Doctors can refuse patients

  One of the most challenging aspects of Endometriosis, is the simple fact of finding a doctor. One that believes you, one who can treat you, one who can perform surgery. 

I’ve spent years going to see doctors. Multiple doctors. The same doctor multiple times. I’ve driven hours to see specialists. 

You would think that after I had seen so many doctors, that a treatment plan was in place. Surgery would be scheduled and they were all fighting tooth and nail to give me my life back. That’s their job right? 

Sadly, my nurse practitioner, is the only doctor I feel deserves any credit. They listened, they tried to help and they sent out requisition after requisition trying to find a doctor to help me. 

Once I got my diagnosis, I thought finding a doctor would be easier. I only had to deal with an endometriosis specialist now right? There are only so many in the province of Ontario. All I had to do was send out a few more requisitions and I would be getting my surgery and moving forward from this mess. 

What no one told me was, that doctors can say no.

Yup, they can refuse to help you. At first I was angry and heartbroken by this. How can they say no? This is what they do? I need help! 

I asked my nurse practitioners office why they would refuse me.

Reasons I was given; 

1. They cannot treat me (meaning they don’t have the skill or knowledge)

2. Their workload is too high currently.(not accepting new patients)

3. They cannot help me in a timely manner (I would be waiting months to a year for an appointment. Which I do already, so this one made no sense to me)

I hate it when they make sense, well 2 out of 3 made sense to me. But it is still soul crushing to have your hopes so high that THIS doctor would be the one to finally help you. Then you get the phone call, where they tell you, No. Sadly, they do not inform you of the reason on why you’re not accepted. You just get told no and have to start the process again with another doctor. You pray that this doctor will say yes, or the next one, or the next one. It’s hard to keep fighting, when you don’t have the energy and feel like no one cares or listens. But you have to keep trying! Hopefully, knowing why doctors can say no, will help with accepting the situation and moving forward.