Patient Versus Doctor – Round 1

Issue #77

Blog #17-2018

Section: Joe’s Health and…

Blogger: Joseph Clay

Are you ready to rumble? This week’s battle, Patient verses Doctor Round -1.

The patient, none other that yours truly. Doctors, Margaret Ikard, Reliance Medical Center, Mengyao Tang, Resident at Vanderbilt, 100 Oaks Mall, Rozmond Lewis and Kristen Maida, FNP-BC of East Nashville Family Medicine,

After ten plus years I had to leave my all time favorite Primary Care Doctor Margaret Ikard, due to a self-righteous office manager over $49.00.

The one thing I don’t tolerate is an arrogant person who thinks they are intelligent and the rules they write applies to all. In the field of medicine you can’t do that as each patience’s circumstances are as different as the health issues they have, no two are the same.

This so-called office manager who may need to go to a doctor herself and see why she has a problem with is obesity, as that is not healthy at all, had banned me from seeing Doctor Margaret before. That time I went over her head, straight to the doctor and resolved the issue.

This time I didn’t feel like hassling with this egotistical women to prove to her wrong.

I thought about it for a while and decided I didn’t need the drama or stress this dim-witted office manager was causing. I also knew there were other doctors in the Physicians Lake. I paid the $49.00 owed, not because of the office manager but because of my doctor and friend and then went fishing.

My heart Doctor, David Solsky, who is the best in the business, if not I wouldn’t be alive, suggested I use the Vanderbilt Clinic at 100 Oaks Mall.

The first appointment they had available was three months away, June 06, 2018 with Mengyao Tang MD (Resident). I made an appointment. I figured this was a good sign, you know booked because they were good and people were wanting to see them.

As I was waiting on the appointment my maintenance drugs were becoming low. I logged into the portal and explained to my heart doctor the reason why.  He gave me refills on all my medications to last till my appointment date.

Summary of first Doctors Visit.

• Arrived 20 minutes early to fill out new patient paperwork. Paperwork took between 10-15 minutes to complete.
• Called back to Doctor 1 hour later. Nurse weighed and took blood pressure and took me to an examination room.
• Waited on Doctor another 30 minutes
• Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident, arrived and after I answered all the questions she had for me, 90% of the things she wanted to know I had already answered in the paperwork, she began the exam. Once the exam was completed, I figured I was ready to roll out of there since the visit was pushing 3 hours. But no, due to her being a Resident along with my complexed medical history she wanted her mentor to review my charts and see me.
• After another 10 minute wait Katelyn Kennedy Atwater, MD, who was Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident’s mentor came through the door with the resident. Doctor Atwater administered the same examination, only faster, and made suggestions to me about some skin issues I had. Doctor Atwater also wrote orders for labs to be drawn at my convenience as long as the blood was drawn at least three days before the next visit. They both advised me to log in to the portal if I needed any medicines refilled before my next visit.
• Once Doctor Atwater completed her examine I was reedy to leave the back area and make a follow-up appointment. The lady who was making the appointment was rude and acted as if she was doing me favor. After another ten minutes I had a follow up appointment for August 27, 2018.
• My visit was done and I was heading out the door, three and a half hours after arrival.

My thoughts of the visit were mixed. The waiting area was huge and unorganized. I found it to be drab, dim and loud. Not a good atmosphere for filling out numerous pages of information.

The staff at the clinic was not as efficient or nice as Doctor Margaret’s staff, yet on the other hand they didn’t have an office manager who thought she could pick and choose the patients the doctor could see.

Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident was pleasant and was thorough, but slow, I chalked that up to being new. Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident listened and offered solution’s to the issues I was having. She however did not have Doctor Margret’s humor, bedside manner, or skill. I think some of those attributes were kept in check as she focused on the task at hand, trying to make up for lost time. Her being nervous, did bother me a little, but at wrote that off also.

I don’t like to answer the same question twice, which I did a lot of that day. Then to have Doctor Atwater repeat the same exam added to the frustration I was feeling from being their so long. But I do respect the Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident for bringing Doctor Atwater in, to make sure she had not missed anything.

I knew replacing Doctor Margaret Ikard would not be easy. But after spending five minutes with Katelyn Kennedy Atwater, MD she reminder me of Doctor Margaret. Same easy-going demeanor, making conversation as she asked questions, and missing nothing all with a warm smile.  I knew that I couldn’t get Doctor Atwater as my Primary Care as I was told when I made the appointment that all patient’s had to see a Resident.

Once back at home I ponder if I needed to go back fishing or be content with Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident being my Primary Care Doctor.

On the plus side Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident was in the same medical group, Vanderbilt, as my heart doctor so record sharing would be a breeze. Plus Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident was under the watchful eye of Doctor Atwater, whom I did trust.

I would also need to see Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident, if I got sick. I do not get under the weather a lot so I didn’t see that as an issue either. All I needed was someone to order labs and review the results and adjust my maintenance drugs if needed and write prescriptions for those drugs.

I concluded that since I only had to visit them twice a year I would stick with Doctor Mengyao Tang, Resident.

For the conclusion of this tale read Patient verses Doctor Round -2 to see what happens when a refill for high blood pressure medicine is requested.

Stay well my friends,

-JC-

[Bloggers Note: I, Joseph Clay am not a Doctor. I do not diagnose and/or treat others. If you choose to follow my actions, advice and/or treatment options, you do so at your own risk. These blogs are written for entertainment purposes only. The stories are based on fact and truth, with dramatization added. The are my opinions and mine alone and not to be used to treat those with similar issues as once again I’m not a doctor. With that side I do visit several doctors all in different specialties, have my own personal RN BSN, AKA The Queen, and have stayed in a lot of Holiday Inns over the years, but I am not a medical professional.]

[Publishers note: The opinions and/or endorsements in this blog are the blogger’s and only published by ThunderHorse Publishing.  The opinions and/or endorsements do not necessarily represent the views of ThunderHorse Publishing.
None of the material, written and/or photographs on this blog is authorized for use in promoting and/or any type of media use pertaining to Author Joseph Clay. Authorized book related and other information pertaining to the authors novels and other writing topics can be found by visiting one of the following sites:
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Official Website
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