I think my biggest frustration with the HMO was their ability to simply not see anything that might be costly. Because I ended up in the hospital a couple of times, I guess they figured I'd be too costly to ignore. Jay, on the other hand, got passed off as 'normal' when he could hardly breathe. Calling pneumonia "asthma" was the final straw, and it wasn't until we got GOOD insurance that we finally got some help rehabilitating his lungs. He nearly died from the infection itself, and that infection left him with problems the HMO was making chronic by not treating them all the way. When I found out the wide disparity between what they'd told him were 'normal' test results and what good doctors found going on with his health, this doodle came to mind. A few months of NEBULIZED breathing treatments, the right decongestants-- which were more expensive than you might imagine-- and careful attention to his weakened lungs freed him from his so-called 'asthma', which was really collected fluid and inflammation from a poorly treated infection he didn't quite kick. The asthma 'treatments' he received were short-term rescues that were threatening to weaken his heart, and I can't express how grateful I am to the doctor who got him off them.

Don't be intimidated by doctors who treat you like you came in there hysterical and WANTED something to be wrong. Who in their right minds WANTS to be sick? Don't let people bully you out of finding out why things are going wrong when they clearly are. Believe it or not you don't need a degree to know you're not doing well... and a GOOD doctor will listen, evaluate, and EXPLAIN what's happening even if what's happening isn't something that needs a lot of treatment or attention. That sends you away with peace of mind-- not a guilt complex for having wasted his precious time.