We had just moved to Northern CA and my supplemental insurance with Pacificare that I had in Southern CA did not cover my new home area. The only two supplemental insurance companies in this new area were Blue Cross and Kaiser-Permanente. I would never have Blue Cross ever again another story so I was forced to take Kaiser. Their reputation in S. CA was horrible so I was not thrilled. I met my primary doctor. She appeared to be very competent. I had been on Soc. Sec. Disability since 2000 due to a chronic pain condition that was not life threatening. My pain was being managed very successfully. I was suddenly called back to S. CA when my mother fell and was in the hospital. I had Durable Power of Attorney so I had to take care of her affairs and make medical decisions. I was there for seven months. I had to get another medical card number just for S. CA! My N. CA would not work there. It's one state, but apparently two separate medical organizations at that time. No one knew why.

I ultimately had to pack up and shut down my mother's apartment of over 20 years. During the final preparation for the movers I did something to my lower back. The pain was constant. I had no time to stop the process. I had a deadline to be out of the apartment. My husband drove down to help me. I did go to Kaiser in Burbank where they took an xray, but little was done to treat my back. By the time we left S. CA I was in agony and had to drive my car back to the San Francisco area.

Once home I went to see my primary doctor. Little was done to treat or even diagnose my lower back pain. I had to figure out my own program to be able to function using heat and ice plus taking Advil. I went to see the primary again when the pain got worse and asked her if I might have Fibromyalgia and she blew me off saying I ought to eat more roughage and drink more water to treat the IBS I also have. She did not believe that Fibromyalgia was a real condition. I asked for a new primary doctor, but she, too, disregarded my complaints. I asked for another primary doctor and I was running out of choices that were accepting new patients and she sent me to the Pain Management Clinic in San Francisco which was about a 30 - 60 minute drive door to door depending on traffic. The pain made it difficult to drive, but what choice did I have. None.

I was accepted into the program of 12 weeks of daily classes. I have to say they helped me very much, but the source of the pain was never fully diagnosed. I knew that something was very wrong with my lower back. I graduated from the program and went on to an aftercare program, but the source of the pain was still there. I still had to be careful or the pain would come back in a big way. Still, no one at Kaiser took me seriously. I lived on Advil, ice and heat. Over a year after finishing the pain program my back was really bothering me and I went to see the Pain Management doctor who then had an MRI done. The results showed some slipped discs, but nothing serious. Nothing was done. I was doing some cleaning and I picked something up wrong and the back was thrown out again. This time I could hardly walk across the room without holding onto every piece of furniture on my way to kitchen to get some ice. That was Saturday. By Sunday morning I knew I had to go to the doctor. When I called Kaiser I was told to go to Emergency Care instead of the ER as it would be quicker and cheaper. My husband took me and the doctor once again did nothing for me. She asked some questions. She said she saw I had an MRI a month or so before and nothing serious was indicated. She prescribed me Percocet and sent me home. I could not believe it! Something else had happened to my back, but she was relying on an MRI done a month of more before that day! Unbelievable.

My husband had to go to work and told me to call if I had any problems with my back. After I got up the pain became excruciating. It came in waves of severe muscle spasms that were so painful I could hardly manage to make the call to my husband. I was in tears. I have a very high tolerance for pain which means the pain had to be really excruciating. My husband called 911. The spasms were like contractions that came every few seconds and lasted for several minutes. When the ambulance got to the Kaiser-Permanente south San Francisco's Emergency Room while writhing in pain I could not be taken back to get emergency care until I paid my co-payment! The gurney was actually pushed to the counter to this totally dispassionate woman who asked for my membership card and driver's license. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to take my wallet with me when the paramedics took me to the E. R.! This woman then asked for a credit card to pay my co-payment not once showing any concern for my pain. In all of my 58 years had I ever experienced such callous disregard for a patient's pain.

Once I was taken back to triage the callous disregard did not stop. The nurses asked me questions as they hooked me up to an I. V. to put me on a Morphine drip. Eventually the doctor came to ask me more questions, but not once did he touch me. I was never examined. the waves of severe muscle spasms continued without stop. Nothing was given to me to deal with muscles spasms. When my husband finally arrived he was furious at the lack of care or concern for my pain. They just kept giving me more drugs that obviously were not working. The doctor's arrogance and total disregard for my complaints was amazing. He ordered an x-ray and that was all. He told me nothing showed up in the film. The nurse then was told to give me Percocet on top of the Morphine. Nothing happened and the muscle spasms continued without stop.

My husband stormed off to call the Pain Management doctor, but had to leave a message. When he returned the nurse was told to give me valium and I passed out. When I came to about 45 minutes later the doctor show up again and stands smugly at the end of my bed and then asks me if I think I should be admitted! What! My husband almost screamed at him That is why we are here for you to find out what is causing my wife's pain - which you have not done! Of course we want her admitted! Then the nurse comes and tells us that they need my space for an incoming patient and they push me out into the hall! They place my bed directly in front of the electrical fuse boxes - which my husband knew was a safety hazard and against any hospital or CalOSHA regulations. They left me lying there for an hour or more. Finally an administrator walking by asks me if we have been seen and my husband tells her why I was in the hall. The most absurd part was that half of the emergency room area was not being used! Finally someone comes back and tells us I have a room. This is about six hours after I arrived at the emergency room.

Once in my room I was finally given compassionate treatment by the floor nurses. I was not offered anything in the E. R. to drink nor eat. The floor nurse ordered me a full, hot meal that was delivered within 20 minutes. My Pain Management doctor finally returned my husband's call when the hospital doctor was talking to me. I told him my symptoms over the phone and he knew instantly what was wrong with me - herniated discs. He said he had herniated a disc and he knew what the symptoms were. He asked to speak to the hospital doctor. After over [then] 7 hours my Pain Management doctor diagnosis my pain over the phone? my husband and I were speechless. I was disgusted by the care Kaiser-Permanente had been giving me since 2005 [this happened the end of June 2008]. There is a very strong chance that I had herniated a disc or more when I was in S. CA and since nothing was done to fully diagnose my problem it was never discovered and diagnosed.

Today I live with a back that could easily herniate again, but I do not find that anyone at Kaiser-Permanente cares. I am really sick of the lack of real care and concern for my situation. If my back had been correctly diagnosed in 2005 and treated maybe I would not have this problem now. No way of telling unless I get away from Kaiser and have the freedom to see the top doctor in my area free of the restrictions and stranglehold of the Kaiser system.