My Adventure at Children's Hospital... (Public Healthcare UPDATE)

So this is sort of an update to one of my previous posts Why I hate the public healthcare system, last week after all the trouble I had to go through I finally was able to schedule an appointment for my daughter. It only took 6 weeks but whatever. Anyway today was the appointment, it started off like any other morning wake up early, fight the usual horrendous LA traffic (it was so bad I even got a picture of it see below), keep my daughter happy so she is in a good mood when she meets the doctor.

We got there right on time at 8 am, checked in and then were escorted to the GI and Nutrition clinic on the 2nd floor. I have to admit it was a pretty nice facility, there were cool paintings on the wall, a flat screen TV (with nothing on of course) and plenty of comfortable seating. I filled out my paperwork while trying to keep my daughter from wandering, which isn't exactly easy when you're filling out paperwork. We didn't wait long at all, I think we sat there maybe 10 minutes at most before we got called in.

So the nurse does the usual, weighs her, checks her height, and attempted to get her blood pressure... nice try lady my daughter is a wiggler. And then we were taken into a room to wait for her doctor, Dr. Liu. I was expecting an older man with an accent like her primary pediatrician, but about 5 minutes later walks in a younger man probably early 30's no accent and VERY friendly.

We talked about what had been going on (the chronic diarrhea for over 2 and half months) her diet, family history of illnesses, you know the usual. Then he tried to examine her which is pretty difficult because she is quite strong and wiggles a lot. Then we get down to the whole purpose of her visit, you know the diagnosis. Of course it's impossible to know considering no tests were performed besides fecal tests, so without labwork, he tells me it could be a food allergy. She could be allergic to milk but it's not likely considering she has been drinking it for awhile.

Then the worst of them all, she could possibly have an autoimmune disease called Celiac Disease, something I knew nothing about but anytime I hear "disease" I start to freak out. He tries to reassure by saying that she's kind of young to have it. I didn't even know what it was nor had I even heard of it so I just assume it's probably true. He ended up requesting lab work to test her for different things, and we will follow up in early November.

Now here's the really stupid part, instead of getting the labwork done at Children's Hospital which would be the obvious thing to do, I have to schedule an appointment with my primary pediatrician and get the labwork requested by him, because my insurance company only authorized an office consultation. So basically if I had it done there I would have to foot the bill. AGAIN THANK YOU PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.. you have truly inconvenienced me once again.

The nightmare never seems to end, and now I have to be concerned about her having Celiac Disease, which I googled on my phone as soon as I left, it basically is an  is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. (Yes I took that from the A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia) So if she has it everyone has to switch to a gluten free diet.

I'm going to be really bummed if she has it, because there are so many foods she loves that she'll have to give up but I guess on the upside if they find it earlier switching to this diet won't be as hard for her because she's only 15 months old and doesn't understand. I think it will be harder for me personally than her but as a parent you make sacrifices for your children and I'm 100% willing to do it for her, besides hearing that she could possibly have Celiac Disease makes me wonder if I have it, I've had GI problems in the past and it's hereditary so maybe I should get tested too.

Bottom line, I'm no closer than I was yesterday to a diagnosis, instead I'm now worried more and even more frustrated with the public health system.

Why I Hate the Public Health Care System

As everyone knows since the economy started to tank in 2008, nearly everyone has been hit with financial difficulties and has had to make some sacrifices in some ways. I am no exception, when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter I was umemployed like many others and my boyfriend's job did not offer health insurance.

So I was forced to apply for Medi-Cal, I didn't necessarily mind it, afterall my older sister and her kids had been on Medi-Cal for years and did ok. Everything was going ok for the first year, fastward to July of this year. 

WARNING: THIS IS WHERE IT GETS A LITTLE GRAPHIC

Anyway around the beginning of July my daughter came down with a horrible case of diarrhea just out of the blue she would have diarrhea 6-8 times a day. It was so bad that she had an awful rash on her bottom, sometimes her butt would be covered in blood because her skin was raw from being wiped so often. It was really bad. 

I took her to the doctor and he informed me she just had a stomach virus and gave me cream for her diaper rash. A week later it continued so we went back, he said the same thing and gave us a different cream. Week 3 we took her to Children's Hospital they told us the same thing, its a stomach virus and to keep doing what I was doing. I go back to the doctor the next week, and he says he will give me a referral to a specialist.

A week and a half later I get my referral and I call to schedule an appointment, but they tell me my doctors office has failed to send of the authorization papers, so I call my doctor and ask them to fax it. This goes on for a 2 weeks. The next week I call Children's Hospital again, they tell me they got it, but they can't do anything until my doctor's office sends over the lab work.

So again I go back and fourth between my doctor's office and Children's Hospital and still nothing, it's going on week 4 and I still haven't got an appointment. My daughter is still having diarrhea, not as bad but still has it every day. Her referral is only good til September 28, 2012 so if I don't get an appointment before then I have to start all over. This is very frustrating, I feel like nobody seems to care she is just another child stuck in the public health system.

Obama Care was passed and is supposed to offer health care options to the public, but if this is what we are going to be subjected to I don't want it. And then I'll be forced to pay a penalty tax because I don't want this crappy public health care the government is offering me. It's ridiculous I don't feel I should have to go through all this trouble to get a freakin appointment, would I get in any sooner if I knew she was dying? Who knows, for all I know she could be but nobody would care because she is part of the public health care system.

Why don't you do something about that Obama, or even Mitt Romney? Anyway I hate the public health system and can't wait to not be a part of it anymore.