I very much like my surgeon. He has a certain formality, but he is professional AND compassionate. He actually listens to what you have to say and he does have a (somewhat dry) sense of humor. This appointment is only 2 weeks after my surgery and I am SORE!! I was worried enough to take a pain killer prior to my appointment in case this was going to be painful. They remove 2 of the surgical drains (oh, so nice to be rid of them!) and all of the staples. There were a few little twinges of pain, but truly nothing out of the ordinary for what I have been living with post op anyway. Very delicate touch from the nurse & Dr Z, and if you are one who is worried about this - piece of cake. Truly. He advises when they are removing the drains "you are going to feel a little pull" and that is ALL I felt there, just a tiny bit of pressure from a pull and it was 100% NOT painful.
The next day, Wednesday, I get a phone call. A Nascar speed voice telling me "This is someone you don't know from some place you've never heard of reminding you of your appointment tomorrow at 2:30."
Hmm, I write these things down for a reason. I don't recall ANY appointment scheduled for the next day and checking my calendar, I have nothing scheduled for the next day.
I should digress here, for a minute to let you know - I am really quite nice. People like me, I do my best to "throw sugar before me" - you know, be nice to begin with so people will also want to be nice back, I make a conscious effort to be kind and I am NOT an idiot. Okay, maybe not the single most intelligent person on the planet, but I actually do have a functioning brain and at least a degree of intelligence that is above "average" - whatever that may mean. (And now back to our story)
I process this message and say "Well, for it to be a reminder I would have to know about it to begin with and this is the first I've heard of it."
(Mysterious Nascar Speaker Person, hereinafter referred to as MNSP) - "Well, it's tomorrow at 2:30"
me - "Okay. And it's where?"
(MNSP) "
(me) -thinking
(MNSP) "1632. You'll need to be there early because you will have paperwork to fill out, you will be seeing the PA (physician's assistant), not the doctor and you will need to bring picture ID and your insurance card."
(me) - "Okay."
click - end of call. So THEN I hang up the phone.
About an hour later, the surgeon's office calls to let me know they have heard I have an appointment. I let her know that I have heard so, although I did think you needed to know about something before you could be reminded of it to which she says "Yes, I did too."
Did I mention that EVERYONE at my surgeon's office has been nice? They are friendly, human kind faces and personalities to people who may be at an all-time scary moment in their lives. You ALWAYS get a human when you call and they are just helpful. Gotta love them!!
So my sweet and wonderful husband and I drive in to town the next day - early for the appointment so we have time to do what must be done. When I walk in I recognize the voice of (MNSP) as the receptionist. I sign in, she lets me know that she will have some paperwork for me in just a minute. The phone rings and she allows it to interrupt her, shows visible 100% exasperation and says "Oh, these phones!! They can just quit ringing!"
Hmm. Isn't answering the phone part of your job as a receptionist? Shouldn't that not be such a horrible, upsetting thing to you? Wouldn't it be wise to learn to deal with that with calm? Maybe that's crazy talk....
I get my paperwork a few minutes later and another couple comes in, registers and are seated. As I am filling out my paperwork, (MSNP) calls out to them - "Oh, Mr. xxxx, your appointment has been moved to next week." Mrs. xxxx goes up to the front desk and very calmly, very nicely tells her "No, that was the appointment the referring physician originally set up and I called you and changed it to today."
(MNSP) "Well, I'm not saying you're not telling the truth or anything, but (!!!!!!!) as I recall, you did start to change the appointment but then you said 'no, keep that appointment, we'll hurry back and make this appointment.' "
(Mrs. xxxx) "No, we're going on a cruise. There IS no coming back early. I would not have said that to you."
(MNSP) " Hmm. Well, I'll just try to grab the doctor when he comes out and see if he can fit you in."
Oh, I'm thinking as I hear this. No one "behind the glass" even blinked as this silly child - who was, by the way really a cute little adorable young girl - lied, impugned a customer/patient both by calling them a liar AND insulting their intelligence with the weak unbelievability of the wild tale thrown out TO call them liars. No one even blinked. This tells me this goes on all the time. This tells me there is no integrity in this office. This tells me there is no respect for the humans who walk in this door to seek treatment for horrible, awful,very bad things and that there is no personal accountability required of any employee here. That's not good..
As we continue our wait.... (MNSP) hollers out - "Could you maybe come back tomorrow?" to Mr. and Mrs. Xxxx.
(Mrs. Xxxx) - "We are leaving tomorrow, there is no way we will have time to do all the things we need to do. I took today off from work specifically so we could make this appointment. Is it really necessary that we see the doctor this soon? Could we reschedule for when we return from our vacation?" Mrs. Xxxx goes up to the window...
(MNSP) " oh, sure. Here, come on this day and time."
(Mrs. Xxxx) - " Oh, we have an appointment at MD Anderson in Orlando on that day. What about (suggested alternative) instead?"
The appointment is satisfactorily changed for this couple and I think "Oh yeah, you'll be going to MD Anderson and not coming back to this place!!"
Finally at 3:09 for our 2:30 appointment we are called back by the PA. Have you ever though about how it is a very natural thing to introduce yourself to someone? You extend your hand easily and exchange names, a social gesture that is relaxed and smooths the way for whatever transactions follow? Not so much here. She apologizes for the wait in a way that can only be described as something that has become very common and rote for her. As the door closes and she directs us into the "inner sanctum" she literally stops, assumes a robotic pose, a dramatic and artificial presentation of her extending her hand and introducing herself. I checked my husband's perception of this later and he agreed that is an apt description.
We spend the next 20 minutes or so sitting while she makes a folder up of all kinds of papers, including the paperwork I had filled out almost an hour before. She comments as she organizes the file of information she has obviously never before seen (what are you gonna do?) ' Oh, this has been a turbulent six weeks for you'' (really? hadn't noticed) and "oh, your surgery was only 2 weeks ago" Yes, and I mention I am still VERY sore.
She asks me to tell her about the appointment at Moffitt Cancer Center. I have no info to offer and tell her so, that I just wanted a second opinion and that is all I know at this point. She tells me that she is going to let the Doctor prescribe what medication I may be getting (Oh, that's good - the Doctor can actually do what HE does..) and blah, blah, blah.
We move to the "exam table" where she is going to take my BP, etc. She puts this gadget on my left wrist and moves my arm up toward my chest with velocity. I know she is intending to rest my arm against my chest. That is NOT going to happen. I resist and tell her "I am not going to touch myself - it hurts." She laughs it off with some inane comment or other and checks my ears. (I guess healthy ears makes for better blood pressure reading - just kidding). She come at me with the stethoscope. I again mention that I am SORE, warning her off of touching my chest area so she listens to my throat. Hmm, I don't recall any one listening to my throat before, but whatever. She then puts the stethoscope on my left chest wall. I flinch, and say "careful" - the left is only tender and doesn't hurt too badly. She then places the stethoscope with pressure on the sorest spot I have on my body on the right chest. Did you catch that I have repeatedly mentioned I AM SORE. My body only 2 weeks out of surgery does not want you or anyone to touch me!!! It HURTS!!! When she puts that stetho on me I flinch, I push her hand away and mention IT HURTS. She throws her hand up and says - quite sarcastic and demeaning in manner "Oh, Seriously?" I swear to you she says this. I am now shocked at this demeanor. I don't hit her - which maybe I should have just decked her and she'd about know how it felt. My mind is running with "Am I a big baby?" - which I am not, "Am I a liar?" - which I am not, "Am I some drama queen?" - again the answer is NO I AM NOT! She stethos me again - at least in a slightly less painful location as I am STUNNED and processing these thoughts, fighting tears and breathing through the pain. {Come on, Mel, it won't be much longer, you can do it, breathe!}
She then tells us "it will be just a few minutes" and leaves the room. What will be just a few minutes? ????
Three different times she pops her head in, once she gives me copies she has made of the final surgical pathology report (which I had forgotten to ask for at the surgeon's), once only to make the comment and the 3rd time to give me a hard copy of a booklet that I already bookmarked on my PC, each time telling us "It will be just a few more minutes."
Sweet husband asks me "how long are you willing to wait?" Sweet husband can see I am fading fast. I ask him "what time is it anyway?" It is almost 4:30 pm.
"Come on, babe, we're leaving' as he grabs my stuff. I gather my purse and my jacket and follow. He has come across a nurse in the hallway and tells her "we've been here more than 2 hours. She needs to rest." I follow up with my appearance in the hall and the comment "I am at the end of my energy."
She tells us to let the receptionist know. MNSP is totally flustered about our sudden appearance with no paperwork and checks to be sure she has a number whereby we can be contacted.
By the time we get home I have two, count them 2 messages from these people. One is from a Dr. B---------, who the PA had referred to but who is no one I had ever heard of before expressing shock and concern that I had had to leave and perhaps we could come back tomorrow or next week and it would be a better experience and they had really tried to accommodate me (REALLY?! How was that?) and please call ***-**** to set up a follow up appointment, it is really important to start my therapy soon. Uh - huh. The next call was from MNSP whose name as it turns out is Haley, admittedly easier to remember than MNSP, and she has scheduled me an appointment for the next day (Friday) at 4 pm. Please call to confirm or deny that appointment. I do call the next day. They ahve one of those wonderful perpetual robot answering systems listen closely as your options have changed recordings. I finally get to a place where there is an option, figure scheduling and it goes to someone's voice mail. I hang up and try again an hour later. Same deal. I figure if they don't get the message that is really not my problem and leave a message "Haley asked me to let you know if I could make a 4 pm appointment this afternoon, oh no, no no no no I will not be there."
When will my next appointment be with this HOA group? When pigs fly..
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