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My philosophy that healing is the birthright of every human being was contradicted by HMO Health Care Providers. During my quest for a physician who adheres to the famous injunction of Hippocrates: "First, do no harm," I was brutally abused, intimidated, terrified, misinformed and misguided.
This all started when I changed my medical insurance from PPO to HMO. The doctor who had given me my last checkup seven years ago had retired, so HMO assigned me to a new primary care physician (PCP1) close to my home.
The PCP1 was a well groomed, chipper, petite and methodical young physician. She took my blood pressure and said: "112/62, that is good." Then she asked a few questions, filled out referral forms for tests - blood, urine, ECG and mammogram. She explained that all these tests are required and paid for by my HMO insurance. I showed her that my rib on top of my breast is much wider and that I was told that the mammogram machines can not be adjusted. She told me that the Hospital has the latest technology and threatened me, that if I did not go for a mammogram, I might lose my insurance. I said "OK, I will follow the medical guidelines and go for the tests and mammogram." The receptionist scheduled another appointment for me to review the test results.
After the exam, on Monday, I regretted that I allowed the Radiology Technician performing the mammogram exam to abuse me. I did not want to go back to the same hospital, therefore I went to a different hospital for my rib x-try. This second Radiology Technician was very professional and took 12 detailed x-ray views of my ribs and shoulder, then two x-rays of my lungs. I quote the Xdoctor’s report: "There is evidence of mild thoracic spondylosis." That could be interpreted as the normal aging process. Since the Xdoctor used only five films from the twelve x-rays for his report , only five copies were released to me.
On my next scheduled visit to the PCP1, a week after I was brutally abused by the Radiology Technician performing my mammogram exam, the PCP1 looked at my swollen shoulder and ribs, then ran out . I could hear her telephone conversation . She was in panic and requested protection from a hostile patient. As I was reading a magazine, while waiting for the copies of my test results, the PCP1 came in with two gigantic security guards and another woman. They stared at me. Finally the PCP1 broke the long silence. She ordered me to go to the examining room. I replied that I had just come to pick up my test results. She said that I had a nodule in my breast and had to go for an ultrasound, and they could do it right away. I realized that I was the only patient in her office and they were ganging up on me. She asked in a shaken voice if she was still my doctor. I replied,"If you had hung a big sign on the door, COME IN! OUR PROFESSIONAL TEAM WILL BREAK YOUR BONES, I would have never come."
I filed a complaint with HMO and sent copies to the Hospital. The HMO selected for me a second primary care physician (PCP2) who is associated with the hospital where my rib x-rays were taken.
PCP2 was a sleazy, obese physician with an office in a rich neighborhood where the examination room was the size of a closet. At the time of my visit, I had not slept for 20 days because of the unbearable pain in my shoulder and ribs. He looked at the test results, grabbed my breast, squeezed my third nipple and told me that it is a cancer and it has to be removed immediately. As I was sitting in the chair, PCP2 put his wrists on top of my shoulder, and with the weight of his body forced the dislocated shoulder (acromion) into its socket. I screamed from the pain. My spine cracked and I could not straighten up. PCP2 put a pain killer prescription in my hand and told me that I was old and had better get used to some pain and get that cancer removed. He shoved me out of door and told me to come back the following week.
I stopped at a bookstore and within 10 minutes I found four reference books where the third nipple was documented. I also looked up possible side effects of PCP2’s pain killer prescription. I sat in the bookstore cafe and browsed through the books. I purchased The Pill Book and Dr. Miriam Stoppard’s Woman’s Body a Manual for Life.
I spent three days calling physicians listed in the HMO book, looking for one who could read my rib x-rays. When I did not come back for more abuse by PCP2, he left me about twenty messages on my answering machine. He also sent a certified letter to me to ask me to keep the appointments that he requested. The letter has many misspellings. PCP2 became my new nightmare.
My coworkers explained to me that in the USA, doctors prescribe drugs, tests, radiation, surgery and cover for each other’s mistakes. They do not adhere to the famous injunction of Hippocrates, First, do no harm. Hospitals have to be profitable, therefore most of the tests and surgeries are not medically necessary, so if I wanted a truthful interpretation of my rib x-rays, I should not mention my mammogram.
I requested HMO to change my primary care physician (PCP3) for a third time. When PCP3 walked into the examination room, I shouted: "You look like the baby brother of Andrew Weil, MD, the author of Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. Are you related?" He smiled and said that he was not related, but that he had attended Dr. Weil’s weekend seminar. When PCP3 looked at my rib x-rays, he asked if I had been in a car accident and hit the steering wheel. I just kept replying that I could not talk about it because it would upset me. He asked me to stand up and walk, then he asked if I had stumbled since the x-rays were taken, because my spine was badly twisted and my left shoulder was almost 2" lower then the right one, although this did not show on the x-rays. We spend an hour talking about every detail on my x-rays, going through pictures of the muscles, and the anatomy and mechanics of the arm. PCP3 showed me exercises from a sports medicine book. He strongly recommended that I see a chiropractor, not covered by HMO, to straighten my spine. He filled out a referral form for the orthopedics specialist and I scheduled an appointment.
A-doctor was a good looking Italian, an orthopedics and sports medicine specialist. His office includes a well equipped rehabilitation center, unfortunately not covered by HMO. A-doctor looked at my shoulder and ribs. He suggested a MRI of the shoulder and physical therapy. Later, from the MRI results, he concluded that the physical therapy in the HMO selected facility could not correct my problem and recommended arthroscopic surgery. He assured me that the scar would be so small that a little bandage would cover it.
B-doctor gave me a demo of how the 3D MRI image of my shoulder may be rotated and zoomed in. The closeup shows a small degenerative subchondral cyst above the left humeral head, where the pencil was forced in by the Radiology Technician who performed my mammogram exam.
C-doctor had red cheeks, a little mustache, and a beer belly. When he sat down, he looked just like a picture on the beer stein. When C-doctor reviewed the rib x-rays and MRI images, he suggested corticosteroid injections.
D-doctor was a charming orthopedics specialist. I asked him to looked at my rib x-rays and MRI of my shoulder and just imagine being in my place. What would he do to recover? He flipped through the films and then he whispered that he would continue with conservative treatment, strengthening that is tolerable vs. surgical decompression.
Some of the so called Health Care Providers selected by HMO made me realize that I am much better off investing my time in my own health research. When I read about various treatment options, it seemed that my body would tell me what was right for me.
