The only time I went to Urgent care, I had mixed results. The young doc who saw me said she’s an ER doc but wanted more control of her hours and liked doing everything. She xrayed my painful foot and tentatively diagnosed simple fracture of fibula. She gave me a SHORT boot to immobilize it and didn’t have crutches in my size. I went to Walgreens to get a pair of crutches.
Later, I was called and told that the radiologist re-read the X-ray and said NO fracture. I went to an urgent ortho clinic the next day and they re-read the X-ray and confirmed the original Dx of simple fracture but said I needed LONG boot and reissued me one and made a follow appt with a orthopedic md specializing in legs and ankles. Each visit was covered by my insurance and was a $15 copay.
I was only charged for the short boot and never billed for the correct long boot. The charge for the boot was much higher than online prices but insurer said it was fine and I paid my copay and insurer paid theirs.
I hurt my foot - probably a combo of hiking and treadmill overuse. I can’t get into to see the podiatrist for a month - I said - what if my foot is broken, am I supposed to be walking around on it? I’m not sure what to do from here - ER’s/Urgent cares tend to miss fractures, and I wouldn’t expect them to know more advanced orthopedic issues.
@eyemamom is there, by chance, another UC/ER near you that would be covered by your insurance? A month is too long.
We have one ER here that’s really good and one that’s not. But the former will likely have a wait time of several hours unless you’re dying. The second will get you right in.
I only have one specialist that I will wait any real length of time to see, and yes it has occasionally exceeded an hour. He takes all the time necessary with each patient, but is often dealing with last minute emergencies that have to be squeezed in.
Ok…
How about the dentist? I was able to get my tooth evaluated today. I need a crown…which can’t be started until April 27. They put in a temp filling in the meantime. I sort of had to beg for the April 27 day because they were really booking at the end of May.
Just saw a world-famous lung doc yesterday. Had to wait 4 months for the appt but he was pretty much exactly on time for the appt. He was very generous with his time.
Annual sched for 9am. Asst and I walking from waiting to exam room? 9am. (I know cuz I was shutting off my cell.)
Needed a specialist (not an MD, an ancillary field.) They wanted to book end of April, thankee. I said, as nicely as I could, “In in that 6 weeks, Professor Google will have made me an expert and I won’t need you.”
I did take that and they put on the cxl list. But I called another and got in the next day.
Just sharing. And at times, my PCP’s admins have been great at helping get an earlier date.
@eyemamom Can you get in to see an orthopedist instead of a podiatrist? An orthopedist can assess whether there is a fracture or a soft tissue injury. Some are also trained in sports medicine and can evaluate that. There are also sports medicine docs that are not orthopedists that you could see after you rule out a fracture. Your pcp could probably also give you a referral to an orthopedist if you need it to get seen.
I broke my foot last year. I didn’t have X-rays. It was something my PCP could diagnosed. The doctor just pressed on a certain part of my foot.
The treatment was pretty easy. I bought a boot from Amazon and wore it for 3 weeks. The doctor said if the foot didn’t hurt after 3 weeks, I was good. No foot pain since.
I broke my foot… it three small bones were broken. Had to be cashed for six weeks. Went to an orthopedist. No way would I have dealt on’ynwith my PCP…and he would not have done this anyway.
The ortho wasn’t even convinced I broke my foot. I practically had to beg for x rays. Good thing he did them!!
@thumper1 I am kind of shocked, but it may be a regional thing. Our PCP and orthopedics are pretty thorough.
@eyemamom I would go the route to be able to get Xrays soon, and maybe get you in a walking boot.
Years ago I wore inadequate shoes for hiking. It didn’t show up on XRay, but orthopedic (hand and foot specialist) suspected a hairline fracture, and handed accordingly. It was quite a long time until it was 100%. For my most recent birthday, I got excellent hiking boots. I really take care of my feet. I have had bilateral bunion surgery on both feet by an excellent podiatrist (co-worker recommendation), as did DD (I had both bunion and bunionette, while DD had bilateral bunionette surgery before she was 18 but her growth plates were complete so it was OK).
Neighbor’s 20 YO daughter jammed her finger playing an intermural sport, and didn’t attend to it right away. Now they are getting insurance approval for CT scan because MD fears she will have pain, finger limitations - loss of joint movement. Yikes.
So tend to things and be a pusher for getting the right care. It is your body and you have the most invested in keeping it working. I had a GYN (no longer my doc) who misdiagnosed my breast cancer with an in office ultrasound and he would not move up the mammogram (I found the lump - and it was more superficial, but spread down the milk duct and into my mammary nodes, it was adenocarcinoma). Put me in danger of losing my life because the cancer was so aggressive. I went from almost 100% survival, to 50/50 at stage IIIa - in 10 weeks, that is how aggressive it was. PCP said for most the 10 week wait for routine mammogram would not have had the cancer advance so much. GYN didn’t know what the H— he was looking at…
I have become very assertive about my medical care and that if my loved ones. I’m glad I get the care I and we need so we don’t end up with permanent harm.
With my fractured fibula that urgent care couldn’t decide whether it was fractured and issued the short boot instead of the tall boot, could have had significantly bad consequences instead of healing perfectly with the tall boot and after PT and no limp now or other problems.
Well I went to the internal medicine person - not my regular dr though. She thinks it’s a bunion, I don’t disagree. I had xrays done, still waiting on the report. I started taking an anti-inflammatory. I’m in the ortho biz, but I’m not a dr so I can’t diagnose myself. Our local ortho’s … well, I’ll just say I won’t go to them. I have a really good podiatrist though. As long as it isn’t broken I think I’m okay. I was able to walk on the treadmill today - just a walk though at 3.5 and minimal incline through the foothills program and I’m okay. If it was broken I’d be in pain. I had stepped on glass last week, didn’t get it all out and walked funny on this foot that now hurts. I got brave and squeezed that sucker out and shortly after that this foot hurt. I swear my body rejects exercise at a cellular level.
I have super high arches and I pronate. It was great when I was a young ballet dancer, now I’m a middle aged woman, and it isn’t so great. I do have these nifty arch support things for flat shoes that I started wearing again.
I am going to keep up with the meds, not go crazy on the hiking trails and treadmill and wait to see the podiatrist who really knows his stuff.
I have an urgent referral and they said there was nothing they could do. I’m not sure what that means for me because I can’t find another specialist in the area with better availability.
@CaliCash you ask the doctor if you can be seen if anyone cancels. Doctor offices often have same day or day before cancellations…and can slip folks like you in. Ask.
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