Needles, Blood, and Wide Screen TVs

Once a year, when my prescriptions run out, I have to make a pilgrimage to the neighboring town to beg for refills. I have to go in, sit in a chair while some nurse uses a manual blood pressure device to take my blood pressure. All the while someone is sticking a thermometer in my mouth and then not telling me at all what the results are. My mom tells me that she can reduce her blood pressure by just relaxing. Yeah... right...

Let's take a look at my doctor's office, shall we? First off, coming in, you see bright white walls, not the calming green hues that one sees in a Chiropractor or a funeral home. I'm gonna have my next doctor check up at a funeral home... at least I can relax there. And in the middle of the waiting room is a large screen flat LCD TV projecting, loudly, a medicine centered rotating version of CNN. Filled with the information that you just have to know about obesity and heart disease and cancer and DEATH!! Such a relaxing atmosphere. I want classical music or something that says, "You're in a safe place." Air Supply or something....

Then you go to the little room with the not big enough bed (If I wanna sleep during my wait for the doctors, I should be able to put my feet someplace.), and you see posters of the inside of your intestines, or the clots of a blood artery that leads up to a cardiowhatchamacallit, or the colors of a malignant skin tumor. Again, with peeling wallpaper, white, and not a single poster that's not paid for by some drug manufacturer. There's not a single relaxing thing in the whole place.

Then, they stick me with a needle, a couple of times, cause they can't find an artery (I told them I didn't have any blood. Should have told them Dr. Pepper runs through my veins.), and they send it off to Quest Diagnostics, all to tell me information I already know. Yes, my liver enzymes are high, and I pee just fine. Then Quest bills me for $50 dollars and I pay for it for about 6 months until I get stuck again.

Doctors should use common sense, should provide a safe, relaxing environment, and should pay more attention to the customers then the drug manufacturers. My mom goes to a doctor that does that, but my insurance won't pay for it. Oh well...

So this is a blog rant, to make me feel better. And maybe it'll lower my blood pressure.