My problem with the health care system are listed below:

-Lack of knowledge from health care providers about recognizing serious illness which have many symptoms, and dismissing us by telling us it is all in our head! Or by telling us there is nothing wrong with us instead of saying there is something wrong with you, let me refer you to a specialist.

-Being brought to a hospital by ambulance because of what I think is an emergency and placing me in a wheelchair and leaving me in the hallway of the waiting room for EIGHT hours before being seen by a doctor!!! And no health care professionals to check on people in the waiting room to check their condition.

-Having my doctor prescribe medicine at the dosage the doctor is prescribing only to have insurance companies and government insurance give you only a partial dose of the medicine that they will pay for – not what the doctor wants us to have to help our medical condition.

-Most people in the medical field seem to disinterested in their job and don’t take our medical needs as serious. They are more interested in talking among their co-workers about the party they went to last weekend, or cracking jokes and laughing when we are very sick and need quiet! This happens at nurses stations (they are really loud and laughing all the time), and at doctor’s offices. They need to be more dedicated to their chosen profession and be more considerate to the patient.

-Not enough time is spent with the doctor – 15 minutes is not enough!

-Doctor’s using slang to describe a medical condition instead of naming the disease by it’s medical name. i.e., doctor saying you have a slow drain instead of saying you have Gastroparesis.

-DON’T GET SICK ON A FRIDAY!! Most doctor’s are not in their office on Friday’s anymore, and when you call with a medical problem and need the doctor, they just tell you the doctor is not in today. They tell you to go to the emergency room, then the emergency room wants to know why you went to the emergency room instead of to the doctor’s office. This happens quite often.

-More services need to be offered to people that are housebound patients (as I am one myself). We are isolated and very sick and cannot always go to the doctor’s office for our appointments, then we have to wait another 3 months to see the doctor. There needs to be more doctor’s that treat housebound patients. There needs to be more people in the psychology field to visit patients that are housebound. As it is now, most psychologists want to be paid in cash and do not take state or federal insurance at all..

-Waiting to see the doctor 2-1/2 hours passed my appointment time! The wait should be no longer than 15 minutes! They book four patients for the same time, so it becomes an all day ordeal which wears the sick people out and only excerbates their symptoms.

-Billing and accounting problems causing sick people stress we are too sick to cope with.

-Not enough medical professionals at emergency rooms or in hospitals – patient neglect.

-Doctor’s prescribing antidepressants to patients as if they were M&M’s candy.

-Doctor’s telling us we are too young to have a certain medical condition (such as depression).