Lousy doctor's visit. Should I request a refund?

[vivalavida89]

Okay, going to address multiple points in one post:

-technically, you don't HAVE to have health insurance - however, if you don't, there is a fee you have to pay (I can't remember what it is, but I know it's relatively low this year, then increases the next couple of years)

-the attitude of "go to the ER because you won't have to pay your bill because you're uninsured" is TERRIBLE and it's a big part of the reason WHY universal coverage is being mandated. Medical care is a service, and you should have to pay a fee for it, just like you pay for water and heat. Otherwise, those doctors that you count on to save your life? Yeah, wave bye-bye, because they won't work for free. I would be willing to bet that most hospitals would work with you on a payment plan so they could recoup at least SOME of their money, rather than take a complete loss (sorry, this point is a pet-peeve of mine)

-I would also be willing to bet solid money that whoever answered the phone at the clinic is NOT a licensed medical professional and is more along the lines of your typical receptionist - so basically, he/she wouldn't have had a clue whether or not it was something serious.

-OP, regardless of the fact that you did not ask for pain killers from the start, you DID ask for them at the end of your appointment. Asking for painkillers is GOING to put an MD/PA/NP, etc on high alert, especially if you do not have any prior relationship with that doctor. I'm getting the impression that you're young and not in the medical field, so I'm going to tell you this - everybody involved with the use of painkillers - prescribers, pharmacies, and drug wholesalers, mainly - are cracking down. Prescription drug abuse is a huge epidemic in this country and the authorities are cracking down on it. Prescribers don't want to risk their licenses for someone who may be drug-seeking and will turn around and sell it on the street. Same with pharmacies. It's not fair to people who have a genuine need, but it's coming down to CYA.

tl;dr - painkillers are probably more easy to find on the street than to get legally, sadly

-also OP - you stated it was bright red clumps of blood - which multiple other posters have stated indicates lower intestinal bleeding - ulcers are most commonly found in the stomach/small intestine (aka upper digestive tract) - if you told the MD this, that probably has a lot to do with why he wouldn't give you anything for an ulcer.

[arwenmark]

To the OP, you mentioned a few times in this thread that you talked with or read about others with IBS. That is a specific condition, my son has it. Do you have it? I mean were you previously diagnosed with it?
If so this information would make a big difference to this entire thread.
If you were not diagnosed previously with it, why mention people who have it?

[charolastra00]

Please get insurance, get a general practitioner and gastroenterologist, and come back when you have an actual diagnosis.

Health insurance is cheap. And yes, $200 is cheap compared to the alternative. I don't want to scare the OP, but a dear friend in the young adult cancer world had similar, intermittent symptoms for a year and saw various ER and urgent care doctors for his ailments. It wasn't until shortly after college graduation, when he was quite literally sitting in the ER hemorrhaging through his pants, that a full work-up was done. Stage III colon cancer. Yes, it can happen. He ended up getting covered by MassHealth (something that was available to him but he chose not to enroll in), but the first few months after his ER visit cost him tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Now, more than likely, the OP got a bit of a stomach bug or has IBS or something similar. But she doesn't know that yet, and without a proper workup, no doctor will know that either. For that workup, you need to see a specialist. Even ERs are unlikely to perform one unless there's immediate reason to suspect there's something seriously wrong.

NOTE: I want to emphasize how much attitude impacts treatment, right or wrong. The OP's description of how she interacted with the clinic would send up my drug seeking behavior flags too. Going into ANY doctor's office while diagnosing yourself (thus far, the OP seems to think she has IBS and/or ulcers, neither of which seem to have been diagnosed by a medical professional) is often going to negatively impact your treatment. I had vague symptoms for 5 years before my cancer was diagnosed. At one point, I told my doctor I had been doing some Googling and was concerned about Hodgkin's lymphoma. I got the brush off. And in most cases, that would have just been hypochondria - except I actually DID have Hodgkin's lymphoma and the 3 year wait between that appointment and diagnosis was what put me at Stage IV (and luckily I had a VERY slow growing case). I can't say I had the best doctor when she ignored my concerns, but I hear this echoed among many people. Doctors assume you're a hypochondriac when you come in with your own diagnoses. Keep a list of your symptoms, when they occur, and anything else of note to bring to an appointment, rather than a list of possible diseases and ailments.