#even though i still have the whole referral and appointment process ahead of me

[miodiodavinci]

post cancelled my doctor's appointment was exceptionally pleasant and i got the specialist referral i desperately needed ;;;` v ´;;;

feeling tired and weepy , , , ,

[pocodormire]

Hi there. Do you feel like telling a bit more about how that appointment went? I'm asking because I've been reading you for a long time since I relate terribly to what you've been sharing on here, and funny enough I happen to have gone through the same thing lately and ended up with a sooner-than-expected appointment, next week. I have no idea how to act. I know what you mean by treating it like a job interview. And I'm especially confused because I don't know what I want from this, I just know that I'm terribly struggling. I didn't even contact them directly, I was getting treatment for a physical issue (thyroid) and when that got fixed but I still had some symptoms I was told that those remaining symptoms could be of a psychological nature, so they got me a referral. I've been on-and-off suicidal since age 11, and been riding the line between ambition and burnout since forever, so I'm aware I have issues. But I never thought I deserved help, at least not enough to ask for it, even though rationally I know it's the best thing. And now I have this thing coming up and I don't know how to act or what to do with myself. Sorry if this is a lot though. But this was again way too relatable lol.

Hi, sorry for the delay! First of all, I think what helped me was to write down a list of things that have been bothering me lately that I would have been okay with sharing. I did not talk about the massive depressive states in which I have been or the dark things that go through my head. You dont have to that, you can decide to share even one small detail. I think that as you go ahead through the process you may talk about more in-depth, but for the first few meetings they just get to know you.

Secondly, Im not a huge fan of the whole idea of therapy either. In my case, as it is connected to uni, I will only be able to do about 4 meetings with this counselor. Therefore, it's a lot less scary and decided to give it try. Keep in mind you can end the process at anytime, but allow yourself to at least try to ask for help. You mentioned you have issues, I have them too. We both know it, so I guess it's our choice to at least try and do something about it. Certainly, that does not mean it is going to magically fix everything, but it may help.

Best of luck!!

[paumeranian]

Interview #5

14/3/19

Tell me about a time where you started feeling symptoms. What did you do? How did you feel in that moment? (How important is it to you to get these symptoms checked out? How long you do you typically wait before doing so? Why?)

I started feeling symptoms not long after I had an iron injection so I thought my injury was correlated to that

I went to the doctors to confirm it, and it took us a long time to figure out that it actually wasn’t that - so  I was in a little pain for a very very long time

How long did you wait after you felt the pain before consulting the doctor again?

It was pretty soon, I had the iron injection and then within a couple of days I started to feel really really intense pain and thinking it was from that, it was within a week, I was able to go back and say hey something’s wrong

How did you feel in that moment?

Kinda scared, I hadn’t had that sort of pain before so I was worried and wanted to get some clarification that I hopefully wouldn’t have anything to worry about or it would ease out

How long do you usually wait before getting things checkout though? Why?

I wait till things get really really bad before I see the doctor with anything. One of the reasons being money, doctors are pretty expensive and I’ve got that kiwi attitude “She’ll be alright”

Tell me about your healthcare provider. Is your doctor/GP available via booking an appointment or is it a walk-in clinic?

By appointment but I also can do walk-ins, I never really have to wait that long which is quite good

But if I do walk-in I can’t guarantee that I see my preferred doctor so I always prefer to book in ahead of time if I can

Is it important to you that you see one doctor consistently for all check-ups? Why or why not.

Pretty important, I understand continuity of care is pretty important since they have a good understanding of your health history

Talk me through your usual process of allocating a day and time to see your doctor/GP? How easy or difficult is it to schedule an appointment at a time that suits you? (if it’s a walk-in clinic, how long do you have to wait to see your doctor/GP?)

It’s pretty easy

My hours at work, I finish quite early so I still have a couple of hours at the end of the day to get an appointment if it’s really urgent, otherwise I wait till the weekend to book and usually I’m able to get an appointment when I need it which is cool

When I made an appointment, this doctor’s pretty good I don’t have to wait longer than 10 minutes or so

With walk ins it’s pretty good as well I’ve never waited longer than 15 minutes

Talk me through your most recent visit to the doctor or GP. What were you thinking and how were you feeling from waiting in reception through to going home?

Worried cause I’m always anxious *laughs*

Every time I’m going to the doctor they say my BP elevates which is normal because I’m always anxious about going to the doctor anyway

Can you tell me roughly how long you were seen by the doctor for?

I wouldn’t say they’re like super speedy but not prolonged either

About 20 minutes -  Sometimes it’s pretty straightforward and it’s a good amount of time. Other times it could be a bit longer and they get to be more thorough with tests.

Do you have to pay for blood tests?

Some of them are free but some of them do cost

They didn’t warn me about the cost until I got there

It’s frustrating especially since doctors are costly as is - I do think that people need more warning about what they’re going to pay rather than getting it and say “Oh you owe us this”

Talk me through how you were feeling during the actual check-up.

This is when I start to calm down, it’s always the lead up that is more nerve-wracking than being in there

When I start talking about what I’m there for, hearing myself speak sort of calms me down

Trust: 8 times out of 10 I’d say I’m pretty confident in talking to the doctor, some stuff I still keep to myself. Maybe because of fear of judgment. Even though they’re doctors they’ve seen it all but I still can’t shake that anxiety.

How long have you been going to your doctor for?

A year and a half, nearly 2 years

How I made the decision to go to this doctor instead: Cheaper and closer. I thought it was going to be a lot cheaper but it was only slightly cheaper. So I’m considering changing again mostly for the cost. It’s convenient to get to and I never have to wait that long for an appointment but it’s just the price is hefty.

Are there any other factors you take into consideration when choosing a doctor?

I like to get recommendations from people that have been there before so I know that they’re good

Tell me about how your provider explained potential diagnoses and solutions. Were you able to understand clearly the benefits or side effects if any of medication you’re given?

The first provider that helped me get diagnosis for my back injury - he was really good, thorough, would tell me everything and force me to ask any questions in regards to medication he would give me, if I was keen on taking high doses of pain killers which was really cool

The healthcare provider I’m with now, they’re not so informative. I feel like I have to do some research and then ask all the questions rather than them providing me with all the information I should have

I’m really cautious about taking medication. Would go without. I’m not one to pop pills if I’ve got a headache or anything I just let it go

Tell me about a significant clinical experience you can recall (either positive or negative). Why was it significant? How did you feel in that moment? Why did you feel that way? Do most check-ups with your provider turn out like this?

With the iron injection that I thought I had, I thought I had damaged a nerve that’s why I was getting a lot of pain in my leg

After a few trips to the doctor to work out what it was, they finally referred me to a specialist because I couldn’t get an MRI through other means

After a few months I was able to get an MRI so I had that and nothing was showing up but still felt incredible pain, couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand, couldn’t sit

It was really really horrible and nothing was making sense

Finally on the third MRI, it showed I had a prolapse disk that was pushing into my nerve - even with something as common as that it took a really long time to diagnose it

Took about 6 months to fully diagnose, they had talked me through surgery that I was going to have but then ACC weasled in and said they weren’t gonna cover that

Had to heal naturally which prolonged my entire *laughing* healing time from start to finish to about nearly 2 years - couldn’t work, sleep, sit, or do anything

Dosed up on pain killers galore the whole time

Surgery

I was really really nervous especially cause I’ve never had surgery before so I didn’t know what to expect with that

But kind of relieved that I would get relief - nervous excitement

Can you comment on the quality of care you typically receive in relation to the cost of a check-up? Rate the cost from:

_ Very affordable     _ Affordable           _ Expensive             _ Very expensive

I’d say this particular doctor is kind of unfair, the GP that I’ve been seeing in regards to a heart issue has been difficult in the sense that I have to constantly chase him up about what’s happening

He’s sending off referrals to cardiologists and I’m not hearing anything back

I feel like I’ve just been completely ignored in the system

Overall, can you tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are with your healthcare provider?

In the middle, on the fence

One of my previous GP’s (regular one) was fantastic but the one I’ve been seeing for this particular issue hasn’t been that great

What’s the perfect GP like for you?

Thorough, lets you know about side effects, gives you all info, doesn’t leave you with questions, prepares you for what’s to come

If you’re taking medication or has a procedure that they’re planning they should give you an explanation of what you expect

Reflect on interview

NZ healthcare system is sh*ttier than what I thought

Thoughts of NZ healthcare system

It could be better

Pricewise it could be better

Doctors are very quick to write you a prescription for stuff you may not necessarily need

Need to be more thorough with patients, give them more information

At this point, Nathan who was sitting in the same room contributed to the conversation:

Nathan

“There’s all these other issues I could ask them about” at the time

If you’re paying to see them about one specific thing - then you go

I don’t see it as like you pay for an appointment then you present them a list of everything you need checked out, I feel like you’re gonna end up with a whole lot of treatments you’re gonna have to pay for that you didn’t know about at the time

Then they give you the info and you have to pay like $200 bucks or something

Lauren

That’s what bugs me as well, a lot of times when I do need to go to the doctor it’s cause a whole lot of stuff has built up because I’ve put it all on the back burner

“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine” and then all of a sudden I’ve got like 10 things to be seen about

But then I feel bad like I’m a burden saying “Oh btw there’s this other issue, and then there’s this.” I don’t want to think I’m a hypochondriac

At the same time don’t wanna come back for another issue

Nathan

You feel like rushed because doctors’ time is really valuable

But at the same time you pay $90 just to see them and half the time you barely get your money’s worth

Knowing they’re doctors that puts you off wanting to take more of their time

Lauren

That’s what I did like about my doctor in Kumeu but it was so annoying to get to because I don’t drive and it’s quite a distance away

$50 for an appointment, even when you make an appointment I would have to wait sometimes an hour

But he’s so thorough, and so good and never wanna like push all these pills on me.

He’d always have different alternatives. If I didn’t want to do one thing he would have an alternative that might work for me

Understandably why he see people so late because he’s always thorough with everyone

The doctor I see now I do feel rushed. My lady doctor (other one) I never felt rushed with her.

My brother’s is only $17 per appointment

Their brother Anthony

Not enrolled it would be $70 but once you’re enrolled the first visit is $35 and any other visit from there is $17

Unless all you’re doing is seeing the nurse it’s $13

Lauren

Doctor kept on sending requests to get me in for an MRI but they keep saying there’s no evidence that I need one

Like I can’t walk. What more evidence do you need *laughs*

I’m glad that I wasn’t able to get surgery. In the long run it would’ve given me more problems

Personal reflection: This was an interesting interview as I got to ask some new questions and go off script like “Describe what an ideal doctor would be” to gain insight into my users’ desires and needs. While it’s recommended to pinpoint needs through how they describe their current experiences now, I tried experimenting and collecting “I wish” responses which I believe is another way of understanding what and where the gaps are.