Doctor Visit.... May
I went to the doctor today. Good-ish news.
For those of you that haven't been around in the last six months, see this post. I had some encouraging news, of a sort. My doc did not change my meds, but I did have to explain why I wasn't taking the shots anymore. I swear, it took me three times to explain that it wasn't because of actually having to give myself the shots but because of the nausea.
My T-cell count was mostly unchanged. 160. My viral load was WAY down. 132 copies.
*Mikell Celebrates*
Whooooo Hooooooo !!!!
Percentage is up, from 12% to 19%. That's all doctors are looking at anymore. T-Cells hide, percentages don't. If my percentages keep going up, my T-cells should, and then I'll be able to stop taking the Bactrim again. Remember, Bactrim (and drugs like it) are only taken by people who have less than 200 T-cells.
I went to the VA clinic, as usual. Can I just bitch about that for a minute?
I arrive 30 minutes prior to my appointment as required, though I don't know why, there is no paperwork to fill out. My doc comes and gets me, because the nurse is in a "meeting". Usually, the nurse comes to get me, takes my BP, my Temp, weighs me, and asks me all the mundane questions. "Are you still smoking?" Yes. "Do you want to quit?" No. How much do you drink per week?" (At this point, I feel like I could say 24 Beers a day and it wouldn't matter). Then he makes me sit and wait for the doc. Doc usually gets me within 15 minutes or so.
Then I spend about 20 minutes with the doc, and all he does is look at his computer screen. He doesn't put his hands on me, which really bothers me. I've been POZ long enough to know that he should be feeling my lymph nodes and stuff, if nothing else. Then he refills my perscriptions, electronically.
This is where the problems start, in my opinion.
I take my little ID card and walk into the Pharmacy. The first thing you have to do is walk up to the little machine that gives you your number. Or, I should say, numbers. You get two copies of one number. Then you wait to be called by the pharmacist.
And you wait.
And you wait some more.
Today wasn't so bad. I waited 30 minutes to see the pharmacist. If this had been Eckerts, I would have gone across the street to Walgreens. 30 minutes is too fucking long just to see a pharmacist my friends. If the VA clinic didn't have a captive audience,they wouldn't get away with it.
When I finally saw the 22 year old pharmacy-person (I am not really convinced that she was a Pharmacist, since all she did was look at the computer, ask my Full Name and SSN - for verification, repeat what drug I am allergic to (not that it matters, since I wasn't prescribed the allergic drug in question) I asked how long it would be. She said another 30 minutes. I growled and walked away.
I went to my car and smoked. When I was done, I walked back to the waiting area and noticed that my perscription was already done. Less than 10 minutes.
The question I kept asking myself? "Why did it take longer to see the 'Pharmacist' than it took to put together my scripts in a non-threatening little brown bag?"
------
I can't wait to go camping tomorrow. I'll see you all afterwards. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend.
------
Oh. And BTW... any of you out there that are now suggesting that the people who still have George W. Bush stickers on their cars should take their kids down to the military recruiters instead of college should remember one thing.
Those people are still waiting for George W. Bush to reinstate the draft.
Now. Shut up.
For those of you that haven't been around in the last six months, see this post. I had some encouraging news, of a sort. My doc did not change my meds, but I did have to explain why I wasn't taking the shots anymore. I swear, it took me three times to explain that it wasn't because of actually having to give myself the shots but because of the nausea.
My T-cell count was mostly unchanged. 160. My viral load was WAY down. 132 copies.
*Mikell Celebrates*
Whooooo Hooooooo !!!!
Percentage is up, from 12% to 19%. That's all doctors are looking at anymore. T-Cells hide, percentages don't. If my percentages keep going up, my T-cells should, and then I'll be able to stop taking the Bactrim again. Remember, Bactrim (and drugs like it) are only taken by people who have less than 200 T-cells.
I went to the VA clinic, as usual. Can I just bitch about that for a minute?
I arrive 30 minutes prior to my appointment as required, though I don't know why, there is no paperwork to fill out. My doc comes and gets me, because the nurse is in a "meeting". Usually, the nurse comes to get me, takes my BP, my Temp, weighs me, and asks me all the mundane questions. "Are you still smoking?" Yes. "Do you want to quit?" No. How much do you drink per week?" (At this point, I feel like I could say 24 Beers a day and it wouldn't matter). Then he makes me sit and wait for the doc. Doc usually gets me within 15 minutes or so.
Then I spend about 20 minutes with the doc, and all he does is look at his computer screen. He doesn't put his hands on me, which really bothers me. I've been POZ long enough to know that he should be feeling my lymph nodes and stuff, if nothing else. Then he refills my perscriptions, electronically.
This is where the problems start, in my opinion.
I take my little ID card and walk into the Pharmacy. The first thing you have to do is walk up to the little machine that gives you your number. Or, I should say, numbers. You get two copies of one number. Then you wait to be called by the pharmacist.
And you wait.
And you wait some more.
Today wasn't so bad. I waited 30 minutes to see the pharmacist. If this had been Eckerts, I would have gone across the street to Walgreens. 30 minutes is too fucking long just to see a pharmacist my friends. If the VA clinic didn't have a captive audience,they wouldn't get away with it.
When I finally saw the 22 year old pharmacy-person (I am not really convinced that she was a Pharmacist, since all she did was look at the computer, ask my Full Name and SSN - for verification, repeat what drug I am allergic to (not that it matters, since I wasn't prescribed the allergic drug in question) I asked how long it would be. She said another 30 minutes. I growled and walked away.
I went to my car and smoked. When I was done, I walked back to the waiting area and noticed that my perscription was already done. Less than 10 minutes.
The question I kept asking myself? "Why did it take longer to see the 'Pharmacist' than it took to put together my scripts in a non-threatening little brown bag?"
------
I can't wait to go camping tomorrow. I'll see you all afterwards. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend.
------
Oh. And BTW... any of you out there that are now suggesting that the people who still have George W. Bush stickers on their cars should take their kids down to the military recruiters instead of college should remember one thing.
Those people are still waiting for George W. Bush to reinstate the draft.
Now. Shut up.
posted by Mike at 5/26/2005 09:26:00 PM
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