My trouble started about 4 months ago. I started having these headaches that had no rhyme or reason to them. It was an acute onset brought on by nothing in particular. The problem is, that it hasn't stopped. I've had a headache all day, every day, for the last 4 months. Nothing over the counter helps. I've tried everything!
I started by going to my general practitioner who sent me for a CT scan - which didn't produce any results or findings. So, she referred me to a neurologist. This was about 2 months in to my pain.
I saw the neurologist one time, for 5 minutes (at most). The rest of my 3-4 visits were with the PA. Neither of which seemed to care much about my condition, pain, anguish, frustration. I don't think they listened to my concerns at all. Each and every time I called the office they tried to put me off for a week or two or more which I told them was completely unacceptable. It is not acceptable to wait WEEKS for test results when you are in pain and suffering.
The neurologist sent me for an MRI, which showed excess fluid around my brain. Since medication hadn't helped, I was then referred to Medical City for a lumbar puncture (spinal tap), to relieve the excess fluid/pressure around my brain. They removed 20mls of fluids from my spine. That weekend, my headache was so bad that I ended up in the emergency room for a follow-up procedure called a blood patch, to stop any spinal fluid from leaking out and causing "spinal headaches". In addition, the hospital gave me a lot of great drugs to help with the pain. Once the meds wore off, the headache came back.
After the lumbar puncture, I called the neurologists office to get the results. I was told that they could not give me the results over the phone. So, I had to make an appointment and pay an additional co-pay, just to get my MRI results. While I was there, I told them that the headaches were still there. Since the lumbar puncture didn't alleviate the headaches fully, I was sent back for an MRV, which is a fancy MRI to look at a very specific part of the brain. They diagnosed me with cranial hypertension due to stenosis of the bilateral transverse sinuses. I again, had to call and make an appointment to get the results (which I were told were there) and pay another co-pay. They didn't have the results yet (I was absolutely livid), but I was given a prescription for some medication that was supposed to help. The PA called me later to give me the results.
The medication severely hindered my cognitive function. I began suffering from confusion, disorientation, issues with depth perception, sluggish speech - honestly it felt like being drunk. It became increasingly dangerous for me to drive and hard to function at work. I ended up in the emergency room. While waitin in the ER, I called my neurologist's PA who said "the meds must not be working, I am referring you to a neurosurgeon". I didn't let them admit me and keep me overnight in the hospital because my neurologist's office was sending me to a neurosurgeon. In retrospect, I should've stayed in the hospital.
I called the "neurosurgeon" they referred me to and asked to schedule an appointment since I hadn't heard from them yet, but fun fact, none of the doctors at the office they referred me to are neurosurgeons. I had to call and complain to Lone Star (who I was already upset with for lack of empathy and for nickel and diming me), tell them that the person they referred me to wasn't a neurosurgeon, to which they responded "they're not?". They offered to refer me elsewhere, but I had enough at that point and demanded my records.
I waited 48 business hours before I went up to retrieve my records. I called in advance to let them know I was coming and to cancel my upcoming follow-up. When asked why I was cancelling, I told the girl on the phone that I was cancelling because I plan on never going back to that office, ever. She said ok.
When I arrived to pick up my records, of course they weren't ready, but they tried to charge me $25 for MY MEDICAL RECORDS. I told them legally I had access to MY medical records and it was ridiculous that they expected me to pay for them after everything they'd done. She printed them off and I left. No doctor or manager offered to talk to me, not that it would have mattered much, but it just goes to show how much they don't care whatsoever.
At this point, I have scheduled my own appointment with a neurosurgeon that I found myself.
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