Getting the run around blog # 3

Today tuesday October 7, 2008 I was standing in line at the CVS counter to pick up a prescription. I over heard a young woman telling the pharmacist about a problem she was having. She was complaining about how her legs had been giving her problems over the past couple of days. She proceeded to ask the pharmacist if there was something that she could do because she kept falling. Her doctor told her that she had Vertigo and that was the reason for mishappenings. She later explained how she had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but her doctor did not put her any medication despite the fact that she had low or mid-high blood glucose levels every morning. He basically told her she needed to eat less carbohydrates because she was a little over weight. She also expressed that she had concerns with her vision and had trouble seeing which made the pharmacist think that her blood glucose was getting out of control and could be heading in the wrong direction. The pharmacist recommended her to see a specialist and she stated that she have a future appointment to see her primary care physician to receive a referral for an endocrinologist. She also stated her blood pressure had been elevated and the doctor told her she was just having stress. She also had a concern about her thyroids but the doctor refused to do simple blood work just to assure the patient that nothing was wrong with her. I was shocked to hear this conversation and amazed at how much a doctor could lose compassion and care for this patient. I felt really bad for the girl because she was a college student just like me and she was receiving no medical attention from her doctor. She was also having issues with her vision. The pharmacist thought the complications maybe associated with diabetes and she asked the patient if she had recently had an eye exam. She responded saying that her insurance would not cover her to receive an eye exam because she had her lens repaired in 2007. To me this is a sad case of getting the run around from her doctor and insurance company. one would think living in a rich and powerful country like America health care would be better.