So, as you know, I’m going to library school in the spring. And there are certain forms to be filled out and whatnot.
One of those forms is a medical evaluation, including an immunization form, required by state law, to show that I’m immune to measles, mumps and rubella.
Now, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to the doctor, what with the being uninsured and being generally quite healthy thing. I’ve been to various orthopedic folks to fix my ankle, my back and my knees, but the internals have been humming along quite well, other than the odd sinus infection, so I haven’t ponied up for general medical care.
As for the immunizations, I don’t have any records of those (my pediatrician has been dead for years, as has my mother, and none of my prior schools is required to keep the records quite so long). So my only option was to get my blood drawn to check for serum immunity. Since I couldn’t quite get out of the physical, I made an appointment with a NYC health clinic (part of the City Health & Hospitals Corp.), which is supposed to provide low-cost health care for City residents.
More on that “supposed to” later.
The last time I was at a general physician’s office — other than for my immigration physical a couple of years ago — I was a good deal thinner than I am now. In addition, it was long enough ago that the medical profession did not yet have a collective bug up its ass about Teh Obesity Crisis™!
To be honest, the whole creeping Scarlet O phenomenon was one of the things that kept me away from going to the doctor all those years. I didn’t want to be hassled about my weight, especially during the time that it was going up, just because some doctor decided that I couldn’t possibly know I was fat unless he told me. Nothing quite like anticipating a lecture about your weight that was shame mixed with pointing out the obvious to get your blood pressure up.
Curiously, none of my orthopedic folks have ever discussed my weight with me, which has actually been a surprise. Especially because, given my complaints (an ankle injury, some back problems stemming from a disk slipped during a move, and knee and hip issues), weight’s actually relevant to the biomechanics. But nope — the only one who weighed me was the orthopedic surgeon who fished the bone fragments out of my ankle, and only because they needed to know how much gas to give me during surgery.
But this GP, man — you’d think she’d never seen a fat person before. “You’re overweight,” she said repeatedly. “Yes,” I answered repeatedly. No shit, Sherlock, I refrained from saying repeatedly.
She seemed to think that I was a ticking time bomb who should be mainlining insulin and whose heart was going to blow any second. Everything in the history had to do with my weight, it was obvious to her. Ankle surgery must have been because my joints had worn out. Um, no, I fell into a ditch and chipped the bone as I twisted it. My knees certainly hurt because of my weight. Actually, I twisted my knee moving boxes into a walkup. I must be short of breath going up the stairs. Um, no, actually, I’m a runner. Oh, but running’s not good for you when you’re overweight, you should try swimming instead. Yeah, I’ll get right on doing laps in the backyard pool.
Remember, all I went in there for was to do a basic, school-required physical and immunization screening. But she seemed to think that if she just dug far enough, certainly her belief that I was going to drop dead any moment would be validated. So she decided to take the health evaluation form’s suggestion that she could provide any other information at her discretion as a directive and ordered up an array of tests before she’d sign the form. Glucose screening. Cholesterol. The works.
And when I went back to pick up the results a week later and have her sign the damn form, absolutely everything was not just well within normal, but on the low end of normal.
She still gave me the Scarlet O, a diagnosis of obesity.
Oh, and I just got the bill for all those tests she ordered without consulting me, just so she could find something to pin on my weight: $607.65.
Ugh. I hear ya. I was referred by my PCM to an ortho guy because I have hip pain. It originally initiated because I used to carry Movie Boy around long past he needed to walk on his own. That assessment was made back in ‘01 or so when I was not fat. Five years later, when I revisit the same thing, the ortho guy pretty much tells me that I’m a blubbery whale and that I need to walk more. I do walk, but the walking hurts — perhaps some meds to help get me through? Oh no, if I drop 30 or 40 pounds, I’ll feel better.
Yea… I’ll get to that this week, before I go to the gym this weekend.
Such an ass.
Tell them you didn’t authorize all those tests and that you are a self-pay patient so they need to take them off your bill. And find a new doctor for the next time.
I agree. Unless they have some kind of record you requested these tests, I say you direct your bills to “Snotty McJudgeypants, MD.”
Seriously.
First, I have to get an itemized bill, because all it says is that I went in for outpatient care. No, not paying a generalized bill, thank you.
It’s too bad you can’t bust out some legal principle with a fancy-sounding Latin name to avoid the bill. “Under the common law doctrine of unus postulo non persolvo ani, i.e. ‘one need not pay assholes,’ I owe you nothing.”
Apologies if the Latin is incorrect.
Oh, geez, I don’t envy the fight you might have in front of you. That is ridiculous.
I had to go in to get blood drawn last week and I was telling hte nurse how the medication I was trying was suppressing my appetite. I barely eat a meal, and I crave pizza, cookies, and apple pie. She just made a joke about how it’s like being pregnant. (WTF?)
So then she took me over to get weighed “even though it’s only been two weeks, we have to weigh you.” I was three pounds less than before. “But hey, you lost weight!” she said pleasantly.
..no shit, I told you I can’t eat. I’m not even overweight and it’s an automatic good thing to lose weight no matter how it happened. These attitudes are so messed up.
How can she diagnose obesity if you’re not suffering any side-effects of the supposed illness? FFS, you’re a runner. Maybe you’re meant to be a bit heavier than what the fashion industry considers “normal”.
I really hate judgmental assholes posing as doctors.
At least it’s less than the vet bill.
That’s what I was thinking, zuzu. What an expensive week you’ve had.
“…but on the low end of normal.”
seconding all the comments about challenging the bill; if you had insurance she would’ve had to get pre-approval from your carrier for a boatload of tests–nothing gives her the right to treat you with less diligence than that.
don’t know how to edit wordpress–my post should read:
“…but on the low end of normal.”
Also, as a point of interest, this “disclosure of health” to schools is really frickin’ bizarre to me. I remember it being a plot point in the West Wing, because Bartlet’s daughters didn’t disclose his MS on their forms, and I was all, “WTF business is it of THEIRS anyway?” Like, I’m pretty sure it’s totally illegal up here. Transcripts, essays, financial/credit information if they’re helping you with a loan… health information? WTF? I don’t understand. You’re on a different planet down there.
Well, the vet provided useful services as directed. The doc pursued validation of her value judgments at your expense. By a return-on-investment measure, the vet was much cheaper.
As an RN, I work with doctors all the time. Not all are idiots, but an appalling number are….
That being said, you had diagnostic tests done without your consent: you cannot be billed for them. Every clinic should have a patient representative, someone specifically designated to handle patient complaints. The attitude of the doctor needs to be one of your complaints: there are too many people who are victimized by doctors’ personal prejudices but are unable to speak up for themselves.
I’m not even overweight and it’s an automatic good thing to lose weight no matter how it happened
I actually heard the opposite from my doctor recently. She thinks I need to *gain* a few pounds. But she also thinks I couldnt possibly be having this much back pain and knee pain because I’m not overweight.
I explained how I’ve had six or seven knee surgeries due to an accident, including bone cutting, screws, the whole shebang. And how I was long since diagnosed with arthritis. But still…how could me knees hurt? I’m skinny.
Idiots.