Never really works out......

I'm back, I went to my G.I. appt the other day only to be rejected because I needed a (prior auth or referral) from my General Practitioner.  My rheumatologists office told me that they called and checked and I did not need one for this. I had the appt. because I was in the E.R. with serious stomach pain and reflux issues. Prior knowledge says that I had peptic ulcers and Barrett's Esophagus (which is a pre-cancerous condition) brought on by prolonged untreated G.E.R.D. I have also had this burning spot in my gut that has been there for years. I describe it as someone slowly twisting a white hot poker through my abdomen back and forth. It's truly painful. I am nervous, and have been, because nobody has ever found the source of this pain. (Nobody has ever REALLY taken the time to look for it) is more like it. It is so precise that I can literally draw a circle around the pain with a pen! You would think that would be a good lead! So, in the E.R. they tell me that I need to get in to see my G.I. doctor ASAP because I have bleeding duodenal ulcers (that's new) and they could have been caused by my meds and made worse by stress. No big suprise there... I told my rheumatologist this at my appt with him a few days later and he stressed the importance of that appt. I reminded him how difficult it is to get a referral from my primary and he said WE WILL GO ABOVE HIM AND WRITE THE REFERRAL! I stood there as they called and they turned around and said that they were told I didn't need one for this. COOL! So I show up and get rejected. The assistant at the G.I.'s office was MAD! She called my primary and told them it was an emergency and that I had actively bleeding ulcers and was ordered to this appointment by the E.R. and they still said I'd have to make an appt. to see my primary (which had no available appts until August) and then he would write the referral and send it to the referrals dept for processing (which takes anywhere from two to six months!!) By then I could be DEAD! Are you kidding me?? Here's where I truly see that the medical clinics are in it for the MONEY! He wants his money for the referral, he's not concerned about my health and well being. Sorry about the venting....I'm just seriously frustrated about this!
ANYWAY......today is my Neurology appt to find out what the "white spots" on my brain MRI mean for me going forward and learn what the next step is. I don't know if I will come away from this with a diagnosis or not, we shall see. All I know is that Neurologists like to do lumbar punctures (spinals) and she is getting NO WHERE NEAR MY SPINE! Not unless she can knock me out first. Two things I have trouble with in this whole battle (Lumbar pokes and blood gasses) NOT HAPPENING! So wish me luck today. OH, I need to try and remember to tell her about my slurred speech yesterday! A lady down the hall from me heard it and she just lost her grand daughter to Lupus. She said, her grand daughter also had that problem from time to time, It goes along with the brain fog they talk about but it's really caused by the meds. HOPEFULLY that's all. Peace, love and Gentle Hugs!
~Heidi