I am so damn angry right now I could spit fire! OMG it is such a good thing I don’t believe in guns because there would be a bloody corpse at the doctors office right now....and her name is Lindsay.
Some of the back story. A few years ago my husband had what is called a “virtual physical”
As my husband and I gathered around the computer the radiologist put his image on this big TV size computer screen and she began to go over his body starting at the top. As she got to his lungs she says oh so matter of factly, “these are nodules all over your lungs it appears you have stage 4 lung cancer you may want to get your affairs in order” and without missing a beat she goes onto the next body part. At this point I was like a Charlie Brown show only hearing, “Wah wah wah wah wah” My husband has the where with all to say, “Whoa back up a minute what did you say?” Again this “professional” says you have stage 4 lung cancer and continues to move down his body on the computer screen without missing a damn beat.
We never heard another word. We walked out of there in stunned silence. My world immediately began to collapse. My husband asked me to drive us home. It was a silent trip at first and then I got into cheerleader mode. I said, “Look you are not a smoker. You have asthma but you are young and healthy and maybe she just read this wrong.” He gave me a look like he appreciated my attempt but stop it. I said, “Before we take this all in we are going to call another doctor and Johns Hopkins. And that is what we did.
The 1st pulmonary doctor did a CT Scan and said that the “spots” on his lungs were not cancerous and began to ask my husband a series questions. Come to find out he had something called silo fillers disease. Apparently when he was young his first “attack” was after playing with his cousin in a corn silo. I guess this left some residue scaring or something like that. (Too much medical jargon for me to explain but google it you’ll see) Bottom line he did not have cancer but to put us at ease she recommended that he have another CT scan later in the year to see if they changed at all to be sure. She knew we were getting a 3rd opinion and said that she understood our need to do that and wished us the best and to call if she could do anything for us.
We then trekked to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore with our CT Scan in hand as well as our legal notepad of questions. We saw a team of Pulmonary specialist that was right out of a movie. Man they were thorough, thoughtful and explained it all so we could understand. They were patient as we asked all our questions. The team told us that they see a lot erroneous diagnosis with the “Virtual Physicals.” They too suggested we have another CT Scan down the road to be absolutely sure but like the 2nd doctor said we had to wait because too many CT Scans are not good for your lungs either. But they all touched my husbands shoulder and said they were very very confident that he was fine aside from his issue of asthma. Whew. That was 5 years ago and he is just fine.
He continued to see the local doctor here every year. Last June was his last visit with Dr. Marla and she told him that he didn't really need to see her every year unless there was an issue. Those were wonderful words to him so he hasn’t needed her until now.
Fast forward to this week. It began with him needing his inhaler. After his prescription inhaler was out he bought an over the counter one. I asked if he thought we should make an appointment with the dr but he said this is probably just the ragweed and the season and no big deal. Well it has now become a big deal. He is sick, he says his lungs fill “full” as of last night he began the coughing & hacking. I mentioned that he has an open day on Friday because we were to go out of town – how about we get you into your pulmonary doctor first? He agrees......so I know he is feeling very badly if he agrees so easily to see Dr. Marla.
So this morning the first thing I do is call the doctor’s office. The little young unprofessional chirpy that answered the office phone is who I would like to bitch slap into next year. I picture her as not educated, nail polish chipping off her chewed down nails, snapping gum and with big hair. Think Brittany Spears without the money......still trashy but can’t go shopping outside of Wal-Mart kind of thing.
Okay this twit says to me that my husband can’t get in the office to see the doctor tomorrow because he hasn’t been seen in a year. I said well that is because he has had no reason to come in to see Dr. Marla. The Chirpy cops an attitude and goes on a tirade about how the office policy is that if you are not seen in a year then it will be more than a 15 minute appointment. HUH??? WTF does that have to do with anything? So I politely ask, “What does that mean exactly?” She actually HUFFED – NO SHIT she HUFFED at me.
Then she says LOUDER as though I was deaf vs. unable to understand this policy, “it means it’s office policy and you will need more than 15 minutes and we don’t have any such appointments for you. I then repeated to Miss Chirpy that Dr. Marla had told Rick on his last appointment that he didn’t need to see her every year unless there was an emergency. This is an emergency.” She said, “oh well. That is our office policy.” (I want to hit her so badly) I said, “your name was Lindsay right?” Lindsay says, “Yea” (oh again that professional grammar taking place) I say as calmly and nicely as anyone could muster, “Lindsay, I would like to suggest that you mention this policy to Dr. Marla so that she doesn’t continue to tell her patients not to come in if this is something that you insist on as an office policy. Can Rick then see another doctor in the practice. He is having trouble breathing, sleeping and he is very sick” To which Lindsay retorts, “No. I already told you that we can not see him and none of the other doctors in the practice can see another doctors patients. And I don't have to tell the Dr. anything!”
I was livid. So he could be bleeding in front of them from all of his orfaces but “oops we can’t see you because it’s been 15 months since you’ve been here and the other doctors are not allowed to help you.” WTF kind of professionalism is this?
I then called Rick’s internal medicine/family doctor who is golfing today and tomorrow and is not taking appointments, but he can get him in on the 15th. Gee thanks.
I suggested Urgent Care to Rick to which he snorted and replied, “you’ve got to be kidding me right? We went there in July when I fell down the stairs and broke my foot and tore tendons in my foot and they read my x-rays and said I was fine just a bruise.” If they can’t read a fucking x-ray do you honestly think I want them to look at my lungs for heavens sake?” Good point.
So in the meantime our choices are to:
1. Suffer.
2. Go to the ER and wait for 6 -10 hours amongst all the illegal immigrants who use the ER as a doctors office and real emergency have to wait.
3. Suffer until you are taken in an ambulance.
4. I don’t even want to go there.
And to that bitch Lindsay, I say this to you in all seriousness - Get a job where you don’t speak to the public. You do not have social skills young lady.
I will be writing a letter to the doctor because damn it I am so fucking sick of people and the way they treat others. It will do nothing I suppose but make me feel better. I have to calm down first so that I can take out the emotion in my letter and insert just the facts. But by God this doctor is getting a letter. It reminds me of an episode of Designing Women when Julia took everyone’s name during a trip to write letters to all the airline employees, hotel clerks etc along the way who were never helpful and were rude. It was funny then, but not while it’s happening to you believe me!
Customer service people – customer service....ever hear of it? A Faint memory to us all in our current society. For God's sake they could at least fake it in front of me. Hell I do it all day long.
Even when I know my customers are wrong or a fucking pain in my ass or both I still agree with them, have empathy, we work on problem resolution until the customer is happy and they think I’m great. I then hang up the phone and I scream and I rant and then I write it in a blog but the customer never knows how I really feel they feel they have gotten good service and I made it right for them – do you hear me you little asshole Lindsay?
