for a refill, that I was on my last patch. She handed the phone to the office manager because apparently that was way too much info for her to process. Finally told my tale and she told me she'd have the written rx ready the next day.
I was sick yesturday...horrible day. My body hurt, I was so nauseas and my whole body felt like that restless leg syndrom thingy. It was torture. I hated it. I was walking around in CiCi's garden crying and praying to God to stop that feeling in my body, it was horrible. I couldn't even sit down to pee I was so uncomfortable. I realized I had forgotten to put on my patch in TWO days...I think my body was going through withdrawl! I took my pain meds, anti-barf pills and put a new patch on. I felt better about an hour later.
I got myself to work today. Felt like I was going to vomit the entire car ride there, but felt better once there. People were bitchy as hell...grumpy too. Patients were very nice though. At 3:00 my supervisor took me downstairs and gave me a verbal warning about being out sick 3 times in 3 months. I'm used to this speech at this point. I told her I was sorry and that I'll try even harder to get myself to work, that if I could, I would never call in sick. Luckily she understands, but has to do her job. Before I left to go home, she walked me out. She talked to Lynn (department manager) and told me that once I've been there a year, I'm elgible for FMLA, where I can use that for sick time and doc appointments and it wont effect my job. That was nice she went that extra mile for me, shows she actually believes I'm sick.
On the way home, I dropped off the cookies I made for my pain doc and his office and picked up the rx. I could tell they weren't seeing patients, the lobby had 3 people in it, talking about some legal case. I went to my regular pharmacy with my script. Here's where hell decided to break loose for me:
1. Stupid office manager wrote the rx for Fentanyl 5, not Fentanyl 50. There is no such thing as 5, the doses are 25, 50, 75, 100...not 5!!!
2. My pharmacy didn't order it, so they don't have it in stock!! HELLO!!! I called Monday for it, didn't they THINK of ordering it then?? God forbid we use our brains...
Lucky for me, she'll order it, but it takes 2 days to get there. Nice. She told me to try other pharmacies, but warned that they may not take the incorrect rx.
Called all the pharmacies in Newbury Park. Of course, the only one that had it included an [CENSORED] for a pharmacist. "Who prescribed it? A doctor?" No, I did!! WTF?? I could TELL he instantly thought I was some drug seeker!! Gosh, I cannot tell you how much I HATE that. I went there and was told it'd take an hour!!! Guys, this is a BOX! No counting, just slap a label on there and charge me my co-pay. I told her that if I was going to wait, I wanted to make sure the RX was OK for him to fill. He looked at it and said he'd have to call the doc's office and get a new one. (CANT have a new one, has to be a paper original, remember!?!?) I tried calling the doc's office to see if I could go back there again and get it fixed. (Time was 3:45) Guess who put the phones on voicemail 2 hours early??
I went back to my nice pharmacy, told them to fill it when they got the patches in and to call me when they had it ready. As I was putting my seatbelt on and finally had my breakdown, the pharmacist calls me and tells me she can't fill it because of the error!!! Even though I get it every month...I think she could tell I was crying, so she offered to call the office in the AM and explain it to them, and to have a new one ready for me, that I'd give them the incorrect one tomorrow.
Well, the annoyance ended up continuing from here with this office manager telling her that she's taking too much medicine and that she's not due for a refill. Basically she keeps getting the run around and attitude from this office manager who preceeded to tell Kelly that she (Kelly) has been rude the them (WTF????) and that they may have to divorce themselves of her as a patient.
I can't believe that someone would say that. Anyone else in Kelly's position wouldn't have had half as much tact and politeness as our Kelly, yet this woman feels the need to treat her this way. I just don't get it. I worked for a vet hospital that treated their patients better! Sure, we had rude customers, but we ALWAYS bent over backwards to remedy any situation and make the customer happy, even if they were in the wrong. The thing is, Kelly is not in the wrong here, and she's been very kind during this whole ordeal. She NEEDS this pain medicine just to keep her pain under control and to stay out of the hospital. I don't understand why it's so hard for someone to work in the medical profession and deny a patient the very thing they need just to get by for one day!
Her pharmacist has also commented to Kelly that he's worked with this woman before and she indeed is not nice. However, he will not get involved with anything, such as writing an anonymous letter about her, because he deals with her too often.
Is there anything Kelly can do about her treatment by this horrible women? Is there a BBB for medical professions?
She likes the doctor, and he's necessary for her to keep her pain under control, but it seems like this woman is weaving a web of lies about Kelly and even threatening of dropping her as a patient.
Any advice would be most welcome!
**hugs**
Bookmarks