I'm Back.....and Doctor Rant
Hi! I'm back from Palm Springs. I had a great time with my gals chillin pool side. It was about 70 degrees each day. Our house had a spa and heated pool. I really didn't do much sight seeing because I have been to Palm Springs before and I really just wanted to veg by the pool. Hence, I have like NO pictures. Can you believe that? Part of the problem was that one of the gals in our group is a professional photographer and she was snapping away.....I guess I just didn't feel motivated to take pictures when all I did was eat, sleep and swim. Palm Springs is really very beautiful and very different from the East Coast. You are surrounded by mountains/cactus/desert, etc. When I got back to Boston, it was about 30 degrees and we had gotten 6 inches of snow earlier in the day. Big change!
Anyway, I am back and catching up on emails and trying to finish a kit for SP. Today Ben had an appointment at Children's in Boston with their metabolic clinic. His carnitine level was low and they just wanted to check up on him. Turns out it is probably dietary related (since he has such a limited diet) and the problem can be corrected by adding in more meat/cheese.
But I have to rant for a second. Because of Ben's medical issues, we are frequently in Boston for appointments and such. Today I was really fired up because our appointment was for 9 am which means I have to leave Acton at 7 am to make it on time because of the horrendous Boston commute. So, we get up REALLY early to leave by 7 am. I get there and proceed to wait for an hour for the doctor to see us. Now what the hell is that????? He couldn't possibly be backed up already...we were like the first freaking appointment of the day. Anyone in the medical community, please sheds some light on this for me because as a patient, it really pisses me off. I would have loved that extra hour to get Ben up at a more reasonable time and to be able to avoid rush hour. A 10 am appointment would have worked much better for me but NO, I had to be there at 9 am. I just think that doctors don't understand that children with a lot of medicial issues spend a shit load of time at hospitals and appointments and it is really RUDE and inconsiderate to keep us locked up for that long. I waited an hour and then approached someone and complained. The doctor arrived in my room 3 minutes after I complained. I am normally NOT a complainer, but I just thought that an hour was ridiculous. Well...anyway....glad it is over. Thanks for letting me rant!
~Chef
Anyway, I am back and catching up on emails and trying to finish a kit for SP. Today Ben had an appointment at Children's in Boston with their metabolic clinic. His carnitine level was low and they just wanted to check up on him. Turns out it is probably dietary related (since he has such a limited diet) and the problem can be corrected by adding in more meat/cheese.
But I have to rant for a second. Because of Ben's medical issues, we are frequently in Boston for appointments and such. Today I was really fired up because our appointment was for 9 am which means I have to leave Acton at 7 am to make it on time because of the horrendous Boston commute. So, we get up REALLY early to leave by 7 am. I get there and proceed to wait for an hour for the doctor to see us. Now what the hell is that????? He couldn't possibly be backed up already...we were like the first freaking appointment of the day. Anyone in the medical community, please sheds some light on this for me because as a patient, it really pisses me off. I would have loved that extra hour to get Ben up at a more reasonable time and to be able to avoid rush hour. A 10 am appointment would have worked much better for me but NO, I had to be there at 9 am. I just think that doctors don't understand that children with a lot of medicial issues spend a shit load of time at hospitals and appointments and it is really RUDE and inconsiderate to keep us locked up for that long. I waited an hour and then approached someone and complained. The doctor arrived in my room 3 minutes after I complained. I am normally NOT a complainer, but I just thought that an hour was ridiculous. Well...anyway....glad it is over. Thanks for letting me rant!
~Chef
posted by Chef at 12:32 PM
5 Comments:
That's the whole paoint of having the 1st appointment of the day - so there's no delay!!! Ugh!!! Matthew won't eat many things, it's just so hard to get him to try new things.
Well - can't wait to see the new kit! Glad you had a great time - you were so close to here!
Have a great day, Susan! :)
I totally hate that as well, (waiting for doctor's appts). Once we ended up waiting 8 HOURS for a surgery on our 8 week old preemie infant. We were so frustrated since he'd been NPO since midnight and we'd driven an hour to the city for the surgery. Grr... People who work with children need to understand that they are not just names in an appointment book. Glad to hear that you are back and that Ben is doing okay.
Oh the medical profession! Who are they kidding??? I hear ya on the waiting. I think we have all been there. We expect it, but it's not any easier. And like you said, when it's for a kid, that is just plain mean! I know you don't want to come across as pushy and all, and I'm like that too. But lately I've decided that it's my time, and my kids' time, and heck, I'm going to get it going, and it's my job to advocate for my kids' time and health. So you were totally in the right . Don't feel bad!
Hugs to the little dude!
I saw your post and just had to respond. I worked in a cardiology clinic for a couple of years and the doctors were notoriously late. It drove me crazy!! First of all, if you've been waiting for 20 minutes you should approach someone. That doesn't mean they'll come in right away, but at least they won't forget about you. Plus, you know the adage about the squeaky wheel? Totally true, especially for doctors & nurses. I also wanted to point out that just because a clinic starts at 9 doesn't mean the dr.'s day starts at 9. They probably have rounds in the morning & stuff comes up. The docs I worked for started surgery at 6am and had clinic at 9. Needless to say, if surgery didn't go smoothly they couldn't just leave. I still hate waiting for doctors and it totally sucks that you had to go through that, just wanted to let you know about some of the things that cause the lateness.
Hi! I'm a first time reader, and I just had to voice my opinion. My husband is a doctor, and I guess I have a biased view. I asked my husband why doc's are late (because I used to hate waiting, too) and he said that most times, it's because a patient will come in with 10, 11, 12 issues, and will keep the doc longer than he/she expected. Good doctors, like I happen to believe my husband is, hate to keep people waiting, but find their patient's health to be their absolute first priority. Other times, the doctor could be on rounds in the hospital, or in a surgery, or delivering an unexpected baby, etc. Then, he said, sometimes though, doctors are just late. And I got to thinking...most people have NO idea what doc's go through. My husband gets one day off a week, and since I work full-time, too (I'm a teacher), chances are that the ONE day off doesn't coincide with MY day off. So, if my husband runs a few minutes late because he wanted to spend a few minutes with me in the morning making coffee, or planning the next days dinner, or rolling around on the floor with tbe kids for a few minutes...he can, I don't complain. It happens so rarely that he's late, but you've gotta give the guy a chance to live, too. Ya know? Thanks for hearing my opinion!
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