This is not crazytown

I don’t know who reads or follows this, it doesn’t matter. Someday, it may help someone so I thought I would make fun stickers and write about our little town on a website. Hi. I had a total left hip replacement because i was born funny. My neck is the same way. I have met many surgeons, specialists, professionals in our healthcare systems for almost a decade. I also met them while caring for my elders, children, and friends.

There are good and lousy, encouraging and miserable, “oh hell no! and thank heavens!” practioners. Not everyone was the head of their class and it is my job as a RN and patient advocate to touch upon a few things when accessing care in this area.

1. There is a Patient Bill of Rights, read it and use it.
2. Plan ahead on your deductibles etc. If youre a young person and healthy, you may not hit deductible until you’re holiday shopping and then all the bills hit at once.
3. Pediatricians work for YOU. Never hesitate to call and leave messages or request a call back!
4. Same for obstetrics. Better safe than sorry. Kick counts after 28 weeks matter. Vision changes and headaches matter. You and your baby matter. 
5. Home health and hospices-this is my favorite for this area, so many elderly should not be driving to appointments, so many lack family support, they wait too long to access care and then they’re too sick to heal. Alone. Home care should cover so much more but that is a type of nursing job many are afraid to do, thus you get a rushed and overloaded nurse who just survived traffic getting to your house.
6. Surgeons do surgery. They do not follow multiple medical problems or chronic long term issues. They are super specialists and they are overloaded also. All of them, every part of Florida.
7. Emergency rooms are not urgent care. Primary care appointments can take weeks to get in for things that urgent care can fix in an afternoon. Urgent cares do not have radiologists on staff so if you are broken, bleeding profusely, on blood thinners, head injuries, or pregnant GO TO ER. If you have a virus, uti, small stable wound, go to urgent care. I promise. Anything pediatric, call the pediatrician.  Cardiac or Respiratory GO TO ER OBVIOUSLY. Learn signs of Stroke and call an ambulance facial droop and slurring get you seen faster!
8. BCFR will transport you, straight to the waiting room with your sprained ankle to wait for 6-8 hours. Calling ambulances does not get you seen faster in the ER.
9. Your health is entirely your problem. Nobody is coming to save you. Even the people you think will show up for you may have things come up, so fail to plan, equals plan to fail. If you are alone, and facing a major health journey, there are agencies, churches, and volunteer groups that can be accessed through The Sunflower House, Promise of Brevard, United Way of Orlando (hit and miss) and I don’t know about the churches as there are many! Just get out there, volunteer, get involved and see find out who your friends are!
10. The VA center here is BEAUTIFUL.  I have a friend that goes and never has a problem. They have valet. Sometimes he waits a while for an appointment but the kindness and quality exemplified through eager service is amazing.

Overall, caring and being cared for anywhere in the world after the pandemic has drastically changed. What surprised me after moving here, was the population burden upon the physicians that stick it out through the litigious, snarky, entitled, and super sick chronic health problems they brought with them from their other place. Waiting for appointments can be a long time. Finding empathy can be tough. YET When you DO find that gem, the diamond in the rough that makes it all work for the greater good, it is similar to finding an oasis in the desert. My hip surgery was exactly that. I found the best surgeon at the best facility with the most caring and compassionate practioner. They absolutely exist and in the Patient Bill of Rights ensures you don’t quit until you find what you need.

💞🌴🤙🏽🦩🌞🌴💞