Over the last four years, Lord knows we have spent countless hours in doctors offices, ERs, hospitals and diagnostic facilities. Many of our doctors have been great, life savers in fact. What really frosts me is the exception who act as if our coming to their office is an intrusion of their time. This week my husband had an appointment with our family doctor. Now it is hard to get my husband to go back to the doctor after spending two years off and on in the hospital but I dug my heels in and made him go. Now he had 4 things he needed to discuss with the doctor, two were only a request for referrals which is required by our HMO. (You don't want me to get started on insurance companies.) We waited an hour in the waiting room to see the doctor. Our appointment was for 2:45PM but it wasn't until almost 4PM that we actually got to go into the exam room. My husband wanted me in with him because the one thing on the list was a very delicate and hard symptom to discuss with the doctor. My late father in law passed away from Alzheimers. The doctor comes in, turns on his laptop, looks very frustrated and turns and says "you haven't been here since Sept of 2008". Ok so thankfully hubby didn't have any issues to go to the doctor other than his specialists. Strike 1, Doctor is trying to make us feel like we have done something wrong. My husband tells him he has a list of 4 things to discuss with Doctor. Strike 2 Doctor looks angry and turns to my husband and says "I can only listen to two of the issues on your list." Well I saw red because I know what we had to go through to get to the point that my husband would come and talk to the doctor. So my husband tells him the first thing on the list. He has ringing in his ears and loss of hearing. Doctor says "Why did you wait so long if it bothered you. You need to see a specialist." Duh that is why we need the referral. What is the other thing on your list? By this time I could see my husband was getting frustrated so instead of telling the doctor the main thing we were there for he mentioned the other reason for the need for a referral. He needs a new CPAP machine. Doctor gets up, writes something on a paper, hands it to my husband and says "Come back in a month." He opens the door and leaves. I'm dumbfounded. Out to the waiting room we walk were we have to stand in another line to check out. I decided to walk out on the porch for fear I'm going to exploded. On the way home in the car my husband said it was lucky he wasn't having a heart attack with symptoms of A. pain down his arm, B. tightness in his chest, C. cold sweats because he would only been allowed to tell our dear doctor only two of the symptoms. Strike 3 We get home and on our answering machine is 2 calls about referrals one for a hearing specialist but they don't leave the name of the doctor or number and the other is a company that delivers oxygen. Dear Doctor couldn't even get the friggin referrals right. There goes $25.00 for an office visit down the drain, 2 hours in the car to get to the doctors and back and a whole day gone. I think it is time to find us a new doctor.
If for some reason this every gets ready by anyone in the medical profession I hope you learn from it. Patients aren't cattle, we aren't idiots or unnecessary human beings on this earth. Patients are people who are in some form of crisis whether it is a simple cold to a major heart attack or cancer. We come to the doctors for help to not only be cured but also to receive some kind of compassion to alleviate the angst we have. I remember when my husband was in intensive care a couple years ago. He said there was a nurse there who complained constantly that she had to take care of a man who was almost 300 pounds and another young man who was in a fetal position after a car accident. She acted as if it was beneath her to care for the men and talked about them as if they were creatures. He heard it all even though he was in and out of consciousness. Patients hear what you say. We know you are just another human being but you have chosen a profession that puts you in the situation to not only cure but care for your patient.
As Confuscious said " Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
It is like a version of the Golden Rule we learned as a child. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
If for some reason this every gets ready by anyone in the medical profession I hope you learn from it. Patients aren't cattle, we aren't idiots or unnecessary human beings on this earth. Patients are people who are in some form of crisis whether it is a simple cold to a major heart attack or cancer. We come to the doctors for help to not only be cured but also to receive some kind of compassion to alleviate the angst we have. I remember when my husband was in intensive care a couple years ago. He said there was a nurse there who complained constantly that she had to take care of a man who was almost 300 pounds and another young man who was in a fetal position after a car accident. She acted as if it was beneath her to care for the men and talked about them as if they were creatures. He heard it all even though he was in and out of consciousness. Patients hear what you say. We know you are just another human being but you have chosen a profession that puts you in the situation to not only cure but care for your patient.
As Confuscious said " Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
It is like a version of the Golden Rule we learned as a child. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
