[Hopefull]

I saw my Pdoc today. I mentioned that I had saw my T only once since our last appointment. My last Pdoc appointment was a month ago. I explained that I had delayed on scheduling more appointments. She accused me of being resistant. I say something about having delayed due to starting school and concerns about work hours. She said some crap about mental health being important. It can mess up work and school. I said that we have more appointments. I did not like that she tried to judge me when we have only talked three times. I mean she talks to me for what 15 minutes and gets a phone call. (She was responsible for inpatients too and took the call to see if it was one of them. Once she knew it wasn't she told them to call back and talk to the receptionist.) Then she sends me out. Is that the normal length for a "med check?" I didn't like her accusing me of being resistant and then implying that I don't think mental health is important. Why am I talking to you again? I make less than 20,000 a year and need to keep my hours at work to have health insurance. You dim wit doctor. I had to blow $500 dollars before my insurance would even help pay anything. My T is just hard to get in to see at times. She tends to get her scheduled filled up if you delay in scheduling. I just delayed because school was starting and I was concerned about keeping my thirty hours for health insurance.
Last time, I talked to T. I got interupted by some person knocking on the door. We didn't know if it was a real knock or not. So, we just kind of ignored it until the person poked his/her head in. I completely forget what I was talking about and started laughing like crazy. The person apologized to T. But not to me. I think the person should have apologized to me because my T is expensive,

[nothemama8]

Our mental health is very important, without our T and pdoc, we would be very ill, most pdoc's appointments are 15 min. this is due to HMO and other insurances not the pdoc. My hubby and I are very lucky our pdoc makes home visits and we get 1/2 an hour with her
Angie

yup most physicians and psychaitrists only schedule 15 minutes for med checks. A part of the reason for this is because that is all a majority of the insurance companies will pay for if they pay for it at all. my physician had to do some fancy footwork of red tape to get my insurance to pay for my med checks.

my med checks are only 15 minute time slots. med checks are basically just for focusing on the medication or lack of medication and what the persons symptoms / side effects are when on or off the medication and then the doctor decides to leave the meds the same, lower or increase dosage and the person is back out the door.

that is why during the 3 days to a week before the appointment I take time at home to sit down and write what my symptoms / side effects and w hat is going right since being on the medication or since being taken of medication. That way when I am in the room with my doctor during those short 15 minutes I can hand over the paper and explain more in detail should he have questions.

[JustAPixie]

Get another Pdoc if you can, she doesn't sound very supportive!!!

[Sarah116]

That sounds like a not very nice problem but I am so glad you brought it to PC! I know they can be but the ones I have seen are not that distracted. Rate your Pdoc on rate the therapist first and you are right. You are still a student but could a family member or friend help you out? See another Pdoc if you can and get all the online help you can. Perhaps join a support group! 15 min. I supposed mine was around there and I was not talking so. But sometimes it is like 50 min. or more. I guess it depends on the doctor, what is going on and like if you are actually talking. I do wish you all the best and on Yahoo Groups (and I am pretty sure on Aol or MSN) there are support groups. God bless you!

[(JD)]

To answer your real question: yes. In fact, having 15 minutes with a PDoc for a med check is a good amount of time in this day and age.

I'm sorry your experience with T isn't going as well as planned. I would hope you would share your feelings with the T, and allow her to know that those types of things upset you greatly. Please schedule and keep your appointments...the end of the year is coming and that means another deductible later. Get in what you can, it's for your own health and good

I think p-doc must have a lot of faith in you to be pushing you so hard.

> I explained that I had delayed on scheduling more appointments.

> She accused me of being resistant.

I hear that you felt accused by her saying that, but did she mean it to be an accusation or did she mean it to be a suggestion to get you thinking about whether you were being resistent or not?

It is possible to justify resistence... I'm sure there are lots of really terrific reasons why one would delay scheduling more appoitments. But one can have lots of really terrific reasons for delaying and also be being resistent at the same time.

Is the greatest anxiety about going to therapy about the hours and the money etc etc...

Or is the greatest anxiety about going concerns like... Your therapist doesn't understand you or care about you or whatever?

One has to go to therapy so the therapist can help you get better...

[Hopefull]

I just worry about getting my 30 hours at work to keep the health insurance. My school is my only future plan right now. So mental health issues have to compete with my work hours (I would probably lose my sweet T if I lose health insurance) and school (which is why I give a crap about life/mental health stuff). I didn't have the gumption to explain that to Pdoc. Besides, she got a phone call and thought it might concern an in-patient and took the call. It wasn't so she told the person to leave a message and saw me out of the door. She was rather nice in the first two sessions except kind of pushy about talking to T in the second session. I wonder if it is because she has seen people get stuck on the drug and she knows that I don't want to get stuck on the drug. Or is it because I can get sad and get stuck in it rather than just doing a 8 month long episode. I mean my anniversary of starting therapy is at the middle of next month. My anniversary of the increase in negative thinking was the start of this month and the start of the sleeping problem was at the start of next month last year. Well, I don't have to see her much. I don't think my agency has many pdocs that are taking new people. That's why they hired her. I had to give her the lab hours because she didn't know them yet.

> I just worry about getting my 30 hours at work to keep the health insurance.

Fair enough. Have you talked to your t about this, though? Your t might be able to figure out a good time to meet with you so that you can still make your 30 hours.

I don't know what your dx is... For some people / conditions / dx's medication helps a little but therapy is the real answer. And for some conditions... The biggest problem can be getting the person to regularly attend therapy sessions. It might be the case that your p-doc is thinking 'I can't really do much to help you if you don't get yourself to therapy' part of the 'I can't help you if you aren't willing to help yourself' thing. I know it can be hard. I understand about your needing to make work...

But it might have been helpful to explain about the 30 hours and about how... Your t couldn't see you around that? Or maybe talk to your t and see what your t can do to help you work around that...