Long Waits for Doctors’ Appointments Have Become the Norm

[Dustlawyer]

24. I had to cancel my Dermatologist (been a regular patient for years) last December.

I just went last week to the rescheduled date appointment.

I am severely allergic to Poison Ivy and 12 years ago I caught it. I had to go to the ER and get the shot. It kept coming back a week after the shot and I kept going to emergency clinics until they didn't want to give anymore shots. It gets in my blood stream. When I realized that what used to work wasn't going to work anymore I tried to make my 1st ever appointment with a Dermatologist. I called several and the quickest was 3 months, the rest were longer up to 6 months! I finally just showed up at an office and refused to leave. While walking by the front desk they told the doctor about me refusing to leave. She came out to tell me she was full and saw the extent of my problem, it was going down my throat and shutting my eyes and covered most of my body she took me right in. At that time the Cortizone cream I use since that visit was prescription only. She grudgingly gave me one more shot and and jar of the cream which allowed me to finally get rid of it for good.

The myth of American Exceptionalism, whether it is medicine or just about any other damn thing is just that, a myth. When you dig down like here you find that we really aren't better than other countries anymore in any of the good categories. Another example I have seen first hand recently is from the BP oil spill. The government and industry continue to tout that seafood sold in America, whether caught by our fishermen or imported, is the safest in the world. Want to know how we achieve such safe seafood? FDA inspectors smell it! Laboratory test are too expensive (they say). LSU tested some Gulf Shrimp caught off of Louisiana that had been passed by FDA inspectors. The shrimp had over 1,000 times the allowable levels of hydrocarbons! Before you freak on Gulf seafood, understand that now well over 90% of the seafood purchased in the states is imported, mainly from Asia where their rivers are way more polluted than ours. As long as you don't eat it more than 2-3 times a month, the experts say you would be ok (for whatever that is worth)!