Angry patients press 1, pissed patients press 2, livid patients just hang up.

GURRRRRLLLLLLLL! Today my frustration factor is through the freaking roof. It just so happens that today doctor offices win the Most Ignunt and Annoying People of the Day Award. Here is the story.

When I got my health insurance in June I had to select a primary care physician. I cannot tell you how sad I was when I found out that the doctor (Workowski) who has treated me now for over a year and half could not be my PCP. That’s alright I said to myself I will just find another doctor who practices at Crawford Long Hospital and that certainly will make things easier. Well I found a doctor who practices medicine on the exact same floor as my Infectious Disease doctor, just on the opposite side of the hall named Dr. Jones. HOW FLIPPIN’ SWEET IS THAT, I said to myself. Well I called and was on hold for 5 minutes before I got kicked to the answering service. They told me that I should try my call again because of heavy call volume. I was a little dismayed because at the ID clinic that has NEVER EVER happened to me (after all I am AIDS boy). So I tried again later that afternoon. Same thing happened. By the third day I was REALLY starting to get annoyed so I actually drove up to Crawford Long and went up to the floor and made the appointment in PERSON. What irritates me is that this is a PRIVATE FACILITY. So anyway I made my appointment and went on my merry way. July 10th came which was the day of my appointment, I met my new PCP and he seemed nice enough (until he stuck a tube with a light on it up my ass without enough lube and hurt me. I still cannot pass gas without discomfort.) had blood work and was sent home with a stool collection kit. . Also I put in a referral to see Dr. Workowski and an orthopedic surgeon for this shin splint that I have. Well while I was on the phone with Blue Cross this morning I asked about referrals on file for me and they didn’t have a single one. I asked if it normally took this long and she said absolutely not there is no single reason why they should not have the referrals in the system.

Jarred’s primary care doctor sucks. A few months ago Jarred came out to his doctor, told him he was gay and that his lover had AIDS. Well Jarred went into the office for a small issue he was having and his doctor asked him about his “wife” and if they were monogamous. EXCUSE ME! I know you see patients everyday but completely forgetting that your patient is gay and that his boyfriend has a terminal illness is UNEXCUSABLE! Considering my doctor (who has never met Jarred knows his name, and my mothers name on top of that) is unbelievable. So when Jarred left his doctor said…”it is probably this but not entirely sure, I do know that it isn’t this…”blah blah blah. So he gives Jarred antibiotics without even doing a test! But being the good patient he is he did as the doctor instructed.

Well since moving here to Atlanta we decided that it would make sense for us to get a PCP that we can actually see together. So I called Dr. Jones’ office this morning to make an appointment. I started calling at 8:00 AM and finally got an answer at 1:00 this afternoon. HELL NO I told myself so I started looking for a new PCP for the both of us immediately. Not to mention that my test results were almost a week late getting to me from his office. So I have decided on Dr. Frieda L Millhouse-Jones. We will see how she works out. I would hate to have to go through this shit again.

Part of the frustration in this factor is that when I had health insurance on my own (pre-sickness) I always had a PPO. While more expensive they are far easier to navigate. I hate having to go to my PCP to get a referral to my Infectious Disease doctor (who has been seeing me for 20 months). I know that I have AIDS I don’t need my PCP to tell me I need to see a specialist. The medical field is set up to make sure that in the realm of HMO and POS plans that doctors get to make a new down payment on their BMWs. However, it is insurance none the less and I am highly grateful.

So I am sure you are wondering how my drawn labs (that just officially arrived today). Here they are:

Glucose, Kidney function, liver, urinalysis, and blood counts were all SATISFACTORY.

My triglycerides is at 204 (less than 250 is desirable)
Total cholesterol is 128 (less than 200 is desirable)
HDL cholesterol is 46 (greater than 40 is desirable)
LDL cholesterol is 71 (less than 100 is desirable)

My stool tested negative for any infectious material. No salmonella/shigella present. No campylobacter species detected. Last but certainly not least no E coli EIA present. The only trace bacteria in my poo is what is present in every bodies.

So that is it for the day. I finally got the release of medical information faxed to the new office. SWEET JESUS AM I TIRED!

I'm Not Available Right Now...Leave A Message On My Car

Apparently my car has become a message service.  As I was getting ready to do some errands I go to my car and there on my windshield was a card.  Remembering that when my wallet was stolen someone put my license on the windshield as well (review blog posting, I’ve Died…This is Hell).  Anyway I got the card and it was from a neighbor across the street.  Two weeks ago Jarred and I were walking down our street and he noticed someone was passed out and neighbors standing around her.  Well we went over there to ensure that she was alright and she banged herself up pretty badly.  No one present (with the exception of yours truly) was certified in First Aid.  So until the ambulance got to us I constantly did pulse checks, made her lay down and was able to help in a limited capacity.  So a few days ago I was pulling into the driveway and I saw her walking her dog with a friend, I stopped and talked to her for a few minutes and she fainted from a sudden drop in blood pressure.

I am not going to indulge all the details of the card but I wanted to make this posting so that I can make this point.  Sometimes taking time out of your busy day and just stopping to help just one person can make that persons day.  Granted that 9 out of 10 times you will not have to administer first aid you never know when a small gesture of good faith is going to make some persons day.  As a result of helping I didn’t get my name in the newspaper or recognition from the mayor I feel as if I got something better.  The person I helped took time out of HER life to go and purchase a card and sit down and tell me how living in an urban setting she never knew that anyone other than her immediate neighbors could ever care about her in the capacity that a perfect stranger did.  It’s a wonderful cycle of slightly renewing someone’s faith in humanity even if by a slight measure.  It gives me a warm feeling to know that a few people are better because of an act of kindness.  Pass it on.

Ellis Island...We Hardly Knew Ye!

Alright well I am going to take this blog posting in a whole new direction. Typically the only time I get political on my blog is when it deals specifically with HIV/AIDS issues in politics. However, I am going to take a new direction today by actually addressing immigration laws. Before I get started I want to make one thing clear…I am NOT against immigration. America was founded by immigrants. My family over the course of time immigrated here. So I am all for it. What I am not for however, is having to change my way of life because of immigration. When my family came here years ago I can assure you that no one catered to them. They had to learn American English (and yes there is a difference), they had to learn the laws of the land, and most importantly they had to be documented. Ellis Island was a wonderful thing. Maybe we need to establish more of them to deal with the immigration problem. When I was in high school I REFUSED to take Spanish for two reasons. The first being is that French looked far better on my college resume. The second reason was I wanted to maintain a certain level of ignorance in the respect of language. I did not want to be able to communicate with people who were too damn lazy to learn the English language. The horse shit that English classes aren’t made widely available is just a crock! Here in Atlanta we have over 50 places where people can come to learn English. Having done research I called a few just to see if they had any available spots and 100% of the facilities I talked to still had “ample room for attendees.”

Another reason I am for harsher laws is for safety reasons. When I was highly dependent on our transit system here (MARTA, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) sometimes I would have to walk home through the “Mexican Ghetto”. There was no way around it. In this particular area near the Lindbergh MARTA Station it is not unusual for police to be called out there several times a night due to gunfire or gang activity. I am a white boy and while I can defend myself I can tell you one thing…I am no match for a gun. I would soil myself. Another thing that pisses me off is my inability to go to Home Depot in peace. I go to Home Depot and they see me pulling in and a slew of them raise their hands and start coming for my car. I of course do not stop. On my way out, unfortunately I have to stop and again they come towards my car. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER PULL INTO A HOME DEPOT IN ATLANTA OR A GAS STATION IN NORTH ATLANTA WITH A U-HAUL!!! Do I feel threatened? Absolutely! Should I feel threatened? Absolutely! And I dare anyone to challenge me to the way I SHOULD feel.

Speaking of “day laborers” I have a serious problem paying for them to stand on the corner raising their hands for work. Immigrants to America back in the day could get jobs because they knew the language and they were able to be productive members of society. By today’s standards the immigrants of today are a major step back in the evolution of immigration.

I don’t expect everyone to share my views on immigration. What I do expect however, is to respect my opinion as my own and to accept it for what it is…MY opinion.

Here is to America and the immigrants who made her what is she today!!! \_/

I've Died...This is Hell

As you can tell from the title this past weekend was hellacious!  Saturday Jarred and I went out to eat at Sonny’s BBQ for lunch.  While we were there I removed my keys, wallet (it’s really fat) and cell phone from my pocket and put it safely on the bench beside me.  Well we got up I gathered my belongings and we left.  About an hour or so later I realized that my wallet was not in my back pocket!  I called the restaurant and no one turned it in.  (  So I called Atlanta Police Department they came out to the restaurant (it was about 9:00 now) and filed a report.  I was bummed because I was afraid that I was not going to be able to get into my favorite hangout because it’s 21 and up.  Well I called the manager and he told me just bring in the piece of paper with the case number and that would be sufficient if anyone asked.  Ecstatic I got dressed went out to the car to go and looked on the windshield and there was my drivers license.  I boldly assume they knew it was my car because our parking spots are labeled with our unit numbers.  So the two scenarios are this:  (1) Either a stranger found my license and returned it to me or (2) The person who found my wallet is going to stalk me.  If I turn up dead the thief is who the police need to go after!  Today the process of getting everything lost back has begun.  I wish patience were one of my virtues.

Saturday night was filled with its own problems.  I somehow (DON’T ASK HOW) managed to misplace my phone charger so I was running on low batteries.  A social worker called me and was wondering if I could do an onsite evaluation at a local hospital (even though I was not who she needed to talk to) I told her if she needed me to call me back.  Well wouldn’t you know it…my phone battery died.  Well she tried throughout the night to contact me and of course couldn’t reach me.  Of course neither could my boss.  So I checked my messages yesterday afternoon and I had a call from my superior stating that I was being placed on suspension for one week because I did not respond to a call from a social worker.  That’s alright…I didn’t need to eat anyway.

Sunday night I figured would be low key.  I would go to Burkhart’s and watch the camp drag show and just enjoy myself.  Well I went to leave and the people who manage the parking lot BOOTED MY CAR!  Here I was just an innocent bystander trying to enjoy my Sunday night and they booted me.  They said that they received complaints from several businesses in the strip mall about a PT Cruiser just hanging out in the parking lot all day.  So instead of getting home at 12:15 like I planned I had to wait until they removed the boot from my car at 2:30.

Today I had my first appointment with my new Primary Care Physician.  He told me I was fat.  Not cushy, not pleasantly plump but fat!  As if I didn’t have self esteem issues anyway.  This boy is dedicating himself to tummy crunches and I plan on walking until I die of heat stroke.  Other than that he wants me to shit in a cup to check for parasites and pathogens in my poo.  Maybe I could get Steve Irwin in here to do that…if he does it with gators maybe I can pay him to do it for me.

On a side note the results are in from my geno/phenotypes.  There was no resistance to any of the meds that I am on.  So I have been instructed to resume my old meds again until I go back to my doctor next month on the 28th.  I will have labs drawn a week before then and we will see if my viral load is still rising.  HIV is perplexing and confusing.  We will see how things pan out.

Until next time if you can’t be good…be good at it.

Just as a side note

I realized today that the vast majority of the people that comment on my blog are anonymous. Having come to said realization I know that would obviously create hesitation in possibly purchasing an HIV/AIDS awareness ribbon. Understanding that you have never met me I can appreciate the difficulty of this situation. I do want you to know that as a licensed professional in the psychiatric community I do uphold your fundamental right to privacy and assure you that discretion will be used. Meaning that after the order is placed and shipped your information will be destroyed. Seeing as how this is a grassroots campaign credit cards are of course not accepted and all checks are to be made out to the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network. If there are questions regarding the validity of this organization please do NOT hesitate to ask questions and I do have access to proof that the organization is a 501(c) non profit. Thanks again!

Ribbons for all and general Update

This blog posting is going to cover a general update on things and some random ideas that I am currently thinking about.  So if it seems a little difficult to follow it may just be.  

     I have been getting a few e-mails asking how Pride was.  Pride was…pride was…pride was testing this year.  I have to say that despite our main stage falling on Friday night (only ONE minor injury) and festivities being cancelled on Sunday due to rain that the volunteers and Board of Directors did a hell of a job.  Having never really had a crisis like the stage falling and tents blowing over during a horrible wind storm we managed to evacuate the park and ensure no one seriously got hurt.  Having a disaster plan is one thing.  Actually being able to execute the plan in a timely manner while maintaining sanity and keeping the integrity of Pride alive is a totally different story (see the Bush Administration Disaster Plan).  I am very proud of all of my cohorts!  We did have several arrests this weekend.  I am proud to say that it was protestors who violated the law.  Not one of my brothers or sisters was carried away in a paddy wagon.  Take that scum sucking right wing wackos.  

     I still have not got my lab results back yet.  I am getting totally antsy!  My fear is that they have got them back and they just don’t quite know how to tell me that the backbone of my cocktail is no longer an option or the better case would be they just don’t have the results back yet.  Either way a notification would be nice.  I am starting to notice an increase in fatigue and poor eating habits.  However, assuming that the virus is replicating at 1000% increase per two weeks with a 10% decrease in CD4 counts bi-weekly as well then that puts my viral load around 100,000 and my CD4 is around 350-400.  Of course I have been stressed lately so it may be a little more severe.  Only time will tell.

     Below is an e-mail that I received from a friend.  It comes from a series entitled:  “Heroic Stories”.  The story came from someone named Talie in Oregon.    
     
       "The radio recently discussed AIDS, and I remembered somethingthat happened 12 years ago. I began chatting with the man sitting nextto me at the bus stop. He looked a little tired and drawn, but otherwiseclean and friendly looking. He ended up telling me that he had AIDS;this was before all the life-saving medications now available to fightit. I was taking an AIDS and STDS course in college, so I asked what hiscount was. When he said "Four," I expressed how sorry I was (above 200is HIV positive, below 200 is full-blown AIDS). This man was so gratefulto hear someone be honest about it, he thanked me profusely. He was(fortunately) surrounded by a supportive network of friends and familywho wouldn't give up, and always tried to look at the positive side.That's fabulous, but he was tired of hearing it, and refreshed by myhonesty. When we parted, I took his hand in both of mine, told him noteveryone is afraid or uneducated, and to keep fighting the good fight. Ihave no idea what happened to him: it was only a brief encounter. I justremember the look on his face, and the thanks. I'm not hero, by the way,but it was educational for us both, I think."

It is when I read these kinds of stories that my faith in humankind is restored.  Sometimes I wonder if people will be afraid to touch me in my final days.  I cannot worry about that, but it is a legitimate concern.  I do want to take this time in my blog posting to thank all the heroes out there that combat ignorance and do actually take the time to educate people.  It is these people who make our lives as people living with AIDS much easier.  On another note I want to take this time to point out something to everyone who reads this blog.  The original ribbon that people wore was a red ribbon to signify AIDS (at the time HIV wasn’t detectable) awareness.  Now you see yellow ribbons to support troops, pink ribbons to support breast cancer and on goes the list.  But why don’t you see the FIRST AND ORIGINAL RIBBON DISPLAYED ON PEOPLES CARS?  The answer to that is they are almost impossible to find for purchase.  Well not anymore friends.  Pretty soon they will be on the cars of people in metro Atlanta.  I have one on my car.  However, you will not find them at a Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Walgreens, or anywhere else.  Why you ask?  That is because they are all hand made by my mother.  That’s right my mother makes HIV/AIDS awareness ribbons on her porch!  Currently the ribbons are $5.00.  $3.98 goes directly to the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network Common Ground Day Program to benefit less than fortunate persons living with HIV/AIDS.  This is a very special group to me and if you are interested in purchasing a magnet for your car or refrigerator send me an e-mail at jamesmclarty@comcast.net or phone me at 404-717-7357 and I can send you pictures of the ribbons as well as my mother as she slaves away.  

     Right now a friend of mine is currently battling with ARC’s (AIDS related complications).  I spoke with a mutual friend today and he isn’t doing so well.  They are not sure if he is in the home stretch or not.  I will have more info tomorrow.  I will keep you updated as necessary.

I am in a little bit better place right now despite my friend.  I am just struggling with physical and mental exhaustion.  All of that just doesn’t make for a happy camper.  Things however, will improve as they usually do.  In closing I would like to quote a very wise man Jerry Springer…”Until next time take care of yourself, and each other.”

Latitude and Longitude Unknown

Puddin' (my nickname given to me by my inner circle) is not in a good place right now. I am concerned because I still haven't heard about my latest labs regarding resistance and there are a couple of other areas that are fuzzy right now. I hate the utter feeling of being lost and not knowing the general direction that I am travelling in. While it is not natural to know everything about the situation you are in it honestly is not something that I am accustomed to. Although it seems that most of my friends are having the summer blues of some sorts. Maybe we are just on a wierd planetary cycle right now where the heavens are just testing us. I am grateful that I have friends that I can share my problems with and hope they feel the same way.