Can't get an appointment: Any tips on what to do?

After countless attempts to get an appointment, having 4 of my Doctors most from UofM. I still was declined

I’m so sorry. My Drs submitted everything over a month ago but haven’t heard anything from referral dept. I’m assuming because of Covid the hospital is behind. I can’t imagine the stress of these Drs and staff. But I like you am praying we get calls soon. Hang in there. My hubs has to take a leave of absence if I ever do get in and we will most likely go broke. But I want to live. I have a 14 year old son and I can’t imagine leaving him. Don’t think I have a choice in anything at this point. Trying to keep good spirits and wishing you much luck.

Cindajune, sometimes referrals can take time, but I might suggest that you contact the Appointment Office http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63 and inquire about the status of your request. Fingers crossed.

Happytobhear. Hello again. Please update me, to let me how you’re doing. I went to a different optometrist today, and they believe, I have some type of bacterial infection in my eyes. If the meds. don’t work, she’ll send me on for future testing. She mentioned a brain MRI, which I had over2 years ago, but told me that a lot could change in that time, with my history, plus the constant migraines.
Wishing you the very best, and lots of prayers going your way. I, too, am happy your where you’re at. Update if you can and want. I’m very positive for you, and happy to know you!
🙏🤗Lisa

I've tried for 3 years to get an app't at any location for rheumatology. I finally got a call 2 weeks ago on Friday and was told to have my rheumatologist submit my records. Mayo Clinic ended up having to call them to get them faxed. The problem is, my rheumatologist does not have all of my lab results. The lab kept sending them to my PCP, instead of my rheumatologist. However, I have the printouts of all my lab results since November, 2019. I was going to fax them myself to the rheumatology dept. first thing Monday morning. Just as I was getting ready to leave to go to UPS to have them faxed, I got a call from Mayo Clinic telling me my records had been received Friday afternoon and had been reviewed and they were sorry but they were declining my request for an app't. I was so devastated. I was diagnosed with both PMR and GCA by my current rheumatologist on my very first app't with him, but my symptoms do not fall in line with PMR. On a subsequent visit, I asked him if he was confident in his diagnosis and he said he was until I mentioned I had severe cramps in my feet. (I actually have them EVERYWHERE and a neurologist is who suggested I see a rheumotolgist.because of the cramps.They are so severe, I literally scream in pain. I call them full-body charley horses)
I had a temporal artery biopsy for GCA that came back negative. I had been on prednisone for 6 months and was told the result would probably be negative because of it, but it would be impossible to tell if it was a false negative because of the prednisone. However, I have had transient vision loss in my right eye that has lasted for over an hour. I'm terrified of losing the sight in that eye completely. I have a non-stop headache behind my eye that I've had for along time.
Is there ANYTHING I can do to try once more for an app't? I'm feeling pretty desperate at this point.

I've tried for 3 years to get an app't at any location for rheumatology. I finally got a call 2 weeks ago on Friday and was told to have my rheumatologist submit my records. Mayo Clinic ended up having to call them to get them faxed. The problem is, my rheumatologist does not have all of my lab results. The lab kept sending them to my PCP, instead of my rheumatologist. However, I have the printouts of all my lab results since November, 2019. I was going to fax them myself to the rheumatology dept. first thing Monday morning. Just as I was getting ready to leave to go to UPS to have them faxed, I got a call from Mayo Clinic telling me my records had been received Friday afternoon and had been reviewed and they were sorry but they were declining my request for an app't. I was so devastated. I was diagnosed with both PMR and GCA by my current rheumatologist on my very first app't with him, but my symptoms do not fall in line with PMR. On a subsequent visit, I asked him if he was confident in his diagnosis and he said he was until I mentioned I had severe cramps in my feet. (I actually have them EVERYWHERE and a neurologist is who suggested I see a rheumotolgist.because of the cramps.They are so severe, I literally scream in pain. I call them full-body charley horses)
I had a temporal artery biopsy for GCA that came back negative. I had been on prednisone for 6 months and was told the result would probably be negative because of it, but it would be impossible to tell if it was a false negative because of the prednisone. However, I have had transient vision loss in my right eye that has lasted for over an hour. I'm terrified of losing the sight in that eye completely. I have a non-stop headache behind my eye that I've had for along time.
Is there ANYTHING I can do to try once more for an app't? I'm feeling pretty desperate at this point.

@christiane5 I learned, the hard way, that if one is turned down by Mayo for an appointment, there are a few things to do. Turned down once, Submit everything again. Turned down 2x, Call MD Anderson for an appointment. 3x, remember, with Mayo, it is all a matter of money, so sell your house and car, and ask again. 4x, get your own whole genome sequencing, find a good geneticist to help you understand what your genome shows, 5x If that fails, 6x, go to Mexico for treatment. It won't help you, except to make you think you are doing the only thing left, and you will probably have to share your room with a family with 16 children, 3 dogs, a goat and two chickens. (I actually saw this in Piedras Negras a few years ago. The excess family members lived across the street in the homeless camp. They took turns showering in your hospital room. I don't know how the patients who were staying in beds in the hallways managed the showers and toilet arrangements.) 7x find a carnival with a fortune teller or acupuncture artist.

LOL, thanks for the only laugh I've had in weeks. I actually lived in Mazatlan, Mexico for 8 years. I bought a vacation home on the beach and ended up moving there from northern California and living there full-time. While there, I had 4 surgeries and had EXCELLENT care. Of course, Mazatlan is a city of over half a million people and an expat community of over 25,000. So hospitals like Sharp Hospital - which was affiliated with Sharp Hospital in San Diego - cater to the gringos. I'd go back to my MD in Mazatlan in a heartbeat if it wasn't for Covid. . He NEVER gave up on me when I had a life-threatening MRSA infection ( I did not get it in the hospital), All of my doctors there were trained both in Mexico and then trained in their specialties in the US. My surgeons were all FACS,
I had to leave the hospital the week before Xmas when I had pneumonia to fly back to CA when my mom was dying. I was so sick on Xmas Eve that I called my MD in Mexico who told me to get the first flight back and go straight to the hospital. I flew in early Xmas morning and was admitted to the hospital immediately. He left his family celebration to take care of me, then later brought 2 of his teenage children back with him to bring me flowers and candy. You won't find a doctor like that in the US. I moved back to the states almost 5 years ago and I still text him when I have questions. Did I mention that doctors there work 8am to 9pm, 6 days a week and give you their cellphone numbers to reach them whenever you need to?
Shoot, now I want to go back to Mazatlan.

Hi Christiane, welcome. I can imagine that you are feeling disappointed and desperate. You'll notice that I moved your question to this existing discussion where members offer tips on what to do if you can't get an appointment. I invite you to read through the past posts.

If you feel that the Mayo physicians may rule differently with a complete set of your records, I suggest you call Mayo Clinic to ask for a secondary review after you've sent the remaining documentation.

I should add that appointment denial may be related to capacity issues. The department may not be accepting new patients at this time. Again, I would ask for clarification.

Another option is to consider seeing a doctor within the Mayo Clinic Care Network https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/care-network.
"The Mayo Clinic Care Network is a select group of independent health systems that are granted special access to Mayo Clinic's extensive knowledge and world-leading medical expertise. Carefully vetted and selected for their commitment to high-quality patient experience, care network members share Mayo Clinic's goal of providing patients the care they need, close to home, at no additional cost to the patient."

Find a health system in the Mayo Clinic Care Network near you: https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/care-network/network-members