Confusion

When navigating the medical system, have you ever felt like a lab rat?  Well, this lady has.  It seems like every time I gain any tiny bit of momentum, I run into a wall. 

So here's the story:  My orthopedic doctor referred me to a neurosurgeon per our request.  I show up at the neurosurgeon's office for a surgical consult.  He very casually says I need a spinal fusion, but he doesn't really explain the procedure.  In fact, he is very aloof when I start asking questions.  This puzzled me--I guess I expected him to be a little more engaged.  So I stopped asking questions.  After the appointment, I kicked myself for not being more forceful about asking questions.  By the next morning, I had convinced myself that maybe I mis-read him (maybe he's just a type B personality and he had a heavy lunch after a terrible night's sleep?) and I should not have stopped with my list of questions.  Don't get me wrong--he was very nice, just a little too indifferent for my comfort level.

So, the next day, I call his office to talk about scheduling a surgery--albeit after I got  some answers to some of the questions I had left out the day before.  The nurse that I spoke to was confused; she said they had already sent my records back to the orthopedic doctor's office since I was just there for a second opinion.  Huh?  Nobody told me.

She said that this doctor would not take me as a patient in fear of offending the referring orthopedic...at least he wouldn't take me on the up and up.  She said I would have to go get my records, sneak them back to their office, and then hope that the doctor would then take me on.  I told her that this system was confusing--maybe I should just find another doctor.  She kept assuring me, very nicely, that the doctor that I used was 'my choice.'  I assure you, it is anything but.

So, I decided to cut bait and move on to another neurosurgery group.  This way, medical politics would not be a factor.  It just seems cleaner this way. 

In the meantime, I have good news:  the pain in my leg and foot has diminished!  My back is still status quo--and by that I mean status-it-hurts-a-lot--but I'll take any improvement that comes my way!