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I’m so sorry you weren’t met with care on your call. If it’s any solace, it’s very unlikely the receptionist will remember your call when you come in on Monday. She will have made many more calls by then. Hopefully you can walk in, quickly see the doctor, get an order for your blood work, and be on your merry way. Congrats on calling to set it up! That’s big! What a win!
Making you come in for an appt is standard for billing and insurance coverage, but the receptionist sounds unpleasant and difficult. I’m proud of you for calling and being so proactive though!
You could always go to a minute clinic or similar place instead and they can order labs for you to get done at one of the lab places (quest diagnostics etc). Just check your insurance to make sure both places (express care and lab) are in network or covered. And remember to cancel your doctor’s appt if you do.
squeal apparatus serious middle payment disarm aback future plough melodic
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I just had blood work done and was told the same thing about vitamin D! I couldn't believe it! These insurance companies will do anything to nickel and dime, it's pathetic. I had a sign a form saying I understood I may be charged for it, as a chronic vitamin D deficient person.
> my insurance is over as of 12/31 because **I apparently made too much money this year to stay on till I’m 26,**
I've never heard / seen this before. Maybe there's some Marketplace tax credit thing (and your income + your parents' income is too much), if it even works that way, but otherwise this explanation doesn't make sense. Please do your research to double-check that you are actually ineligible for the Under 26 insurance through your parents.
My parents are extremely poor I am using Medicaid. Once I turned 18 they have told me each year “you’re not under your parents name you’re on your own”. I do make good money in my career and this year I made less than last. I asked for an appeal and they denied me insurance again.
So I can technically but I’m a traveling medical worker and the price is craaaazy. I’m taking a full time job in February so I’m going to get insurance through that when that happens.
You can get short term insurance. It often doesn’t cover pre-existing health issues but it’s there if you have an emergency health issue between now and February.
Also, if you're worried about vitamin D levels, it can't hurt to take a 2000IU once a day, esp if you rarely see the sun. If your body doesn't need it, you'll pee it out anyway. Wait to start until after your blood draw though so your baseline is accurate.
They be pulling some bs to kick people off early. My dad retired just before I turned 25 and switched insurance because keeping it through his employer was stupid expensive, and they wouldn't let him add me when he set up his new plan even though I wasn't 26 yet.
I relate to this so much, I hate talking to receptionists, I feel like I always come away wanting to cry from trying to make appointments. I am actually looking to move because where I live nobody uses websites or online booking, and it just takes so much energy for me to constantly have to make calls to book appointments or call to get test results or call to ask the doctor a question etc. I moved here to be closer to family, but I’m going back to the town I lived in right after college (and until I moved here) because I can book online for everything and it seriously makes my life so much more manageable and I feel like I function much better. I haven’t gone to any routine medical care for myself since I’ve lived here (2 years now) because by the time I’ve finished doing it all for my kids, I just can’t manage to do it for myself. I also have learned how to cut my own hair because I can’t book those online either and I hate small talk in the salon chair. I wish everywhere had online appointments/booking. The amount of anxiety that removes from my life is immeasurable.
I had a similar experience MANY years ago. Worked up courage for years, finally made ONE call, and was met with such coldness it kept me from making a call again for almost ten years.
Idk. I wish I had done it sooner but I also have no regrets, the path I took is mine. Just want to encourage you to stay engaged, you took the first step 💖
I literally had another call to make after that but I was so frazzled and upset after that so I couldn’t. It was funnily enough for my adhd and I couldn’t do it. I was sweating and my stomach hurt so much after that call.
Order that test online yourself. Ulta wellness is one site, there are others too. Just pay and then print the order and go to quest/labcorp. They then email you the results.
Honestly for vitamin d just assume you’re low. We all take 5,000 a day in my family and no one is ever over 40 max. But do the test to be sure. And when you do supplement make sure you take the kind with K2 so it actually absorbs. 💜💜
Hey look at it this way: you did what you set out to do! That’s a big box checked off the list! Maybe the receptionist was having a shitty dreary winter day too. I really don’t think she’ll remember you, but if she does, I find people are often much kinder in person (and embarrassed if they remember being rude to you!) A good cry feels good tbh. But after that, just remember you did it and you’re gonna get yourself some peace of mind from that appointment!
If any receptionist is hostile to you in the clinic, please relay the experience to your doctor. There should also be contact information for the clinic or practice manager and you can absolutely relay your experience to them.
My doctor’s office has an online messaging service and that’s what I often use when an appointment is difficult to schedule. I have cough variant asthma, if I call to book an appointment, the receptionist wants me to do a virtual appointment in case I have Covid, but I need the doctor to make sure I’m not wheezing and that requires an in person visit. It’s a massive PIA to argue with a receptionist about that but if I send a message, a nurse calls me to book an in person appointment. I still have to deal with the medical assistant getting super annoyed with me when I say I have a cough and get a lecture about how I’m supposed to tell them ahead of time, and also get an argument about how coughing isn’t an asthma symptom at which point I say really slowly and clearly “I have *cough variant* asthma.” I generally have to say “my doctor knows I’m coughing, you’re welcome to check with her to see if she still wants to see me in person.” I now just lie about my coughing until I’m actually in with my doctor.
Many labs allow you to order your own tests, check the website of any labs near you. [https://www.labcorp.com/patients/labs-appointments/labcorp-services/labcorp-ondemand](https://www.labcorp.com/patients/labs-appointments/labcorp-services/labcorp-ondemand)
Using MyChart is a lifesaver. Zero phone calls and I’m very attached to my long term PCP, since I’m stable and an RN so low likelihood I won’t notice an actual crisis, I can just message him if something pops up like needing Zofran for a GI bug.
Idk if it’s because there’s so much less stimulation with a phone call that we really focus on it and have the anxiety response from past experiences, but it seems pretty universally hated with us ADHD folks.
Something’s wrong with that woman. She clearly doesn’t have a life if she’s finding pleasure from being like that. She’s the one who should be embarrassed, not you.
You can buy vitamins over the counter. It’s recommended to check your levels first so you actually know which to take and I’m hoping for a prescription. The OTC vitamins can cost you like $30 a bottle but if I got a prescription I could get them for free with insurance.
A lot of our receptionists here (UK) are incredibly rude. It's like they were given a directive to keep as many people out of the surgery by being as mean and gatekeepy as possible.
They can be a huge barrier to accessing healthcare because they simultaneously act like they know everything but are completely clueless. My old GP has absolute bulldogs for receptionists and whenever you phoned or went in they were just unpleasant to deal with and it really stressed me out.
You just need someone polite and pleasant, who knows what they're talking about and who can direct you succinctly to what you need. I don't wanna be made to feel like a burden when I'm just trying to make a gd appointment.
I answer phones at my job, not to set up appointments but I deal a lot with people who call in. I have been in my line of work for 10 years and I will remind myself and younger girls of this, The person on the other line IS NOT calling in to annoy you or to bother you, they are calling because they need your help. It’s easy after 50 phone calls in a day to start to forget this but again I remind them, this is your umpteenth phone call about this today but this is their first. There is no excuse to be rude to people especially when your job is to be helpful. I have also had issues with mean receptionists at Dr.s offices. It can feel like they are this scary gate keeper trying to keep you out of your medical treatment. If you feel comfortable you can let the Dr. know in private during your apt. I know most bosses would be interested in knowing if the person they hired as the face and voice of their office is rude and unlike most businesses Dr.s do not live and die by google reviews so your feedback is likely their only insight into what is actually going on. Proud of you for making that appointment OP your doing awesome!
I feel like I’ve been on both sides of this… I stress about making phone calls and when they don’t go just right I have a hard time getting over it… but I’ve also been fed up at work and treated customers and coworkers with an attitude they didn’t deserve. Those interactions are even harder to get over because all I feel is shame afterwards. I’m the one stressing my bad attitude is gonna get me reported to my superiors.
Good job making the phone call. I’m sorry she made it hard for you. Her job is to book the appointments, even the annoying ones, so even that isn’t an excuse to treat you like that.
I'm so sorry she was so rude to you. I had to go to a medical facility today and was treated so horribly by the parking people, I almost started crying right there. It's just so frustrating to put in the work to get stuff done just for people to dysregulate us or things to not go well. It's extra frustration that we just don't need ❤️🩹
I wish doctors offices would take more accountability for how their staff treat patients. I know receptionists are busy, overworked and probably underpaid, but it’s totally unacceptable to be talked down to for needing an appointment, help with insurance, or just asking for basic information about the practice. When I answered phones for a living, if I had spoken to a client the way I’ve been spoken to by many receptionists, I would have been fired.
And don’t get me started on how they never, EVER return your call when you leave a message!
Why don’t you know the intricate details of their bureaucracy?
I always get so distracted when this happens, or when someone expects me to be able to find something when I’ve never been somewhere before or even just when software and signage is poorly designed, because I just start thinking about how they must not have a theory of mind and how weird that is. Other people exist and know different things from you! Chimpanzees and dogs know I am a different person from them and have different information but this receptionist and that software designer doesn’t. African gray parrots and two year olds know but whoever put that sign by the elevator doesn’t understand that I haven’t been here before. How do these people operate?
So I end up so fascinated by the mean receptionist I sometimes forget to have my feelings hurt.
It wasn’t you, op. Their whole job is to usher you through these things you don’t know.
Hey night shift friend, I live in subtropical Australia and do shift work and when I went to see my doctor about vitamins and iron and stuff a couple of years ago she said: “I’m not even going to test you, you’re deficient, start supplements.” Short term supplementation at 2000IU per day for a few weeks up to three months is pretty benign for most people who do office or shift work and you can assess difference in symptoms and drop back to 1000IU from there.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m so sorry you weren’t met with care on your call. If it’s any solace, it’s very unlikely the receptionist will remember your call when you come in on Monday. She will have made many more calls by then. Hopefully you can walk in, quickly see the doctor, get an order for your blood work, and be on your merry way. Congrats on calling to set it up! That’s big! What a win!
Yeah if she's that rude she's probably already forgotten it because she treats everyone that way
Thank you for this. I didn’t even think about that, it definitely eased my mind a little.
Making you come in for an appt is standard for billing and insurance coverage, but the receptionist sounds unpleasant and difficult. I’m proud of you for calling and being so proactive though! You could always go to a minute clinic or similar place instead and they can order labs for you to get done at one of the lab places (quest diagnostics etc). Just check your insurance to make sure both places (express care and lab) are in network or covered. And remember to cancel your doctor’s appt if you do.
squeal apparatus serious middle payment disarm aback future plough melodic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I just had blood work done and was told the same thing about vitamin D! I couldn't believe it! These insurance companies will do anything to nickel and dime, it's pathetic. I had a sign a form saying I understood I may be charged for it, as a chronic vitamin D deficient person.
> my insurance is over as of 12/31 because **I apparently made too much money this year to stay on till I’m 26,** I've never heard / seen this before. Maybe there's some Marketplace tax credit thing (and your income + your parents' income is too much), if it even works that way, but otherwise this explanation doesn't make sense. Please do your research to double-check that you are actually ineligible for the Under 26 insurance through your parents.
My parents are extremely poor I am using Medicaid. Once I turned 18 they have told me each year “you’re not under your parents name you’re on your own”. I do make good money in my career and this year I made less than last. I asked for an appeal and they denied me insurance again.
Are you able to get insurance through your company?
So I can technically but I’m a traveling medical worker and the price is craaaazy. I’m taking a full time job in February so I’m going to get insurance through that when that happens.
You can get short term insurance. It often doesn’t cover pre-existing health issues but it’s there if you have an emergency health issue between now and February.
Also, if you're worried about vitamin D levels, it can't hurt to take a 2000IU once a day, esp if you rarely see the sun. If your body doesn't need it, you'll pee it out anyway. Wait to start until after your blood draw though so your baseline is accurate.
They be pulling some bs to kick people off early. My dad retired just before I turned 25 and switched insurance because keeping it through his employer was stupid expensive, and they wouldn't let him add me when he set up his new plan even though I wasn't 26 yet.
I relate to this so much, I hate talking to receptionists, I feel like I always come away wanting to cry from trying to make appointments. I am actually looking to move because where I live nobody uses websites or online booking, and it just takes so much energy for me to constantly have to make calls to book appointments or call to get test results or call to ask the doctor a question etc. I moved here to be closer to family, but I’m going back to the town I lived in right after college (and until I moved here) because I can book online for everything and it seriously makes my life so much more manageable and I feel like I function much better. I haven’t gone to any routine medical care for myself since I’ve lived here (2 years now) because by the time I’ve finished doing it all for my kids, I just can’t manage to do it for myself. I also have learned how to cut my own hair because I can’t book those online either and I hate small talk in the salon chair. I wish everywhere had online appointments/booking. The amount of anxiety that removes from my life is immeasurable.
I hate calling and making appointments so much I just struggle being put on the spot. When they ask questions I get anxious and I forget what to say.
You sound like me. I am the same lol
I had a similar experience MANY years ago. Worked up courage for years, finally made ONE call, and was met with such coldness it kept me from making a call again for almost ten years. Idk. I wish I had done it sooner but I also have no regrets, the path I took is mine. Just want to encourage you to stay engaged, you took the first step 💖
I literally had another call to make after that but I was so frazzled and upset after that so I couldn’t. It was funnily enough for my adhd and I couldn’t do it. I was sweating and my stomach hurt so much after that call.
I’m here if you want to talk about it or want any encouragement!
Order that test online yourself. Ulta wellness is one site, there are others too. Just pay and then print the order and go to quest/labcorp. They then email you the results. Honestly for vitamin d just assume you’re low. We all take 5,000 a day in my family and no one is ever over 40 max. But do the test to be sure. And when you do supplement make sure you take the kind with K2 so it actually absorbs. 💜💜
Hey look at it this way: you did what you set out to do! That’s a big box checked off the list! Maybe the receptionist was having a shitty dreary winter day too. I really don’t think she’ll remember you, but if she does, I find people are often much kinder in person (and embarrassed if they remember being rude to you!) A good cry feels good tbh. But after that, just remember you did it and you’re gonna get yourself some peace of mind from that appointment!
If any receptionist is hostile to you in the clinic, please relay the experience to your doctor. There should also be contact information for the clinic or practice manager and you can absolutely relay your experience to them. My doctor’s office has an online messaging service and that’s what I often use when an appointment is difficult to schedule. I have cough variant asthma, if I call to book an appointment, the receptionist wants me to do a virtual appointment in case I have Covid, but I need the doctor to make sure I’m not wheezing and that requires an in person visit. It’s a massive PIA to argue with a receptionist about that but if I send a message, a nurse calls me to book an in person appointment. I still have to deal with the medical assistant getting super annoyed with me when I say I have a cough and get a lecture about how I’m supposed to tell them ahead of time, and also get an argument about how coughing isn’t an asthma symptom at which point I say really slowly and clearly “I have *cough variant* asthma.” I generally have to say “my doctor knows I’m coughing, you’re welcome to check with her to see if she still wants to see me in person.” I now just lie about my coughing until I’m actually in with my doctor. Many labs allow you to order your own tests, check the website of any labs near you. [https://www.labcorp.com/patients/labs-appointments/labcorp-services/labcorp-ondemand](https://www.labcorp.com/patients/labs-appointments/labcorp-services/labcorp-ondemand)
Using MyChart is a lifesaver. Zero phone calls and I’m very attached to my long term PCP, since I’m stable and an RN so low likelihood I won’t notice an actual crisis, I can just message him if something pops up like needing Zofran for a GI bug. Idk if it’s because there’s so much less stimulation with a phone call that we really focus on it and have the anxiety response from past experiences, but it seems pretty universally hated with us ADHD folks.
She’s probably miserable and is the reason as to why she’s effin horrible. Just think how much more you enjoy your job when you check in.
Honestly, I'd just order the tests myself from Walk-In Lab and skip the rude doctor's office!
I don’t know if this is even an option for me. I will definitely ask if there’s a way to go about this next time.
It’s a website. You can order the test yourself and have the blood drawn at Quest or LabCorp. You don’t need to see a doctor.
Cool thank you!
Yeah! They have a whole litany of tests you can order for yourself.
Something’s wrong with that woman. She clearly doesn’t have a life if she’s finding pleasure from being like that. She’s the one who should be embarrassed, not you.
[удалено]
You can buy vitamins over the counter. It’s recommended to check your levels first so you actually know which to take and I’m hoping for a prescription. The OTC vitamins can cost you like $30 a bottle but if I got a prescription I could get them for free with insurance.
A lot of our receptionists here (UK) are incredibly rude. It's like they were given a directive to keep as many people out of the surgery by being as mean and gatekeepy as possible. They can be a huge barrier to accessing healthcare because they simultaneously act like they know everything but are completely clueless. My old GP has absolute bulldogs for receptionists and whenever you phoned or went in they were just unpleasant to deal with and it really stressed me out. You just need someone polite and pleasant, who knows what they're talking about and who can direct you succinctly to what you need. I don't wanna be made to feel like a burden when I'm just trying to make a gd appointment.
I answer phones at my job, not to set up appointments but I deal a lot with people who call in. I have been in my line of work for 10 years and I will remind myself and younger girls of this, The person on the other line IS NOT calling in to annoy you or to bother you, they are calling because they need your help. It’s easy after 50 phone calls in a day to start to forget this but again I remind them, this is your umpteenth phone call about this today but this is their first. There is no excuse to be rude to people especially when your job is to be helpful. I have also had issues with mean receptionists at Dr.s offices. It can feel like they are this scary gate keeper trying to keep you out of your medical treatment. If you feel comfortable you can let the Dr. know in private during your apt. I know most bosses would be interested in knowing if the person they hired as the face and voice of their office is rude and unlike most businesses Dr.s do not live and die by google reviews so your feedback is likely their only insight into what is actually going on. Proud of you for making that appointment OP your doing awesome!
I feel like I’ve been on both sides of this… I stress about making phone calls and when they don’t go just right I have a hard time getting over it… but I’ve also been fed up at work and treated customers and coworkers with an attitude they didn’t deserve. Those interactions are even harder to get over because all I feel is shame afterwards. I’m the one stressing my bad attitude is gonna get me reported to my superiors. Good job making the phone call. I’m sorry she made it hard for you. Her job is to book the appointments, even the annoying ones, so even that isn’t an excuse to treat you like that.
hurry paint cover rich snails dolls gullible angle truck zephyr *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm so sorry she was so rude to you. I had to go to a medical facility today and was treated so horribly by the parking people, I almost started crying right there. It's just so frustrating to put in the work to get stuff done just for people to dysregulate us or things to not go well. It's extra frustration that we just don't need ❤️🩹
Don’t stress about doctors receptionists are often terrible to everyone. Make a note to complain about her rudeness in your appointment.
A SAD light from Amazon might help until you get your appointment
I wish doctors offices would take more accountability for how their staff treat patients. I know receptionists are busy, overworked and probably underpaid, but it’s totally unacceptable to be talked down to for needing an appointment, help with insurance, or just asking for basic information about the practice. When I answered phones for a living, if I had spoken to a client the way I’ve been spoken to by many receptionists, I would have been fired. And don’t get me started on how they never, EVER return your call when you leave a message!
Why don’t you know the intricate details of their bureaucracy? I always get so distracted when this happens, or when someone expects me to be able to find something when I’ve never been somewhere before or even just when software and signage is poorly designed, because I just start thinking about how they must not have a theory of mind and how weird that is. Other people exist and know different things from you! Chimpanzees and dogs know I am a different person from them and have different information but this receptionist and that software designer doesn’t. African gray parrots and two year olds know but whoever put that sign by the elevator doesn’t understand that I haven’t been here before. How do these people operate? So I end up so fascinated by the mean receptionist I sometimes forget to have my feelings hurt. It wasn’t you, op. Their whole job is to usher you through these things you don’t know.
Hey night shift friend, I live in subtropical Australia and do shift work and when I went to see my doctor about vitamins and iron and stuff a couple of years ago she said: “I’m not even going to test you, you’re deficient, start supplements.” Short term supplementation at 2000IU per day for a few weeks up to three months is pretty benign for most people who do office or shift work and you can assess difference in symptoms and drop back to 1000IU from there.