Yes, go to the ER and they will be able to do the scans, etc. if it happens again (not urgent care.)

Also, having an ER referral/record can speed up the system for you. My insurance also doesn’t require referrals, but specialists do in part because it helps evaluate whether or not you can wait. I recently had a medical emergency. I went to the ER and got treatment I needed to stabilize me. My PCP saw me a few days later and sent referrals into specialists at Brigham and Women’s. Even though my insurance doesn’t require them, the hospital did in order to 1) make sure I was matched with the right doctors 2) I was getting timely care.

One specialist at BWH originally scheduled me for the end of November, but after a nurse in the office reviewed the referral, they were able to offer me an immediate appointment for the very next day. Another specialist’s office scheduled me for December. That’s frustrating for me because they’re likely the one who will be able to tell me what’s going on and the long-term plan, and I’m eager to get in there—but the nurse who reviewed the referral explained to me that the treatment course they put me on for the next three months stabilized me and that as long as I’m seen before the end, it’s fine.

It’s really frustrating and scary to know something’s wrong and to be told that you have to wait for answers. I know how panicky it feels and how bad waiting feels.

And the American health care system IS broken and it is incredibly frustrating to navigate, and the pandemic and staffing shortages are making it so much worse. These hospitals are busy, because people do come from all over, and they also have to weigh who needs to be seen ASAP and who can wait a few weeks. And as you said, you are stable and you didn’t go to the ER.

If it happens again, definitely go to the ER, preferably one associated with the specialists you’re hoping to see.

Good luck to you and I hope you get some answers soon.

From personal experience, I’d avoid CHA—they’ve been hit super hard by staff shortages.