I Need to Vent

Yesterday David had a doctor's appointment at 4 pm. I picked him up at his day program a little after three and was there by ten to four. (He had already had 3 seizures and was a bit "glitchy" but we carried-on.) This was to be a follow-up appointment to go over a test he had done back in December. Finally at 4:23 we were ushered into the exam room. By 4:40 or so I went out to the counter and asked if the doctor was actually in the office. They were able to discern that the doctor was in an exam room. At 4:50 a pharmacy student came in and wanted to know if she could ask me some questions. Since this is a teaching hospital, I said sure. Throughout the years we have answered countless questions about David and his condition. Well, this ended up going on until 5:30. As she left I saw the doctor and the physician's assistant out by the counter and went up to her and David followed.
"Do you want to just meet out here?"
"Sure, why not", I'm thinking as just about everyone in the office had left by now. "So what were the results of David's test?" I ask.
"Uh, it's not here in the folder. Let me call radiology for the report." "They don't have it and the place where it was done is closed today."
"So why am I here? This was supposed to be a follow-up to discuss the results?"
(Somewhere around this time the physician's assistant is slinking away in the background. Yeah, I saw that.)
"I can call you tomorrow in the morning with the results."
"I'd really like you to call after 4pm so my husband can hear the report."
"Blah,blah, blah....." by now I can't really take in too much between trying to concentrate with listening to an accent and decipher medical jargon all the while my brain keeps flashing, "What the hell are you here for?"
"You can make an appointment to come back in three months."
I walk out with David a few steps away around the corner past the checkout desk.
"You need another appointment?"
I'm thinking - I need to get out of here!
"I don't know." I blurt out, my head wanting to explode.
She leans back through the opening and asks the doctor. Yes, in 3 months.
"Fine", I sit down. "What have you got?"
"February or May?"
"I'll take May."
"I'm really ticked off. You know this appointment was a total waste of time. Nothing was accomplished, nada, zilch, zero and it cost me a $20 copay. I waited for 50 minutes before I saw anyone and that was a pharmacy student for 40 minutes. The doctor did not have the results that were needed to be discussed for this appointment so there was no reason for me to be here. The appointment should have been cancelled."
"I'm sorry that happened to you."
Yeah me too I'm thinking, or did I say it?
Oh, and the doctor was able to hear everything I said to the secretary, and I really don't care.

Well. tonight it's after 6pm and there's been no phone call.

I took David to a dental appointment this morning and his dentist came out apologizing for running late before I had even told him what had happened the day before. I had seen they were having a problem with a piece of equipment. I don't think he was even 5 minutes late and we were out of there by 11:30 for a 11am appointment. Probably more of the time was taken up by me talking to him about my awful time yesterday. He felt a refund was in order.

After I took David to his program I called up the chiropractors (a brother and sister team). Althought I had just called at the time where they close down for several hours before resuming at 3pm, they told me to come in anyway. Boy, was I ever glad to see them. I had so much stress and they were able to help relieve much of it. I thanked them again for seeing me and told them that I had needed it and it had really helped me. Oh, and they too both couldn't believe I wasn't given my money back.

Copyright © 2007 Deborah Sharp Loeb