Urgent, but non-ER options for terrible allergies?

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

(I'm really taking advantage of the "whine locally" slogan.)

ETA: You guys are awesome! I have an appt. Friday morning at Somerville Family Health, and the lady was, indeed, super-nice.

I don't yet have a primary care physician here, but I figured when I needed to go to the doctor for something then I would do it then. All of a sudden, I've been hit with the worst allergies I've ever had, like barely-breathing, body and eyes itching, huge throat swelling, etc. etc. etc. I called the place where I was going to get a doctor and (Mass natives probably see where this is headed) was told I have to make a special first-time appointment, which isn't available until the middle of September.

"September?" I asked disappointedly.
"Well, it is almost August," the nurse said as if only waiting a month and a half to breathe wasn't so bad.
"I'm just in a lot of pain," I said. "I can come back in September and do the physical and full history or whatever you need me to do, but my symptoms are really severe now."
"It's just seasonal allergies," the nurse said, clearly frustrated with me. (Where do they get these people?)
"Yes, but I'm having a lot of trouble breathing, and the over-the-counter medication isn't helping that much."
"Why don't you call your old doctor and ask him or her to prescribe something?"
"I can't do that. It was a student health center and I'm not a student any longer."

So then the nurse ends up giving me this obnoxious and probably totally bullshit sob story about how long she has to wait for her own personal appointments too and says they have their hands full with their "real patients" (she actually said that).

I have decent insurance so if I have to go to the ER, it won't ruin my nonexistent kid's chances of going to college. But I'd rather not.

Does anyone know of a way I can be seen by a doctor/nurse practitioner/allergist in the next few days? I know it's just allergies and I'm not a real patient, but just maybe some doctor will overlook that and actually treat me like I'm a real human in pain.

Comments

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Haha! I thought of you when I was writing this. Well, I thought how you would probably be nicer than that lady.

I still think the sob story that awful nurse was telling me about her wait times was total bullshit.

[goremeister-666.livejournal.com]

i try to be nice. sometimes it is impossible! i.e. THIS:
http://goremeister-666.livejournal.com/31865.html

it is possible that she had to wait that long. some of the docs have MONTHS long wait times, however there are plenty of decent young drs that are starting practice, or someone new in town and they have open appointments. i am glad you found someone to see you and i hope you feel better soon!

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Your patient complaints are sad/funny!

I once saw a stripper who'd posted on Craigslist with all these complaints and etiquette tips. She said she no longer would give lap dances to dudes who were going commando (ick), and reminded everyone that it's NOT ok to ask if you can just "slip it in for a minute."

options

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

why would it be bullshit?

Aside from getting a "right-now" appointment through the avenues people have laid out, you definitely want to get a full workup by an allergist, even if that ends up happening months down the line. It will make a huge difference in your quality of life - and establish if what you have are allergies or are something else. I've been getting allergy shots for a while now, and as someone with huge seasonal allergy issues, it's made an enormous difference - however, it's not a quick fix, as it takes months to build up that resistance. So totally worth it.

The time to look for a PCP is not when you're actually having a problem - always get one as soon as you can, so that when you do have a problem, you're already in.

You might also pick up a neti pot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDIbRAXlg) to irrigate your sinuses. That may also help.

Re: options

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Sorry; I wasn't clear--the way she told the story more than the fact seemed kind of bs.

Yes, I'm definitely cheecking in with allergists. I read up about the shots yesterday and I'll probably get started soon. I didn't know until yesterday how slow the process was as far as letting your resistance build up. Do you have a local allergist to recommend?

Oh, yes, I love my neti pot. One of the best inventions ever, as far as I'm concerned.

Re: options

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

You'll need to go every week at first, slowly tapering to every other week, and finally every month.

Dr. Gurka (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=dr.+gurka&near=Arlington,+MA&fb=1&view=text&latlng=18103601977398122886) is accessible via the 77 and has evening hours.