| Not my feet |
I waited for an hour in the waiting (and waiting, and waiting) room.
I waited for a half hour in the exam room.
Then she came in, didn't apologize for making me wait, poked around on my foot, shaved off part of a callus (without asking/telling me what she was doing), and then said that she thought I have BOTH a Morton's Neuroma AND Metarsalgia, and I need a steroid shot and/or an orthotic, but she couldn't be sure until she saw my x-rays, and told me to go and pick up my x-rays from the orthopedist's office. "You don't mind an extra errand, right?" Why didn't her office tell me to bring my x-rays with me when I made the appointment? And I DO mind an extra errand - "pick up my x-rays" meant driving to Salmon Creek to the orthopedist's office, filling out a request form ("We'll call you when it's ready!", the receptionist said sunnily, assuring me that it would be later in the day...it wasn't), and then taking them back to the podiatrist for yet another appointment for which I will be charged, when I could have had only ONE appointment in which my foot was examined, my x-rays reviewed, my foot shot up with cortisone and measured for an orthotic, if only I had been told in advance to BRING MY *&^%$#@ X-RAYS.
Then, when I told her that I was nervous about a steroid shot in my foot, because I have heard that steroid shots are very painful, she shook her head, sighed, and said slowly (as if I were mentally deficient): "It feels like a needle going into your skin. It's a shot." Her bedside manner leaves a little to be desired.
She told me my problem was related to having wide feet (Huh! You think?), and then very scientifically drew an outline of my foot and put my shoe on top of it, to prove that my feet are wide, and my shoe is not wide enough, regardless of the fact that I ALWAYS buy wide shoes because (guess what?) I have wide feet.
But, she said, she can't do anything until she has seen my x-rays. Oh, and by the way, to be sure to check with my insurance company to make sure that treatment is covered. Hmm. My regular doctors always provide that service themselves.
Needless to say, I was not impressed.
booooooooooooo
ReplyDeleteSeriously - that would make me so angry! What the? Holy cow, that is awful.
ReplyDeleteIt is reminiscent of my dermatologist appointment last year. When I lived in the NYC area and in LA, dermatologists were a dime a dozen. Here in Albany, not so much. I finally called one, for a routine body check (lots of bad history in my family) and waited 4 months for the appointment.
Similarly long waits and more once I got there. It was awful. But there is almost no one else that I can find that is on my health plan... She is very young and I call her Dr. Heather, Teen Dermatologist
*sigh*
I'm so sorry that you had to deal with this!
Good grief. Is this the only podiatrist in the area? Steroid shots can hurt pretty bad in the knee (been there, done that), but they aren't that bad in other joints. The doc certainly could improve her bedside manner. Orthotics should help a great deal for you. I had to wear them for a while after I got both casts off of my legs (broke legs in accident, when I was in my late 20s). You may need to get better shoes, or at least shoes that fit your particular feet better. You may be getting pronation when you want, and you want shoes that will keep your foot stable. There are athletic shoes that are specifically designed to prevent pronation. I have wide feet too and have a bit of trouble finding shoes that fit me well.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, I hope that you find some relief!