Times they are a changing.

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This week we had a medical issue. Nothing life threatening but painful and annoying just the same. These things always happen at the most inopportune times. We put in a call to the specialist who treats this area. He is familiar with the details of our case. They always say to call if something wonky happens. This was wonky.

The call was mid-morning. No response all day. Still painful and annoying. Going into overnight didn’t make anything better. Everything got worse (and everyone crankier) so at insane o’clock in the morning we drove to a walk-in center.

It was our second choice. Our first is temporarily closed because they transferred all the docs to another location. (That was damn inconvenient!) I had to check google to figure out how to get there. We walked in and there was only one other person waiting. Usually places like this are very busy and you can spend almost as much time waiting as at the Emergency Room. No waiting at all. We met with a very upbeat manchild (do all docs look so young?) who ran some tests and gave us a script for meds. All is getting better.

Back in the old days, you called your primary care physician, they either prescribed something, ordered a test or had you come in that same day. It’s not like that anymore. If you want instant treatment you need to go to a walk-in clinic to see a doc you’ve never met before and hope for the best. As for the specialist’s office, someone called 30 hours later. It was an admin person from a different office so there wasn’t anything they could do. The return call was just an acknowledgement of the first call. That wasn’t helpful.

We have always used a walk-in for “generic” things like wasp stings (I need a steroid shot) or simple respiratory stuff. I used it when I broke my kneecap. They did the x-rays, gave me an immobilizer and set me up with an ortho appointment for the next day. Obviously, this is the way to go.

Perhaps PC and specialists aren’t for things that are “now” or need immediate attention. They are for issues that can wait a week for an appointment (or maybe longer).

Next time we won’t wait. Everything is on the mend. Drugs are magic. (It’s part of my love-hate relationship with big pharma.)

We learned a few lessons. No one wants to admit they are aging but you need to be practical. When you are not feeling well is not the time to “buy” stuff you should have on hand. We are going to invest in a cane and a walker. You never know when you will need them even if it’s just a temporary issue.

In the meantime, all is well mostly. In another day, we may be back to normal (or our version of it).

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61 thoughts on “Times they are a changing.”

  1. It really is confusing navigating healthcare options right now. Glad you are somewhat on the mend! Good idea getting equipment you are likely to need going forward. You are right – you don’t want to go shopping for these things when you already feel bad!

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  2. Sorry to hear you were down for a bit, but hope you are on the mend. After my mom passed away, I gave all her orthopedic items to a friend’s sister – she has always had orthopedic issues and was scheduled for a hip replacement. I had a lot of pillows for sitting, which I wish I had not been to generous to the St. Vincent de Paul store. My mom had sciatica and me, who sits here at the kitchen table about 9-10 hours a day, could use some of them now.

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  3. “A very upbeat manchild!” HA! Love the description. To me they are all getting younger and younger. We don’t have many walkin clinics here, and the few we do have are only open during the day and early evenings, so for any medical issue you go to ER and wait 6 hours and clog up the ER dept, but pharmacists (I used to be one) as of January can now prescribe for many minor ailments like bladder infections, GI Reflux, shingles etc. Unfortunately, they often want you to book an appointment too, as they are too busy checking Rx’s, giving vaccines etc, but at least it’s an option in smaller less busy pharmacies. I love the bottom cartoon!

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      • My GP/family doctor has same day booking which is great but you have to call early in the morning, but she’s the only doctor around here that does that. I think she does that as she has 3 little kids and it would be too difficult to cancel a bunch of appointments. Unfortunately she’s only open 3 days a week – Mon-Wed, so if you’re sick the other days it’s ER. It’s all about work-life balance these days, I worked for years with a group of old-fashioned small town doctors and what a contrast – they made hospital rounds in the mornings, did a full day of office appointments and then often covered ER at night. And they assisted in the OR…..I guess they didn’t have a life, but I don’t remember any of them having burnout.

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  7. So sorry to hear you had a rough week not made better quicker by the Healthcare System. Hopefully now that the magic meds are on board, you’ll feel right as rain again. Yeah, this aging thing is officially for the birds, from one senior to another. Take good care.

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  11. Good to hear the patient is on the mend. It’s been several years since I have had see a doctor for anything other than a yearly physical and six month check in. I am old but quite healthy. Definitely a blessing🙏

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  12. Sorry you had a medical issue. Glad you are on the mend. We saved my father-in-law’s cane and walker- and my hubby has used them a few times over the years.

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  13. So hard to get into a doctor’s office sometimes. Urgent care is definitely more convenient for things they can handle. I;m not sure what’s harder – getting a vet appt or a doctor appointment.

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  15. Glad you are healing!
    Yes, medical field is definitely changing.
    Maxine always nails it! 😂 We have one of those day calendars of Maxine, where you tear off the page each day. Guaranteed laugh each day. 😄

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  16. I think the only people who say that the US has the best medical care system in the world either have never needed unexpected care, have Oprah’s money, or have lost their sense of reality (and may need medical care… good luck). I’m glad you were able to work out the issue and the patient is on the mend. I held on to my walker and cane from when I broke my hip… you never know.

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  17. We had something similar at our house. My poor husband was hospitalized and he came home safe and sound – but in a lot of pain and on restriction. Ugh. I’m glad all is (fairly) well at your house.

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  18. I’m glad the crisis has passed for now.

    I still have two canes that helped me after both knees were replaced. I’ve loaned them out and was happy when they were returned. Who knows, my children may need them next!

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  19. Oh boy. Glad things are improving. I can’t help but wonder why it’s different from “back in the old days” to now. I remember those “old days” myself.

    When I had vertigo, we bought a four-pronged cane. It helped stabilize me when walking. Have had to use it on occasion since. Haven’t broken down and gotten the walker yet. We do have crutches for when when a foot, ankle or toe acts up. There’s no putting pressure on those things when in a flare-up.

    Sending good thoughts to stay on the mend.

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  21. I’m sorry you had a medical problem but not surprised by what happened when you tried to get help. You said it about medical care, it’s not simple/attentive like it used to be. I do think everyone would be wise to invest in a cane and walker before they’re needed. If nothing else it’ll give you time to get used to using one while you feel okay.

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  22. I sat here reading this nodding my head in agreement. I needed meds back in December, finally got sent by PC to Urgent Care where I waited 2 hours in my car because it was during a rough flu season. Got the meds, had issues, sent messages through the portal, got different meds, and then got referred to a specialist. First available appointment was 3 months and 1 week out. This past week I had an issue, tried going through the portal, after two days with no response, I set up my own plan of attack after many Google searches. Finally, I get a response and they wanted me to do a telehealth call. Okay, fine. The NPR listens to what was going on last week and what I did to help alleviate it, and he smiles and says ‘I’m impressed.’ He called in a prescription for ‘next time.’ It sure isn’t like the old days when you could actually see a physician ‘when’ you were sick and not after.

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    • Sometimes I’m not sure what tactic to try to get help. You can be sure this walk-in center is high on my list although the doc (and he may have been a PA) was clear to say that dispensing the antibiotic was the limit of the help he could give. If it didn’t work, to see a specialist. So far it seems to be working.

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  23. I still have my cane and walker from hip replacement surgery – and I have crutches from a long-ago leg surgery for my first melanoma so we are prepared for quite a variety of things!!! We are so incredibly lucky becuase our primary care doc is in a group that builds in three 15 minute “urgent” slots a day for their patients should an “urgent” need arise. We’ve used that availability twice fortunately. Haven’t been to an urgent care or emergency room in years and we know we’ve been lucky in that way. Healthcare is tricky these days – and having worked in the healthcare world for most of my working life I know the good, the bad and the ugly! SO glad things worked out for your “sick one” and the meds are working. Whew! Maxine absolutely has her finger on the pulse of those of us of a certain age….. LOL

    Hugs, Pam

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    • With both specialists and our PC, you can’t call for a person. It’s all menu and messages. If you are lucky they check the messages at the end of day. If not, it’s tomorrow and sometimes that’s just not soon enough. With this experience, it will be our first go to from now on. There comes a time when having “helper” things in a closet is a good idea. For some reason, when we get sick, the balance goes out the window!

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  25. Just very good to hear all is well, Kate. It’s great when meds are magic. Our PCP sent us straight to urgent care for just about everything so we stopped calling her. She pretty much sees me every six months for “check-ups” and blood work. She refers out to specialists. I have more specialists than I thought possible. It must be good to be her… the PCP.

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    • That’s exactly like our PCP. The specialist’s admin reached out to set up an appointment in April. That is soon enough as the meds are working. I have more specialists than I ever thought I’d have.

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  26. Glad you are on the mend and didn’t wait. Sometimes I can get a response from a doctor with an email within a day. For a really bad injury/ illness at 5 AM, it takes paging the specialist who then tells you to go to the ER. When spouse does something terrible to himself, he usually hangs on until he can see the ortho in person, because ER is only good for narcotics, not treatment. But I just found a new walk-in orthopedic clinic that operates after hours, capitalizing on youth sports injuries, I think. I expect we shall be their best customers.

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  27. I’d have to double check, but I think my Medicare Part C has restrictions on paying for walk-in or urgent care centers. Heck, I had to go through the emergency room to get surgery for a jaw that had been broken for a month because that’s the only way the surgeon is called! Nonetheless, I had a contused big toe some years ago now requiring a walking boot and a cane, and I kept the cane. I’ve moved it out of the back corner of my storage closet recently…

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    • I kept the crutches from my kneecap fracture but got rid of the immobilizer. We have Medicare Advantage and the walk-in center didn’t require a co-pay (which was a miracle!). I would go back to the walk-in we used. Everyone was nice and it seemed to be well organized. It’s also connected to the health network we use so they can access our records.

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