Blackmail

So I scheduled my next month's worth of Enbrel to arrive on Friday, June 29, as I am taking the medication every Saturday. I get a call on Friday from PrecisionRX that they cannot send it to me as my doctor has denied the prescription "... until you see him for a follow up."

This is, plain and simple, blackmail. My doctor, contrary to the Hippocratic Oath, is saying, "If you want to continue to feel good, you must come see me." Since I am gearing up for another trip to Canada, this comes at a horrible time and has thrown a monkey wrench into the works.

If the doctor needed me to be seen, I can think of a bunch of different ways he could have made that a lot more clear to me prior to it coming down to this Mexican standoff. For example:

• He could have made it much, much clearer at the time of my last appointment that this would be the result.
• He could have provided me with a simple document that stated this would be the result.
• He could have allowed the prescription and then immediately told his office staff to call me and schedule a follow up appointment. He has my home, work, and cell phone numbers in his records.

Those are just off the top of my head.

I actually had a follow up appointment scheduled when I left his office last time. However, I got sick and had to cancel. And then his office called me and canceled the rescheduled appointment. They wanted to reschedule right then, but I was going to Canada and told them I would do it when I got back. And then I forgot. I mean, I knew in the back of my mind that it needed to be done, but it was a very low priority compared to the issues at work, with immigration, with the wedding that I have been dealing with, so I just haven't gotten around to it. It never occurred to me that my doctor would withhold medication from me in order to force me to go in.

This morning I called and explained the situation and scheduled an appointment. I asked the young woman if I just had to schedule the appointment or if I had to actually go in and be seen before he would allow my prescription. She told me I had to actually be seen. I told them it had to be this week as I was leaving for Canada next week and had to get my prescription before then. They are shoe-horning me into the schedule tomorrow at 10 am. And I am going to have a few things to say to the doctor when I see him. I may even need to find a new doctor as I find this totally unacceptable.