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Showing Up
I arrived at my appointment on time (it's
common courtesy) and only waited about five
minutes before they called me back for the
preliminaries. The first 10 minutes were spent
answering questions and chatting with a charm
ing receptionist. Then an equally charming nurse
came and got me and took my vitals and asked
more medical questions. I was done. It was now
8:50 a.m.—40 minutes before my scheduled pro
cedure. I settled into one of the few remaining
chairs in the Endoscopy waiting room (what were
all of these people doing here at 8:30 in the
morning? There must be five doctors back there!
Ha ha.) and started reading a two-year-old copy
of The New Yorker.
Well, I'm a good reader, and the 40 minutes
passed fairly quickly. At 9:30, I glanced around
hopefully, but there hadn't been too much move
ment in the waiting area, so I returned to my
magazine. Not only am I a good reader, but I'm a
fast reader, and by 10 a.m., I had read the entire
issue. I balanced my checkbook, sorted through
( receipts, got up, stretched, looked for something
else to read (normally I would have brought
something, but this was a scheduled, serious
medical procedure, not a checkup).
Maybe I missed something in The New Yorker.
I read all the movie schedules and coming attrac
tions and re-read the cartoons and was starting
to get a little antsy.
By 10:30, I was more than antsy. I was ner
vous about the sigmoidoscopy and worried that
the lovely cleansing procedures I had taken
would become invalid be
fore too long. I was also
getting upset. I needed
to know just what was go
ing on and why I was not
being seen. I curbed my
anger and my inclination to
scream my head off and ap
proached the receptionist.
She sent me to talk with the nurses. They were
kind and patient and explained that the doctor
may have found something with the last patient,
but it wouldn't be too much longer.
"So I'm next, right?"
“Oh, no, there's another patient ahead of
you."
“But my appointment was scheduled for an
hour ago!"
“Well, it may be 30 minutes, it may be an
hour."
“What? But. but..."
Needless to say, I was quite flabbergasted.
There was no way I could make my 12:30 ap
pointment. There was no way to know if I would
even get seen by the doctor! What is going on
here? Why are all these people sitting in the
waiting room and not moving? Why was I told to
come in at 8:30 for a 9:30 appointment? Why do
doctors schedule appointments like this?
Most of the people sitting there were prob
ably there because something was wrong, some
thing that needed a medical procedure. Medical
procedures generally take time. The doctor not
only should expect to encounter difficulties, but
also be prepared to spend some quality time with
the patient explaining and comforting. This can
not be done in 20 or 30 minutes, and the doctors
know this. So why schedule appointments like
this? Someone doesn't show up for an appoint
ment? The doctors may have 10 minutes to catch
their breath. But most people do show up. On
time. Like me. And most of us are taught to put
our faith in doctors, no matter what. And most
of us are not medical specialists, sc you've got
us there. To wait 15 minutes is tolerable. I would
do the same for a date. To wait 30 minutes is ex
tremely trying. To wait an hour is unconscionable
and downright disrespectful of the people who
are waiting.
Starting Over
I was quite upset that the procedure I had
diligently prepared for was not going to hap
pen. I was tense and nervous and could not deal
with the wait any longer. I had prepaid for the
procedure with my credit card (S2400. Don't do
it! Wait until afterwards!) and asked the recep
tionist to refund the charge directly back to my
card. Well, she couldn't do it from there, so she
sent me to the business office in another build
ing across the street. They couldn't do it, so they
sent me to another building down the way. At
this point, I was so exhausted from the stress
and weak from not eating anything for so long
that I broke down and started crying. They did
give me tissues at the other building, but they,
too, were unable to process my credit refund.
I had to get the reimbursement from the same
machine that charged it in the first place, which
was back in Endoscopy where I had set out 30
minutes before. After an unpleasant and tearful
trek, I reached the hospital and went into the
receptionist's office, where she was already trying
to process my refund. A sweet nurse came up to
me and told me the doctor was finishing up with
the last patient, so why didn't I go ahead and
have the sigmoidoscopy. It would just be a few
minutes. I was beat.
“Okay," I said. "I'm here, let's do it"
She sent me into a little room and gave me a
lovely paper gown to wear. I waited some more,
but by that point I was too wrecked to complain.
I could get this over with and be done with it!
Then the doctor walks in. In her street clothes.
With a very disdainful attitude. The first thing
she asks me is, "Do you really want to do this?"
"Huh?" I say. "Of course I don't want to do
this; no one wants to do this, but it needs to be
done."
She comes back with, "Well do you think you
can just storm out of here, then waltz back in
and get this done?"
What kind of talk is this
from a doctor? She should
be apologizing for the wait!
I reply, "Well, to tell
you the truth, I was very
upset at having to wait
over an hour after my
scheduled procedure, and
was quite upset when they told me it might be
another hour!"
To which the doctor said, "Well, how do you
think I feel?"
(What? Is this 'High School Confidential?" Is
Muffy mad because I ate lunch with Brad? How
do you think I feel? That's not a doctor ques
tion.)
I was stunned into silence. She then asked
again. "Do you want to do this?"
I said, "Yes, I've already wasted three hours
that I will never get back; I've done all the prep
arations, I'm in the paper gown, so let's do it."
To which she replied, "Well. I don't think I
want to do this." (What?) "No, I'm not going to
do the procedure today; I don't see how I can
under the circumstances."
What circumstances? You made me wait for
hours and then were pissy because I wasn't
contrite about being distressed? You already
put on your street clothes (knowing full well I
was undressed and waiting) and didn't feel like
changing back? I showed up on time for my ap
pointment and you are dismissing me because
perhaps you don't like my attitude? I'm the wor
ried patient. You are supposed to be the caring
doctor. I looked at the doctor like she was from
another planet, put my clothes on and left. I
missed my 12:30 appointment anyway, but they
were quite understanding (and appalled) when I
recounted for them my misadventures.
In retrospect, I am glad it all went down like
that. I really don't want an invasive procedure
performed on me by someone who is so callous,
uncaring and dismissive and who seems to be
lieve she is beyond reproach. You know what?
Blame the system for setting it up for doctors to
have to schedule appointments on top of each
other. Blame the government for allowing this
country to devolve into a place where there is
no decent health care for it's citizens. Blame
our own selves for not taking better care of our
bodies. But go ahead and blame the doctor who
has no compassion. Then walk away. You can get
treated elsewhere. Your mama probably knows a
good doctor. Mine does.
Dana Downs
Why uv7,r / told to come in at
«V; 50for a 9:50 appointment ?
W'hy do Ooctorn schedule
appointments like tbud
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