Oh Boy.... Doctors Offices.
I've been a long time lurker but now i think i have two stories that would fit perfectly.
BG: My Mother has a weak heart, bad eyesight (she only sees about 20% on her right eye), Diabetes, and is on Pain management for her bad back.
My brother was in the [European Countrie]s armed forces for 12 years so being on schedule is important to him.
Story #1: (i wasn't there, but my brother and my mom told me about it)
My mother had to get to her doctors appointment at the University clinic where they had done her first eye surgery to get a check up from the professor (and incidentally director of the hospital).
She was told to be there at 9 am nil by mouth - i think that's the correct medical term.
They arrived right on time, about 8:30.
And waited... No one told her how long it would take, but they insisted that she shouldn't eat anything.
Now, remember my mother has diabetes, so she needed to eat on a regular basis
It was 11:30 am when my brother took her to the cafeteria so she could eat something and wouldn't slip into a diabetic shock.
Not 10 minutes later she was called into the doctors office (brother trailing innocently behind her, but already angry because a nurse had told her rather sternly that she shouldn't have eaten anything) where my brother then flat out told the Professor.
"You have a Problem with your scheduling and your organisation." and continued to tell him how long mom had to wait and that it was unacceptable that a patient that is known to have diabetes, has to arrive that early only to wait several hours without being allowed to eat.
The Professor was understanding and vowed to change that.
Best thing was...it wasn't an empty promise. 1,5 years later when my mom had her second eye surgery with the same Professor, he bent over her on the table, grinned. "Good Morning, AlpacasMom. We changed quiet a bit, didn't we?" and indeed they had, because my mother hadn't been there for 10 minutes before they took her to prepare for the surgery.
Story#2 This time i witnessed it
Another appointment at a University hospital for my mothers eyes (This time a hospital in our State Capital)
The appointment was for 8 am.
We arrived and were shown in a waiting room to fill out forms. I take a number and my mother waits an hour to be shown to Doc #1. i procede to buy her some breakfast (remembering the incident in the other hospital)
20 Minutes later she returns. I was happy, thinking we could leave.
Mom. "Oh no..that was just the reexamination. Apparently we need to wait back there because the Professor wants to see me."
Me: "Oh goodie." *less ecstatic, already fearing the worst*
We arrive at the second waiting room, and it was packed. Every chair was occupied.
I pull out my earplugs and my mp3 player and start listening to music to drown out the children screaming (and I'm not just saying that. They really were screaming and running around) and read my book.
The hours go by. My mother eats her breakfast, all is well.
I look to my watch, ....its Lunchtime.
But finally the Doctor sees my mother.
I start packing up.
But 10 Minutes later my mom returns shaking her head.
Mom: "They want to look into my eyes! I need to wait here to get the drops." ( those that dilate your pupils)
Me: "But..didn't you tell them that wont work for your eyes anymore?"
Mom: "Yes i did. but they still want to try it."
As some probably know. You need to wait an hour after administration of the drops, for the eyes to get fully dilated
We wait at the small corner seating to be picked up by a nurse.
45 Minutes later, someone finally comes. Mom gets her drops. And we're back to waiting.
Meanwhile my mood is that bad, that even my mom can tell that I'm angry at the hospital and annoyed by the kids that still run around freely and scream like it's their living room.
I insist on coming with her to the doctor and she tells me "No! You're like you're brother, you'll be angry with the doctor."
I think it i would have been in the right to be angry with him, but i stay put and an hour later a nurse comes by and asks mom into the room to check if the drops worked.
They didn't (such a surprise) and they repeat the procedure in the hope the result would change.
Of course it didn't, and by the time she finally gets called into the Professors office its 4 PM. I am seething and my mother just annoyed at the staff.
I wait another hour and just hope that we're done.
We are not. She had to take another test and in the end we finally left the clinic at 7 pm.
I most likely was PA as we exited the clinic as i made sure that the staff heard me complain loudly about their time management.
Those are my two horror stories from the depth of an doctors office.
I hope it wasn't too long and confusing.
~
Alpacas
