My experience with the new psychotherapist.

Saw him the first time in March. I had brought with me an outline of things that have happened in my life and gave it to him. I brought a list of over 20 medicines I have tried and gave it to him.
We talked about some of the things and just as the visit was ending he told me he wanted to take cheek swabs because there is a company that can tell what different medications should work for you, might work, and not to take. I asked if insurance paid for this, I was pretty sure they would not, he said don't worry about it.
I let him do the cheek swabs and then he put me in a room to take some type of test and handed me a couple of pieces of paper at the same time.

A nurse (?) told me when I was finished with the test to come out and give it to her, which I did and she showed me the exit.

On the way home I was thinking that I didn't make another appointment, but then I thought they would call me when the cheek swab results came back.
After three weeks of still suffering with crying uncontrollably and feeling down I called back.

I spoke to 7 different people, appointment desk, a few unknown people, got cut off twice and finally got his nurse.
I explained to her I was having problems, I cried during all of this, and needed to either see the doctor or get some type of help. She said the doctor only sees patients every 2 months, I asked about a cancellation list and at first she said they didn't have one, then she said she'd put me on it. I was transferred back to the appointment desk and got an appointment in 2 months.

When I got up the next day the more I thought about how I was treated the madder I got, so I looked up administration on the website and called a number.

I told the woman who answered what had happened and asked if she could help me or direct me to someone who could. She said she handled complaints and she would write up a report and present it to the board.

Later that afternoon the doctor's nurse called me and asked if I could come in two days later at 0745 (they don't open until 0830) I said I could.

When I went to my appointment I told the doctor everything that had happened and that it was bad enough I felt like no one cared, but to feel like the doctor I was seeing didn't care made it worse.

I asked him what happens if one of his patients has a problem and needs to get help sooner than 2 months, which is how I was told he say patients, only every two months.

He acted like that was news to him and asked who told me that and I said your nurse. He acted amazed and said that's not true, he would help a patient who called with a problem.

The visit ended with him telling me the results of the cheek swab test, which showed only two medicines would work for my depression. He game me some samples and a prescription and said to come back in six weeks.

I gave the medicine a chance to work because I knew it would take several weeks, but things didn't change so I called and asked the appointment desk to put me on the cancellation list.

They also have what they call a patient portal and I sent a request through it to be put on the cancellation list At the bottom it says if you don't hear from them in 24 hours to call a number they showed.
After 48 hours I called the number and the person told me I was on the list. A lot of good that did.

On the 4th day I sent what they call a "Secure message to your doctor" through the patient portal. I told them that I was basically in crisis and needed to find out what to do.

I didn't hear anything and after 2 days I called the woman I had spoken to before and told her all that had happened and how I have not received a response from anyone.
She said she would take care of it and later that day I received a call from the nurse who said the only appointment she has is at 245 on the 24th. I told her that wouldn't work because I have an 800 appointment with them on the 24th.

I told her I just needed someone to give me some kind of advice, and described what I had been going through and how not getting any kind of response from anyone just made things worse.
She said the doctor was out of the office and she would talk to him when he returned.

The next morning she called and asked if I could come in the next day and I said I could.

When I saw him he had already been advised of my complaint and so I didn't feel the need to go there.
We talked some, and to shorten this he prescribed a different medicine than what was on the cheek swab result and I questioned that since it said only two would work and he had tried those two. He said let me look it up and started to get on his computer, I told him you gave me a copy of the report, but somewhere in between this I can't remember what it was we got on a different subject and I never got my answer.

Oh, I almost forgot the papers he had given me on the first visit were explaining how much I would have to pay for the cheek swab test if the insurance didn't pay.

Would anyone continue to see this doctor or try to find someone else?