Joke of the Day

So, three doctors walk in to the bar; a Gastrointerologist, a Pulmonologist and a Neurologist.  A man at the bar collapses.  Who starts CPR?

The Bartender.  CPR wasn't any of the Doctor's specialty.

Actually, this is not a joke.  This is our new reality.  The GI department has successfully backed us into a corner and I don't see a way out.  So, do I fight or back down?  That is the million dollar question.

The Director of the GI department passed us off to a scheduler.  She called today.  She sounded very helpful and had an array of choices for us to chose a new GI from.

A.  We could become part of the Fellows program and get a new GI doctor every 6 months.  "Don't worry," She said, "They have their White Coats but they aren't specialized in GI yet.
B.   We could have a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant. 
C.   A General GI Doc but the ones they are offering to us really only prefer upper GI problems.

What kind of crappy set of choices is this?  The kicker is, whatever choice I make, we are stuck with it.  There's no switching; I was warned.  Again the scheduler said, We just don't have a good fit for your kids.  Our doctors each specialize in a certain area of GI and they aren't willing to go outside of their area of focus.   Of the actual GI doctors up for grabs, they only have 1 star for patient reviews!  1 star!!!  How is this even ethical?

  I may as well just stick with our family doctor.  These options have no more expertise than our doctor here in our small town.  Don't get me wrong, he's great but he admits he is out of his league in the GI department and rightfully so!

I've spent my entire adult life fighting to give my kids a quality of life they were never estimated to have.   I am beginning to feel like they have a personal issue with me and they don't even want us in the clinic at all.  If I continue to complain, I could risk quality of care from our other providers.  If I shut up and make a choice, my kids risk second rate care. 

There is another mom in a similar situation in another part of the country; albeit, more tragic.  Her DC son is 28 and needs a liver transplant.  They had secured a transplant team at a large,  renowned hospital.  When they found out he had DC, they backed out.  Now, they are scrambling to find a new transplant team. 

This is not fair and it's not right and it's happening to the families who have the least resources, the least energy, the least of everything.  I am so tired of lazy, entitled physicians who have somehow decided that they get to pick and choose who they care for.  I am tired of physicians who have a problem with educated caregivers who are just trying to take care of their loved ones in the best possible way!  I'm tired of it all. 

I'm not sure what to do now.  Obviously, we still have a possible cancer diagnosis on the table and GI appointment at the end of the month in a town 45 min South West of Salt Lake.  It may be that he ends up being a half way decent doctor but the question is, will he be willing to stick with us? At this point maybe that is the way we go. 

I'm very worried about our future.