Nother...OMG...psychiatrist crisis

[DammitJanet]

My psychiatrist's office just called me on the phone. 8;30 at night. 1/3/2012

I have/had an appointment for 2 pm on Thursday. I say had. I was just told that his practice is closed. If you can say panicked ...start spelling it now. The nice lady said it will be okay because he is still working and is in the same city not far from where he worked and I should be able to get worked in quickly (lets all cross our fingers because I dont think I have many medications left). His practice closed down on December 1st. If someone had called me, sent me a letter, anything...I could have made an appointment so I wouldnt be left worrying about the medications. I am on medications I cant be worrying about. Topamax, lamictal, XanaxER, Ambien. I cant go off them cold turkey. I hope to heck he took my file. He should know I would follow him.

Okay....now I will panic all night.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Calling you at 8:30 PM? like under 48 hours away from your appointment???

ummm.... sorry, I can't print what I'm thinking.

 

[DammitJanet]

I cant believe it either. Normally they call me to tell me when my appointment is a day or two before as a reminder but this is unreal. They said they announced it in the paper but I live a county away.

 

[buddy]

Wow, you just didn't have enough drama going on did you????

OK, time to do the whole.... serenity prayer thing...... nothing you can do until his clinic opens tomorrow and hopefully he will just put you right in and at the very least fill your scripts! It is so strange that this happened so suddenly. It will be very very interesting what would ever cause them to treat people this way, people who are already vulnerable and on edge!

 

[klmno]

Well as long as he didn't lose his licnese, he can write the rx's- and I think I'd be beating the phone lines starting tomorrow am to make sure he does. You'd think he would have done this prior to bailing on the office- or whatever happened.

 

[HaoZi]

Call first thing in the morning and put in a request that he continue your medications as is (and they call it into the pharmacy) until you can get in.

 

[Steely]

WOW ---just WOW!!!!
I can't even type what I really want to say.
Unbelievable.
on the other hand even a doctor in the box will give you a temp supply of your medications until this gets straightened out. Docs realize how dangerous it would be for a person to stop those medications cold turkey.
God I am so sorry.

 

[KTMom91]

Unbelievable. Hope you can get through in the morning.

 

[Hound dog]

That, my friend, has got to be the most UNPROFESSIONAL conduct I've seen in a while. Seriously? Last time I saw such a thing was when Travis' neuro at Columbus Children's took off to God only knows where and we were never notified. We didn't find out about it until we went to his appointment and drove an hour and a half one way to get there. Mad? Oh, yeah, office staff got a major piece of my mind that day.......with a room full of patients to hear every word cuz I wasn't quite about it. I was hopping mad. To top it off they sent his records with the guy........and he'd move like way up by Cleveland somewhere. Now we're clear down south, wth would I take my kid clear up to Cleveland for?? omg So Travis had no doctor and he needed medication refills and they refused because they had no records. So we had to drive home, contact family doctor, and get him in the next day for medications. Then find him a new neuro, which is how he ended up with the fantastic one in cincy.

Take deep breaths. If he can't get you in, or refill your scripts over the phone (which he should be able to do), make an appointment with fam doctor, take all your pill bottles with you, and have him do scripts to last until the appointment they set up for you. I've had to do this so many times for multiple family members it's not funny for various reasons. Usually fam docs don't have an issue if you can show them the script bottle so they know the dose ect.

It will be ok. But I'd tell him just how unprofessional NOT notifying his patients properly of the office closure. Ridiculous.

(((hugs))))

 

[DammitJanet]

I still cant believe they didnt call all the patients back in December when he had to shut down his office. He lost his lease on the building he had and decided at that time to stop being a one man show. Another practice had been courting him for years so he just went there, but for his practice to say that they thought had done enough by putting it in the paper is stupid. I dont even live where there paper comes out.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

I agree this is extremely unprofessional. I wonder how many of his patients will find new docs because of the way this was handled.

I agree that I would begin calling his new office this morning and let them know that if they can't schedule an appointment for this week, you need the doctor to call you because you need your rx's refilled in the meantime.

Sorry this is adding to your list....

Hugs,
Sharon

 

[DDD]

Janet, didn't you say you had a regular MD appointment. today or tomorrow about your skin? I would take my RX's with me to the MD and then explain that your psychiatrist has closed his practice and you are paniced. He could call the psychiatrist office (of course, they answer calls from on another asap) and see if your Rx's can be called in pronto. I think this might work. Fingers crossed. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

I got my appointment for tomorrow at 2. Whew. Now I am trying to find a new therapist and that is proving to be an almost impossible task. There are exactly two places in my county that take my insurance (Medicaid and Medicare) who have Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)'s. I have to have that exact specialty for a therapist too. No one else or my insurance wont pay. ARGH. One of the places doesnt answer their phone at all and just has an answering service that says you leave a number and they will schedule you fro that. I dont like that. The other one sounds very hippy and like a massage parlor. Something like community and patient relaxation center. Huh?

I could probably (maybe) get therapy at my psychiatrists office if they have a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) but that is not a given because I didnt see any one their website but they are in a different county and I would have to drive over 40 mins every week. Each way. I dont want that. Ugh. Oh and one place told me I have to get a new referral from county mental health who have nothing to do with me anymore to top this all off!